M&A Awards 2017

Acquisition International - M&A Awards 2017 15 Strand Hanson Camden Best Full-Service M&A Adviser 2017 Best Mid-Market Investment Advisory Boutique - UK Strand Hanson Camden Associates Strand Hanson provides services across DCM, ECM, M&A and Restructuring, is a Sponsor on the Main Market, a Nominated Adviser and Broker on AIM and an approved Takeover Code adviser in both the UK and Ireland and is one of the most active participants in small to mid-cap public M&A in the UK. We profile the firm to find out more. Camden is a corporate finance house with a particular specialty in international financing and a special emphasis on the following sectors: biotech, tech, real estate as well as junior mining and exploration companies. We invited Jean-Claude Gonneau to tell us more about the firm and the services it offers. MA170025 MA170027 Founded in 1993, Strand Hanson is one of London’s most well established advisory boutiques and has a specific focus on providing the highest quality independent financial and strategic advice to clients, across a broad range of products, sectors and geographies. The firm is a multi-award winning M&A adviser and has advised on M&A transactions with a value of c. £3.0 billion since its MBO in 2009. This success has been achieved through the firm’s approach of generating bespoke solutions to execute transactions, mitigate risk and maximise shareholder engagement in order to enhance the probability of successful client outcomes. Strand Hanson is able to provide this high quality, innovative advice as a result of having a highly experienced senior team, (all of whom are shareholders in the firm), combined with a strong, collaborative team culture and an enviable roster of genuine sector and country experts. With regard to M&A, this advisory approach was demonstrated in one of the firm’s most recent transactions; the recommended takeover of UK listed TPJF by Prospect Co. Ltd of Japan, advised by Strand Hanson. This highly technically complex, c. $150 million transaction, is the first ever all Japanese equity offer for an UK listed, Code, company. Camden Associates is a boutique investment banking firm. Jean- Claude discusses his firm’s close partnership with its clients and how this ensures that they always receive the service they need. “Here at Camden Associates, we are close to the client taking his interest at heart and we do not hesitate to speak our minds when working with them to ensure that they always receive the full benefit of our expertise. We are in partnership with our client for their own benefit and ultimately helping them to achieve their transaction. “Fundamentally, we are in the business of helping firms finance themselves. We have to make sure the management in place has realistic and achievable goals. This does not mean reasonable goals. This is essential as most of the business we do comes to us through referrals.” Despite this unique complexity, the transaction launched with the written support of >75% of target shareholders, including all of the major institutional shareholders. The transaction, involving six legal jurisdictions and over 100 advisory staff, spread across a dozen advisory firms and disciplines, including four major legal firms, is expected to complete a mere eight weeks after launch, a tribute to the extensive work that took place prior to announcement of the transaction on 31 May 2017. This marque leading transaction builds on a successful 2016, where Strand Hanson M&A team advised on transactions totalling c. £1.0 billion. Looking ahead, despite an uncertain political and economic backdrop Strand Hanson believes that conditions remain highly favourable for M&A and believes that market volatility will continue to drive both activist shareholders and acquisitive companies to undertake genuinely transformational transactions, leading to a strong pipeline for the firm. Looking ahead, Camden Associates has many great chances for further growth and even greater success, as Jean-Claude concludes. Over the past two years we have been broadening our footprint in the mining sphere with two major clients in that space, one being a French company the other one being a US/ Chilean company. Both are very different style and very different in scope but both offer us many great opportunities for further development of our skills. “Moving forward, we see liquidity as an ongoing issue, although on a more positive note we have seen deals revive in sectors which were considered dead for the last five to seven years. This allows for the chance for us to broaden our knowledge and expertise even further and we are excited by these developments.” Address: Strand Hanson Limited, 26 Mount Row, London, W1K 3SQ Office: (020) 7409 3494 Email: simonraggett@ strandhanson.co.uk/ stuartfaulkner@strandhanson. co.uk Company: Camden Associates Contact: Jean-Claude Gonneau Contact Email: [email protected] Address: 27 Hill Street, London, W1J 5LP, UK Phone: 020 7290 9812 Website: camdenassociates.co.uk/