Innovation in Compliance - Key Board Issues Going Forward with Christina Bresani
This Week in FCPA-Episode 77, the Home for the Holidays Edition
Preparing a Company to Deal With Activist Investors
Why Every Day Is Proxy Season for Public Companies
A Diligent interview with Tom Matthews, Sonica Tolani and Alex Woodfield, partners, White & Case. Are any specific demands being more frequently adopted in activist campaigns involving UK companies? Tom Matthews (TM): We are...more
M&A dealmakers have been on a wild ride: from the pandemic-fueled rout in 2020 to 2021’s record-breaking recovery to a steep decline in 2023, the global M&A market has offered a masterclass in volatility. While global M&A...more
The oversight obligations of boards continue to expand. Recent enforcement actions and new laws in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and supply chains create new challenges for boards, as we explain in this...more
Key Points - - The number of activist campaigns launched against European companies rose again in 2023, with a new focus on German targets. - Many activists surveyed believe that France offers them good opportunities. -...more
2023 was a challenging year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Volumes of deals and deal sizes were both down due to, amongst other factors, historic levels of inflation, rising interest rates, heightened regulatory scrutiny...more
The UK market continues to prove a fertile hunting ground for shareholder activism, with US-based investors spearheading a significant proportion of public campaigns during 2023. These seasoned investors with a track record...more
Key Points - - While interest rates, uncertainty and other factors negatively impacted deal activity in 2023, we saw a steady flow of carve-outs, spin-offs and joint ventures that offered creative ways to achieve strategic...more
In our 2022 alert “REIT M&A Trends Through the Pandemic,” we cataloged a total of 42 new REIT transactions announced between August 2020 and May 2022, a pace that rivaled or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. From May 2022 through...more
For the third year, Skadden’s European M&A practice has worked with Activistmonitor to survey executives from leading European companies and activist investors to assess their expectations for shareholder activism in Europe...more
Post De-SPAC public companies saw an unprecedented number of shareholder activism campaigns during the 2021 and 2022 proxy seasons. The vast majority of these campaigns took the form of short attacks and proxy fights against...more
In this update, we consider key statistics, trends, developments and highlights regarding U.K. public M&A transactions governed by the U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers that were announced during the second half (H2) of...more
Companies with a history of consistent revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA make attractive acquisition targets for strategic and private equity buyers. Unlike a strategic buyer, which may have on hand a management team capable...more
One - Whilst we have seen a decline in new public activist campaigns and demands since the onset of the pandemic, there is much going on below the surface. Many activists have adopted a "wait and see" approach regarding...more
The outbreak of COVID-19 and the efforts around the globe to contain its spread have resulted in dramatic business disruptions and economic turmoil, raising many new considerations for parties participating in proposed or...more
The evolving coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused profound worldwide human suffering, has also severely impacted global business and financial markets. Corporate boards of directors and management teams are...more
Over the last month, each of the major stock market indices has experienced extreme volatility and a broad-based decline in value, largely in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The bellwether Dow Jones Industrial Average...more
The question is no longer whether the volatility created by the COVID-19 pandemic will deepen the difficulties businesses and other institutions face in the coming months, but by how much and in what ways. In the past few...more
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is affecting all aspects of our clients' businesses, not to mention their personal lives. We are fielding numerous legal and practical questions in many different substantive areas and will...more
Activism affects virtually everyone now—even those who may never have to deal with an activist - If you’re still nursing doubts about whether activism has a broad effect on M&A, it may be time to put them to bed....more
In a world roiled by activism, geopolitical uncertainty and data risk, dealmakers are eager to lean in, according to our survey Introduction - If you're like us, you spend a lot of time thinking about where M&A markets...more
Despite political and economic uncertainties, markets and deal activity were resilient in 2019, and strong fundamentals remain in place heading into 2020. Companies continue to face a challenging litigation and enforcement...more
M&A professionals greeted 2019 with a note of caution. Following a strong year for M&A in 2018, optimism was tempered by concerns over increased market volatility, trade disputes, rising interest rates and global political...more
Shareholder activism remains pervasive in the corporate landscape, as many companies continue to face new, and sometimes more sophisticated, activist situations. Recent activism-related trends indicate that the landscape is...more
The Situation It was recently reported that an Australian proxy adviser had queried whether the directors of a substantial Australian Securities Exchange-listed ("ASX") target, DuluxGroup, should have negotiated a Go Shop...more
Companies previously considered immune from activist campaigns have come under pressure, driving new public and private deal opportunities for private equity. US shareholder activists are an established presence in Europe....more