Anson Funds names its 3 candidates in board fight at Match Group

By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Hedge fund Anson Funds blamed Match Group's board for the online dating company's underperformance and named publicly for the first time its three director candidates who all have expertise in the technology sector and have sat on public company boards.

In a letter to fellow shareholders, Anson Funds' portfolio manager Sagar Gupta wrote "Match's outdated, insular board with deep interlockings is inadequately qualified to oversee a modern technology company." Reuters obtained a copy of the letter.

Anson said it proposed Fumbi Chima, a former senior executive at Adidas , Burberry and Walmart , Laura Lee, who previously worked at Amazon-owned Twitch, Google and consulting firm McKinsey and Kelley Morrell, a former senior managing director at Blackstone, as director candidates.

Anson, which owned roughly 0.6% of Match at the end of December according to a regulatory filing, has been pressing the parent of dating sites Tinder, Hinge and OkCupid for over a year to rethink capital allocation, cut costs, and consider a strategic review of its MG Asia business.

While Anson's holding is relatively small, lawyers and bankers say the size of an activist's position is less important now as a growing number of investors push for changes at all types of companies.

Additionally the investor has raised concerns about Match's governance and pushed for management to refine its corporate strategy.

Match called some of Anson's statements "inaccurate and misleading" and said its CEO and board are "actively addressing key strategic priorities to drive sustainable growth and create long-term stockholder value." The current board has "deep expertise and diverse perspectives," the company added in a statement, continuing it is committed to "thoughtful board refreshment and will continue to appoint directors whose experience and accomplishments align with the evolving needs of the business."

Match's stock price has fallen 10.5% in the last 52 weeks, valuing the company at $7.6 billion.

Only three of Match's 10 directors will stand for election this year, creating a flash point for many investors who generally want all board members to be up for election annually.

Anson said in its letter that the board played "musical chairs" with the role of chief executive officer, making four changes in the past five years.

It also said that it was not eager to fight with the company, noting that "ideally, Match's board will see the need for change itself and work with shareholders to refresh the board." Reuters reported last month that Anson planned to nominate several director candidates.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-BaylissEditing by Tomasz Janowski and Diane Craft)