A Founder’s Guide to Mergers, Acquisitions and Exits
-
This interactive webinar, designed for entrepreneurs, founders and owner operators of small to medium sized enterprises, will breakdown the process and structure of some typical corporate transactions. When a commercial opportunity arises to either merge with or acquire a business or potentially even exit the business you’ve built, often the most significant challenge is understanding the mechanics of how a deal is executed.
Dragon Argent have a uniquely diverse team that guides clients through the commercial, legal and financial stages of planning and executing a corporate transaction, and we’ll bring all that experience and insight to bear in this interactive webinar to answer your most pressing questions. From proving the business case through to negotiating the terms of the deal and using due diligence to spot red flags, we’ll make sure you leave this webinar with the tools you need to plan your next transformative event.
-
When planning a corporate transaction there are two main objectives that participants should seek to achieve. On the one hand they should seek to maximise the value of the transaction whilst on the other, they should seek to mitigate risk. Regardless of which side of the transaction you might sit, be it buy side or sell side, these fundamentals remain the same. However, if you haven’t gone through this type of transaction in the past, you won’t know the most common pitfalls to avoid in respect of risk, or levers to pull in respect of value.
This is where a trusted advisor like Dragon Argent comes in. We utilise our teams competencies across commercial strategy, accountancy, tax and legal to offer a holistic and comprehensive advisory services across the entire lifecycle of a transaction – and we want to share that experience with you on this webinar.
-
We’ll highlight the typical structure and timeline of a corporate transaction so that you are informed about how the mechanics of these kinds of endeavours operate. We’ll share our experience on where we’ve seen clients succeed or fail, the reasons why and the key lessons we’d impart from this experience. Attendees will leave the webinar with a clear sense of how they should prepare for a corporate transaction, the way it is most likely to proceed and our top tips on how to maximise value while mitigating risk. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions to each of our experienced panelists across the commercial, legal and financial implications of a corporate transaction.
-
Entrepreneurs, Founders, Owner Operators or Management Teams of startup to medium sized enterprises thinking about executing an M&A transaction.
Date & Time: Wednesday, September 21st between 13:00 - 14:00 (GMT)
Location: Zoom link will be share via email after registration. All sessions are recorded.
Agenda:
1:00pm - Welcome and Introduction
1:05pm – Topics
Planning for M&A activity
Deal Structure
Negotiating Terms
3 Stages of Due Diligence
Completion
1:45 pm - Open Q&A
2:00 pm - End session
TALK TO OUR M&A EXPERTS TODAY
The Dragon Argent team are ready to support you with your acquisition or disposal. We can provide comprehensive, end to end support for the entire transaction or specialist guidance at a crucial stage across corporate law, employment law, accountancy support, tax advice, intellectual property, data & privacy or commercial due diligence.
PANELIST DETAILS
James Kearns
General Counsel & Head of Legal Practice
-
Commercially astute and risk-aware, James is an accomplished lawyer with a wealth of experience as a corporate and commercial solicitor for Startups & SMEs in the UK. James advises on a variety of matters including share and asset sales, equity investments, corporate reconstruction, shareholders’ agreements, and a broad range of commercial contracts, in each case across a range of industry sectors. James joined Dragon Argent as General Counsel in 2017, having previously worked in private practice at Collyer Bristow LLP.
Before practising law, James worked at a local newspaper, and later as a law reporter covering judgments given at the High Court and Court of Appeal. He then moved into publishing, working as a commissioning editor for two major legal publishing houses where he oversaw the commercial development of a large portfolio of print and online titles.
Freddie-Nicolle Brace
Head of Corporate & Commercial
-
Before joining Dragon Argent, Freddie completed her LPC at BPP University and qualified as a solicitor at a West End firm in 2019. Freddie advises on a wide variety of corporate and commercial matters. She is analytical and passionate about her work and is one to watch in the Dragon Argent team.
Craig Williams
Chief Financial Officer
-
A commercially minded Chartered Accountant based in London who continuously adds value to businesses through efficient processes and insightful data analysis. Craig understands the key drivers of a successful growing business and loves being part of the evolutionary journey of the clients he works with. With over six years experience working with a wide range of clients in the SME sector he brings a wealth of impact and ideas.
James Taylor
Chief Executive Officer
-
James’ background as an entrepreneur gives him a uniquely sympathetic view of the journey ambitious SMEs are on as he's lived the opportunities and challenges business’ face. He is a Jack of All Trades and a firm believer in the power of working collaboratively for common goals. James relies on a consultative approach to truly understand a client’s objectives and how they can be achieved, before matching them with bespoke solutions.
Before joining Dragon Argent, James built and exited two business intelligence brands working across multiple industries and geographic locations. As a commercially minded business leader and manager, James is a ‘generalist’ who quickly grasps interesting challenges.
