This article was originally published on Finsbury.com
The UK M&A landscape is becoming more complicated and arguably more challenging to navigate from a communications perspective.
There is now a far greater political focus on transactions, including both informal scrutiny and a new approvals regime being introduced by the National Security & Investments Bill. Together with the economic dislocation caused by COVID-19, ongoing critical issues such as ESG and remuneration have heightened scrutiny on bidders and their plans for the companies they seek to acquire, as well as being further issues for defending management teams to address.
Any sizeable transaction will be subject to more attention than ever from the media and politicians, with questions being asked as to whether a specific deal is good or bad for the country, what are the broader social costs that might stem from potential deal synergies and even whether the past conduct of bidders makes them suitable new owners.
With the UK equity market looking undervalued by historic standards, even the previously invulnerable can be potential targets and need to shore up their defences accordingly. Communications considerations are more integral than ever to a successful M&A acquisition or defence strategy.
Watch Finsbury London’s Managing Partner, James Murgatroyd, answer some of the key questions facing both bidder and defending companies, here