In the wake of the current economic crisis, businesses are turning to strategic mergers and acquisitions to navigate challenges and uncover opportunities for growth. Explore the impact of new merger regulations, the necessity of thorough due diligence in the digital era, and effective approaches to business valuation and deal structuring. You will gain essential insights into navigating the evolving legal landscape and harnessing the potential for growth despite economic uncertainties.

Presenters

Andrew McFarlane, M&A Partner, Advisory, BDO Australia
Andrew is an M&A Partner in BDO Sydney's Corporate Finance team and brings over 20 years of experience to the group. He is known for establishing strong relationships and trust across organisations as well as building value in rapidly changing industries. Over his career, Andrew has had extensive experience in all aspects of corporate finance and now mainly focuses on sell side lead advisory across a number of industries including software and technology. Before returning to BDO, Andrew spent seven years at Fairfax Media as a Senior Leader in Strategy and Corporate Development.


Ian Reynolds, Partner, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Ian specialises in obtaining Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) merger clearances, defending ACCC investigations and prosecutions, and advising a variety of clients on structuring their commercial arrangements. He has provided competition support for a large number of high profile transactions and commercial practices across a range of sectors. These include digital platforms and technology, healthcare, media, consumer goods and retail, petrochemicals, oil and gas, gambling, and transport and logistics. Ian has considerable experience in advising in multi-jurisdictional matters and worked earlier in his career in a leading EU and UK antitrust practice in Brussels.


Gerry Cawson, Director, Kain Lawyers
Gerry Cawson is the leader of the Private Markets practice at Kain Lawyers. He has been advising on capital raising transactions, mergers and acquisitions and capital structuring for over 30 years at top tier law firms in key financial markets including Sydney, Hong Kong and London. Kain Lawyers is a transaction specialist law firm, focusing on public and private M&A and capital raising, debt, capital structuring and funds management, property and real assets and transaction disputes. Kains has one of the most active M&A teams in the country, regularly ranking highly in M&A league tables for mid-market transactions. Gerry is a trusted adviser to his clients. He is regularly named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in the fields of M&A, venture capital and private equity. He was named a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific Edition in 2023 in the area of Corporate M&A and is listed in Doyle’s Guide 2024 as a ‘Pre-eminent’ Corporate M&A lawyer.


Nicole Pedler, Partner, Corporate Group, Herbert Smith Freehills
Nicole is a corporate partner who specialises in public and private mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets transactions. She uses her flexible skillset to help clients structure, negotiate and execute complex and innovative corporate transactions, which often have significant cross-border elements. Recent examples in the last 12 months include advising Ramsay Health Care, Brookfield, Capgemini, CBA, IFM Investors, Link Group, Reckon and TAL Dai-ichi Life Australia. Having lived and studied in Japan, she has also worked with Japanese trading houses and corporations throughout her career. Nicole is recognised in the most recent edition of Best Lawyers and in 2021 was named Partner of the Year – BigLaw by the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards.


Mia Harrison-Kelf, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills
Mia has extensive experience advising clients across the APAC region on their corporate and commercial needs. She has acted on a number of market-leading mergers and acquisitions with a particular focus on technology, media and telecommunications transactions. Mia advises clients on public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, fund raising, joint ventures, commercial agreements and corporate advisory, acting on a broad range of industry transactions and for financial investors. Mia brings a depth of knowledge and experience to both Australian domestic and cross-border transactions, having spent a number of years working in the Herbert Smith Freehills Singapore office.