Richard Breeden

Richard Breeden, founder of activist investment fund Breeden Capital Management, has one goal this year: no proxy battles. But he acknowledges achieving this is unlikely, given his record. Since founding his $1-billion-plus firm 18 months ago, he has launched two major proxy battles that have won him seats on the boards of H&R Block Inc. and Applebee's International Inc. And last Friday, jewelry chain Zale Corp. gave up without a fight, giving Breeden two seats on its board.