Bridging gaps: diversifying UK boardroom recruitment
June 2024 | COVER STORY
A common mistake in boardroom recruitment is having a homogeneous board that lacks diversity in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, expertise, perspective and experience. This failing has the potential to foster bias in the recruitment process and thus hinder the appointment of more diverse candidates.
Tenets for success: trust and transparency in M&A
June 2024 | FEATURE
It is crucial for the long-term success of the merged entity that parties navigate the intricacies of a transaction with clarity and consistent messaging, prioritising key issues along the way.
Traditional to modern: the metamorphosis of the CFO
June 2024 | FEATURE
CFOs are agents of change who help drive new initiatives, laying a path for their organisations toward value and long-term growth. The complexity of business operations means CFOs must be adept at managing a wide range of responsibilities.
Movement across borders: regulating global supply chains
June 2024 | FEATURE
Depending on the size of the supply chain and the number of countries it encompasses, organisations may find themselves overwhelmed by the sheer volume of obligations.
Foreign investment and national security
June 2024 | ROUNDTABLE
High inflation, energy costs and interest rates, combined with geopolitical uncertainty and war, have quelled foreign direct investment (FDI) appetite of late. The shift by many countries toward more nationalistic trade and investment policies – including the proliferation and expansion of screening mechanisms – is likely to result in a continuing constraint of FDI flows. FW moderates a discussion between B.J. Altvater at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, Mario Mancuso at Kirkland & Ellis, Brooks Allen at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates, Eric J. Kadel, Jr. at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, David A. Katz at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.
Q&A: Trade secret disputes
June 2024 | SPECIAL REPORT
Trade secret disputes will continue their rapid growth in the coming years as a result of advances in technology and an increasing ability to share large swathes of data very easily. Establishing that the information to be protected is in fact a trade secret tends to be the biggest hurdle. FW discusses trade secret disputes with Kurt Kappes, Galit Kierkut and Ewen Mitchell at Greenberg Traurig, and Robert Sikellis at Novartis.
The biggest blockers delaying M&A completion
June 2024 | SPOTLIGHT
Throughout 2023, concerns over market concentration, consumer welfare and national security implications led to increased scrutiny and due diligence efforts, often prolonging the M&A completion process.
European financial institutions navigating evolving Russian sanctions compliance
June 2023 | SPOTLIGHT
Senior management at European financial institutions currently face a complex regulatory and enforcement environment with regard to Russian sanctions, which require dedicated budgets and human resources.
Trends in private company mergers & acquisitions
June 2024 | TALKINGPOINT
Higher interest rates, the prospect of political change and economic uncertainty mean the ‘valuation gap’ between seller and buyer will take time to converge. FW discusses trends in private company mergers & acquisitions with Tom Bruce, Emily Jamieson, Charlie Court, India Benjamin and Georgina Fraser at Farrer & Co.
Navigating workforce-related risks
June 2024 | TALKINGPOINT
Organisations that better manage workforce risk outperform competitors in areas tied to core business outcomes, including profitability, operational efficiency and brand recognition. FW discusses workforce-related risks with Michael Griffiths, Reem Janho, Sue Cantrell, Zac Shaw and Rachel Neal at Deloitte Consulting LLP.
Managing risk and liabilities arising from PFAS
May 2024 | TALKINGPOINT
The science investigating per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) exposure and disease is evolving rapidly, implying a forward-looking approach is needed to identify and quantify the impact of novel causes of action. FW discusses how to manage the risk and liabilities arising from PFAS with Drew Groth and Travis Grulkowski at Millman, David Loughran and Graham Tibbets at Praedicat, and Matthew B. Anderson at Mendes & Mount LLP.
Data centre M&A in 2024
April 2024 | TALKINGPOINT
It is more likely than not that the data centre M&A landscape will continue to be active over the next five to six years. Creative ways to bring capital into the sector will create win-win opportunities for sources of capital and operators. FW discusses data centre M&A in 2024 with Robert M. Jackson at CyrusOne, Ismail H. Alsheik at Vantage Data Centers, Joshua Pang at The Carlyle Group, Sam Southall at Macquarie Group and Kemal Hawa at Greenberg Traurig.
Keeping pace with change: sustained investment in clean energy infrastructure requires streamlined regulations
April 2024 | SPECIAL REPORT
While the energy transition has the potential to revolutionise the American economy and save the planet, without a legislative solution to state-federal regulatory obstacles and jurisdictional questions, it will be difficult to execute the transition at the necessary pace and scale.
US Corporate Transparency Act: complying with newly-enacted beneficial ownership rules
April 2024 | RISK MANAGEMENT
On 1 January 2024, the US Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect. It imposes new reporting obligations that require entities (including limited liability companies (LLCs), corporations and partnerships) formed in or doing business in the US to report their beneficial ownership…
US Corporate Transparency Act: complying with newly-enacted beneficial ownership rules
April 2024 | RISK MANAGEMENT
On 1 January 2024, the US Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) went into effect. It imposes new reporting obligations that require entities (including limited liability companies (LLCs), corporations and partnerships) formed in or doing business in the US to report their beneficial ownership…
Price adjustments in M&A transactions: the role of the independent expert accountant
April 2024 | MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
A key element of any M&A transaction is the contractual provisions governing the purchase price – one of the most heavily negotiated aspects of a share purchase agreement (SPA). With M&A transactions becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated, especially in the case of…
