Description of What We Do

Corporate Transaction Management & Support: A Summary

The Problem

There you are: the Board has just decided to attempt a transaction and you have been asked to make it happen. You may also be involved in the commercial negotiations and you almost certainly have a day job - whether Group Financial Director, Group Financial Controller, Company Secretary or something similar. Unless you work for a large corporation with a team dedicated to corporate transactions, this is probably where you resign yourself to several months of late nights, during which the business will suffer from the diversion of your attention. Now there is a better way. We offer a transaction management and support service, which makes the transaction process both less risky and more efficient.

The Solution

The key to a successful transaction is access to people who know what they are doing. It is relatively easy to get advisers on technical matters and commercial strategy but much more difficult to find people who can manage the process and implement the solutions. Which is where we come in: James Hoddock has a solid background in Group Finance with particular expertise in managing and modelling corporate transactions on behalf of both quoted and private equity companies. He has worked on several major transactions including:

• £55m emergency refinancing of £300m turnover plc (Wace Group) and the subsequent sale of subsidiaries for £53m
• four-way demerger of £250m turnover private equity privatisation vehicle (The Stationery Office) including £65m refinancing and subsequent £82m sale of one part
• acting as Group FD during the flotation of £190m value radio group (The Wireless Group) and associated raising of £40m bank debt
• assisting Accenture with the development of a new business idea on behalf of a major European FMCG group

If you would like a more detailed description of these transactions then please visit the Case Studies section.

Our Role

We aim to be your "chief of staff" i.e. to manage the process of a corporate transaction on your behalf so allowing you and your advisers to focus on and retain control over the technical and commercial solutions adopted. We complement your existing advisers by using our technical knowledge and experience across a wide range of corporate affairs to:

• identify and manage the interconnections and conflicts that form the critical path of a transaction;
• act as your interface with technical advisers;
• participate fully in developing and validating the ideas your advisers put forward; and
• help you implement the solutions adopted

The Benefits

	you make more effective use of your / management / staff / advisers' time:

	more focus on commercial / technical aspects of the transaction
	less disruption to your business;

	you have greater control over the transaction process

	shorter lead times
	reduced risk of failure to complete on schedule

	you retain full control over the solutions adopted but don't have to dedicate as much and time and resources to identifying them

	your interests are protected - We are independent of all your other advisers

Which Transactions?

Our approach lends itself best to transactions where you are being proactive e.g. acquisitions, demergers, disposals, routine refinancings etc.. However, it is also relevant to more reactive situations, such as a bid defence where speed is essential.

Timing

Prior preparation and planning prevent poor performance.

Very few organisations can say they have everything ready to make a corporate transaction run smoothly and the sooner we are involved, the easier it will be for you. We would be very happy to perform a pre-transaction review to help identify what will be required.

Not just transactions!

There are other occasions when finance functions are under significant stress (such as when investors or lenders have commissioned a review by external accountants) where you might find our services useful.

Resources

Where additional support is required, we can provide a number of interim:

• Transaction Managers - experienced professionals whose strong technical skills cover the whole range of corporate affairs.
• Transaction Analysts - qualified accountants with good financial modelling skills

 

IT tools

We are developing our own transaction management tools using MS Project and we have a library of spreadsheets both of which make managing corporate transactions more efficient.

Referees

There are a number of people who have seen us in action who are willing to act as referees and we should be happy to supply names and contact details at an appropriate point.