The M&A Forum
ACHIEVING BETTER DEALS IN VOLATILE TIMES

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

In-person event: Clifford Chance offices, New York

GROW SHAREHOLDER VALUE IN CHANGING TIMES

After an impressive year for M&A in 2021, the road ahead was fraught with obstacles for corporate M&A; volatility, increasing inflation and interest rates, supply chain challenges and a tightening regulatory environment was impacting corporate M&A activity.

The Corporate Secretary & IR Magazine M&A Forum is a multi-stakeholder conference that helps companies build shareholder support, guarantee certainty of close and deliver on the strategic aims of M&A deals.

We are joined by 100+ corporate governance, corporate development and investor relations professionals in New York on November 8 to stay up-to-date on the outlook for the M&A market, understand the changing regulatory regime, and learn how to drive shareholder value across the deal cycle.

 

NIRI IRC® CREDENTIAL

Holders of the NIRI IRC® credential can earn up to 4 professional development units (PDUs) per day. IRC-credentialed speakers may also earn PDUs. More information is available at www.niri.org/certification.

Agenda: 2022

We will be announcing our 2023 agenda in due course.

View the 2022 PDF agenda here

Timings on the agenda are shown as Eastern Time (ET)

  • 08:30 AM
    Registration opens

  • 08:55 AM
    Welcome to the M&A Forum 2022

    Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Benjamin Sibbett, partner, Clifford Chance

  • 09:00 AM
    How to drive value through M&A in 2023

    In a time of falling valuations and rising interest rates, our opening session focuses on the outlook for M&A activity during the current economic environment and how companies can adapt their strategic approach to M&A value creation.

    • Discover how attitudes toward risk changed in this environment and the impact on deal teams
    • Debate which types of deals generate better shareholder returns at a time of rising funding costs and falling valuations
    • Understand the impact of the current economic environment on deal sourcing
    • Discover how changing attitudes toward geopolitical risk are impacting M&A activity

    Moderator: Steven Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary
    Alexander Fries, director of corporate development, Progress
    Michael Miller, executive vice president of corporate development and affairs and chief legal officer, Barnes & Noble Education
    Colin Murray, vice president of investor relations, PBF Energy

  • 09:45 AM
    Improving board oversight on M&A activity

    This session looks at how companies can support their board’s ability to make informed decisions across all aspects of the deal cycle, from strategy to diligence and implementation.  

    • Discuss the scope of the board’s role in corporate M&A
    • Learn about the trends that impact oversight on M&A activities
    • Understand how best to support your board across the entire deal life cycle

    Moderator: Ben Maiden, editor-at-large, Corporate Secretary
    Stuart Kuntz
    , associate general counsel, Foot Locker
    Michael Lanza
    , executive vice president and general counsel, Selective Insurance Group

  • 10:30 AM
    Morning networking break

  • 11:00 AM
    Adapting to accelerating due-diligence approaches

    Due diligence is one of the most time-consuming aspects of M&A, but many predict that it is also an aspect that can see the most acceleration in the future. This session discusses how to improve due-diligence efforts and increase efficiency.

    • Discuss the emerging risks for deal success in the current environment
    • Debate how best to price risk into deals in the current environment
    • Learn how to streamline the due-diligence process while having important input from different business functions

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Kevin Knupp
    , vice president of corporate development, Booking Holdings
    Abby Roberts, senior director, Datasite Insights
    Matthew Warner
    , counsel, Clifford Chance

  • 11:45 AM
    Best practices when articulating deal value to shareholders

    Getting shareholders on board with your M&A activity is critical to success, but sentiment around deals is changing. Join this session to learn how best to engage shareholders in the current environment.

    • Hear best practices on building shareholder support for deals
    • Ensure certainty of close by understanding how best to articulate the strategic value of a deal
    • Understand shareholder concerns around M&A given the macro backdrop
    • Discuss how to adapt your messaging in today’s environment

    Moderator: Laurie Havelock, editor-at-large, IR Magazine
    Alison Sternberg, senior vice president investor relations, fuboTV
    Mike Verrechia, managing director of the M&A and activism advisory group, Morrow Sodali

  • 12:30 PM
    Lunch

  • 13:30 PM
    Technology and M&A: Managing cyber-risk, data privacy and maximizing digitalization opportunities

    An ever-increasing reliance on digital infrastructure presents risks and opportunities for deal teams. This session looks at both the benefits and dangers M&A faces from evolving technology and how to manage technology in the deal process effectively.

    • Examine the technology issues that all companies must be mindful of after completing an M&A transaction
    • Discuss how technology can drive innovation within M&A
    • Learn how bust to conduct cyber-risk analysis during your due diligence
    • Discover how technology is being increasingly used to improve deal insight and efficiency

    Moderator: Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine & Corporate Secretary
    Seth Gastwirth
    , deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary, JLL
    Dania Nasser
    , senior associate general counsel, Canon
    Steven Rosenberg
    , corporate development leader
    Brian Yin, associate, Clifford Chance

  • 14:15 PM
    People & purpose: Assessing deal value through a culture and human capital lens

    Leading companies are increasingly linking environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy to their M&A activities. Human Capital factors are vital assessing deal value, and ensuring successful integration is. This session further examines how culture and company purpose influence the deal.

    • Learn about the emerging human capital, DEI and company culture factors impacting M&A
    • Debate how best to assess cultural fit during your diligence processes
    • Discuss best practices in mitigating employee-related risk during your transaction and implementation

    Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary
    Aria Glasgow, head of ESG for North America, AON
    Sandeep Manchanda
    , head of insurance M&A, partnerships, EXL

  • 14:45 PM
    Afternoon networking break

  • 15:00 PM
    Integration: Realizing value through post-merger integration

    Once a deal is signed, integration is where true value will is achieved or lost. In this session, we look at how to maximize value following a corporate transaction and communicate M&A impact with your stakeholders.

    • Setting your new board up for effective oversight
    • Hear top tips for introducing management to the market post-deal
    • Discover how best to deliver a clear message to the market following a deal
    • The importance of people management after a corporate transaction

    Moderator: Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary
    Derek Spychalski, vice president, corporate counsel & assistant corporate secretary, Zebra Technologies
    Brian Walters
    , executive vice-president and general counsel, Matthews International

  • 15:45 PM
    Champagne roundtables: How to add value through M&A in 2023

    Help yourself to a glass of bubbly and discuss the topic with your peers in a highly interactive roundtable discussion.

    Roundtable leaders

    Ben Maiden, editor-at-large, Corporate Secretary

    Laurence Taylor, senior conference producer, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary

    Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary

  • 16:30 PM
    Closing remarks

    Steve Wade, head of event content, IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary

  • 16:45 PM
    End of conference and networking drinks

Speakers

To inquire about speaking at a future forum, please contact [email protected] or call +44 20 8004 4818


What our attendees say

"Very interesting and on trend topics, with an all star line up of very engaged and dynamic speakers."

Sprouts Farmers Market

"The agenda was informative and fast-paced; the presenters were knowledgeable and engaging."

ExxonMobil

"Very strong speakers with evident leading knowledge."

Anonymous

"Highly relevant topics, knowledgeable panellists and highly informative."

Anonymous

"I felt the virtual format was faced paced and moved quickly. The size of the panels was good for different points of views and perspectives."

Murphy Oil Corporation

"Knowledgable panels. Productive discussion. Easy participation. Visibility and upvoting of questions. "

GCs Counsel

"Great selection of panelists. I thought the platform was very user friendly. "

Murphy USA

"I have been to a lot of these events and I have found the conversations to be richer and more insightful than many of the bigger panels - probably due to good moderation and good panelists. I was also impressed by how seamless the virtual format was. "

Anonymous

Who attends our events

Our attendees are leading governance, IR and corporate development professionals with a strategic role within their company.

Below is a sample of attendees who have joined our event in the past:

Job title Company Job title Company
Chief corporate governance officer Huntington National Bank SVP, corporate development Paramount
Chief legal officer AtriCure SVP, financial planning & analysis Interpublic Group
Director of corporate development Progress SVP, market leader Datamaran
Director, M&A integration & operations Jamf Vice president SMBC Nikko Securities America
Director, strategy Gartner Vice president Zimmer Biomet
EVP Edelman Smithfield Vice president Autonomous Research
EVP and general counsel Selective Insurance Group VP, legal services & chief privacy officer The Cheesecake Factory
EVP, corporate development Barnes & Noble Education VP,corporate development Booking Holdings
EVP, chief legal officer Shore United Bank Vice president of investor relations PBF Energy
EVP and general counsel Matthews International VP, corporate counsel Zebra Technologies
Head of corporate development Equitable VP, deputy general counsel Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Head of enterprise M&A The Hartford Vice president, M&A and ventures Xerox
Head of ESG North America Aon VP Edelman Smithfield
Managing director Noble Capital Markets VP corporate development and treasury DistributionNOW
SVP, investor relations fuboTV VP legal Shake Shack
SVP, corporate development Houghton Mifflin Harcourt VP, corporate development Wheel Pros


Request full attendee list

Become a partner

Why partner with us?

The M&A Forum brings together some of the most influential people from legal, finance and corporate development at public companies. The event offers an effective approach to targeting clients at a time when they need it the most.

Through our unrivaled knowledge of the subject matter and commitment to in-depth agenda research, our events attract a qualified audience.

The unique buzz we create at our events makes them multi-faceted and highly interactive with great engagement in particular from corporate secretaries, M&A managers and heads of investor relations. This allows our partners to have meaningful conversations with corporate stakeholders across legal, governance and corporate development.

By partnering with us on an event, you can generate leads, showcase your thought leadership and position yourselves as the partner of choice to our community.

We’d love to have a chat with you about how you can get in front of a truly engaged and motivated audience – get in touch with Lucas Alexandre or call on +1 646 327 5725.

Partners

Venue

Clifford Chance US LLP
31 West 52nd Street
4th Floor
New York, NY 10019 6131

Before you visit
The venue has requested that all attendees use these questions and consult the CDC guidance before attending the event.

Have you recently:

  1. experienced any Covid-19 symptoms? (CDC symptom guidance here)
  2. had a positive Covid-19 test?
  3. been in close contact with a confirmed or suspected Covid-19 case? (CDC close contact guidance here)
  4. traveled and are subject to a quarantine requirement, post-travel testing or other requirements? (CDC travel guidance here and NY travel guidance here)

If you answer “yes” to any of the above, you should not attend the event.

Accommodation
IR Magazine and Corporate Secretary have arranged preferential rates for forum attendees at nearby hotels. View the hotels and rates by clicking here.

Register your interest

Register your interest for the 2023 forum by filling in the form at the link below. You will be the first to receive important updates about the event and details about how to request an invite.

If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Williams at [email protected] or +44 208 090 2156.

 

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