Andrew Shapiro is CEO of Lawndale Capital Advisors and an independent director and governance advisor who brings an investor mindset to the boardroom. He founded Lawndale Capital Management in 1992 and managed its activist hedge funds for 32 years, through 2024. During that time he led governance and capital-allocation resets in contested situations, M&A, restructurings, and related litigation. These improved disclosure, strengthened board processes, and unlocked shareholder value.

Today he advises corporate boards, investment funds, and family offices on governance, shareholder engagement, capital allocation, board refresh, and special situations. He has also served as a director, officer, advisor, and consultant to corporate boards, bankruptcy committees, and non-profits across many industries.

Shapiro has been named to the NACD Directorship 100 and has held the NACD Board Leadership Fellow credential for over 12 years. He served on the Council of Institutional Investors' Corporate Governance Advisory Council. He is also certified in Private Company Governance by the Private Directors Association and qualifies as an Audit Committee Financial Expert. He speaks regularly on corporate governance, fiduciary duty, and activist investing. His work has been featured in Forbes, Barron's, and Institutional Investor. BusinessWeek once called him "the Gary Cooper of governance" for his straightforward, principled approach.

Before founding Lawndale, he was a portfolio manager and workout specialist in the family office of Sam Belzberg. Earlier, he was a credit officer at Manufacturers Hanover Trust, working on LBO and recapitalization transactions, and an associate at the private equity firm The Spectrum Group. He has advised early-stage companies including VideoXRM, Shareholder Vote Exchange, and Miravel. He serves on the board and executive committee of the Northern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He is also a board advisor, past chair/president, and investment committee member of the Mill Valley Library Foundation.

Shapiro holds dual JD and MBA degrees from UCLA's School of Law and Anderson School of Management, and a BS in Business Administration from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.