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The 19th Annual Southeastern M&A/Private Equity Forum

Strategy and Execution in a Shifting Market

Thursday October 05, 2023 | 9:00AM-5:00PM ET

The Southeastern M&A/Private Equity Forum is the premier gathering of mid-market deals professionals throughout the Southeastern US. Our program imparts timely advice on current trends and developments impacting deals in the current calendar year. Mark your calendars and plan to join us at a brand new event venue for our industry-leading content and networking in the vibrant Gate City of the South.

Group discounts available. Please email TRIsales@thomsonreuters.com for more details.

 

Sign up today! Online registration now available.

Event Details

Atlanta, GA

$595 USD

For questions about this event, please call 1-800-308-1700, extension 1 or email us at tri@thomsonreuters.com

Why You Should Attend

  • This conference is the only event to focus exclusively on regional issues impacting corporate and M&A professionals throughout the Southeastern U.S.
  • Our faculty features esteemed industry professionals with unparalleled knowledge of a dynamic deals environment
  • Participants can network with key buyers, sellers, and powerbrokers throughout the day's proceedings and closing reception

Who Should Attend

  • Corporate counsel
  • Strategic sellers
  • Investment bankers
  • Transactional lawyers
  • M&A advisors
  • Corporate development professionals
  • Business entrepreneurs

Chair(s) and Faculty

Chair(s) Faculty
Andrea Farley
Partner, Troutman Pepper
Michael E. Hollingsworth II
Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Rahul Patel
Partner, King & Spalding LLP
Andrew Belisle
Senior Vice President and Transactional Risk Specialist, McGriff
Steve Britt
Counsel – Cyber, Data Privacy & Technology, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Steve Brady
Partner, Withum
Brian Cochran
Principal Consultant, ESG & Climate Advisory Group, Transaction Advisory Services
Katelyn Fredericks
Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
David French
M&A Reporter, Energy & Financial Services, Reuters
Jeff Goodman
Managing Director, Greenwich Capital Group
Chris Hagler
Partner, ESG, Independence Point Advisors
Michael E. Hollingsworth II
Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Jeremy Levy
Partner, Troutman Pepper
Roy Locke
Senior Vice President, Client Advisor, Marsh LLC
Michael Lonergan
Managing Partner, Georgia Oak Partners
Bill Lundstrom
Partner, Eagle Merchant Partners
Emily Maier
Senior Vice President, Head of Transactional Insurance, Woodruff Sawyer
Aartie Manansingh
Head of Transactional Insurance Solutions Transaction Risk Advisory & Solutions, Willis Towers Watson
Jesse Pauker
Partner, Global Human Capital & Compliance, King & Spalding LLP
David Phillips
Chief Legal Officer, Argos
Patrick Shea
Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
William C. (Cal) Smith
Partner, King & Spalding LLP
John Spooner
Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits and National PE Practice Leader, Brown & Brown
Spalding White
Managing Partner, Route 2 Capital Partners

More Information

Agenda

Venue

Sponsors

Downloads

Event agenda

(all times local)

Thursday October 05, 2023

8:00AM-9:00AM ET Registration & Networking Breakfast
9:00AM-9:10AM ET Opening Remarks
9:10AM-10:25AM ET Promise & Possibility: The State of the M&A Market

Amid the gradual decline of M&A activity from its 2021 frenetic pace, early returns for 2023 imply muted but no less lucrative possibilities for impactful middle market transactions. For all the concern over macroeconomic uncertainty and geopolitical tumult, robust private equity dry powder and renewed interest in key sectors such as automobiles, manufacturing, and technology augur a selective and more strategic path forward for savvy deals professionals. This opening conversation explores the shifting realities of the US middle market amid protracted change. How content are corporate development and deals professionals to wait out the economic downtown? What regulatory developments bear scrutiny under the newly installed 118th United States Congress? Will an elevated risk environment yield more creative and complex provisions or earnouts? Please join us as a distinguished panel of deals professionals addresses these and other key topics.

 

Moderator:
Patrick Shea, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

 

Panelists:
Andrea Farley, Partner, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP
David French, M&A Reporter, Energy & Financial Services, Reuters
Michael Lonergan, Managing Partner, Georgia Oak Partners
Aartie Manansingh, Head of Transactional Insurance Solutions Transaction Risk Advisory & Solutions, Willis Towers Watson

10::25AM-10:40AM ET Break
10:40AM-11:40AM ET Patience & Fortitude: The Market Moves of Private Equity

Recent reports suggest that private equity (PE) firms will drive approximately 30% to 40% of global deal flow in 2023. Yet with higher interest rates and growing market saturation hindering momentum, the outlook for a solid year to come may ultimately fall short of expectations. This year’s private equity roundtable examines the tantalizing potentiality and attendant risk facing an evolving sector. Pressure to navigate near-term uncertainty alongside a greater focus on market differentiation are just some of the top concerns facing firms today. How are private equity leaders managing risk—and leading enterprise change—in the current climate?

 

Moderator:
Emily Maier, Senior Vice President, Head of Transactional Insurance, Woodruff Sawyer

 

Panelists:
Andrew Belisle, Senior Vice President and Transactional Risk Specialist, McGriff
Michael E. Hollingsworth II, Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Bill Lundstrom, Partner, Eagle Merchant Partners
Spalding White, Jr., Managing Partner, Route 2 Capital Partners

11:40AM-12:30PM ET Networking Luncheon
12:30PM-1:30PM ET Indispensable Assets: Understanding Issues of Human Capital in a Deal

Effective due diligence should include an in-depth analysis of a company’s human capital. However, understanding how to create synergies between a seller’s existing HR policies and compensation plans and any predetermined, buyer mandated human capital requests can be complex, especially given the mercurial nature of employment and labor regulations today. This session explores how to address key issues and considerations in HR due diligence. Our faculty will explore areas such as salary structures, executive compensation, equity audits, and unwritten buyer practices throughout the deal process.

 

Moderator:
Steven E. Brady, Partner, Withum

 

Panelists:
Katelyn Fredericks, Partner, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP
Jesse G. Pauker, Partner, Global Human Capital & Compliance, King & Spalding LLP
John Spooner, Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits and National PE Practice Leader, Brown & Brown

1:30PM-1:45PM ET Break
1:45PM-2:45PM ET Risky Business: Navigating Global Sanctions and ESG Risk in Middle Market Deals

Between unprecedented global sanctions and the continued ascent of ESG issues in deal making, the current deals landscape continues to offer several not insignificant challenges for the US middle market. For Western companies exiting Russia, understanding complex U.S. U.K. or EU regulations—on top of retaliatory Russian-imposed controls—can be a harrowing hill to climb. Similarly, with increased calls for transparency around corporate governance, supply chains, sustainability, and climate risk, the progress of even the most innocuous deal could legitimately be derailed. This presentation offers the latest guidance for buyers and sellers within regulated industries. How can corporate legal and deals professionals anticipate or avoid potential pitfalls in a rapidly evolving environment? What strategies can help mitigate risk throughout the deals process?

 

Moderator
David Phillips, Chief Legal Officer, Argos

 

Panelists
Brian Cochran, Principal Consultant, ESG & Climate Advisory Group, Transaction Advisory Services
Chris Hagler, Partner, ESG, Independence Point Advisors
William C. Smith III (Cal), Partner, King & Spalding LLP

2:45PM-3:00PM ET Break
3:00PM-4:00PM ET At Lightning Speed: Exploring AI’s Expansion into Dealmaking

Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) growing influence is pervasive in almost every sector of the market. Its rise within dealmaking only further demonstrates its impressive reach. But where exactly is AI making waves within the deals space, and how far, wide and fast is its reach expected to grow?   Our panel of dealmakers will share their thoughts on AI from their unique perspectives in the middle market as well as well as their predictions about what AI holds for the future of dealmaking as a whole.

 

Moderator:
Jeremy Levy, Partner, Troutman Pepper

 

Panelists:
Steve Britt, Counsel – Cyber, Data Privacy & Technology, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP
Jeff Goodman, Managing Director, Greenwich Capital Group
Roy Locke, Senior Vice President, Client Advisor, Marsh LLC

4:00PM ET Closing Remarks
4:00PM-5:00PM ET Networking Reception

We invite you to join us at a networking reception for drinks and canapes.

Loews Atlanta Hotel

1065 Peachtree Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30309

Situated in the heart of vibrant Midtown, The Loews Atlanta Hotel provides the perfect blend of modern design and southern hospitality to travelers near and far. This iconic property is walkable to Piedmont Park, the Beltline, Fox Theatre, The High Museum, and more, and is home to the award-winning exhale® Spa for guests looking to indulge and rejuvenate.

The Thomson Reuters Institute has secured a small room block for conference guests over the nights of Wednesday, October 4, 2023 and Thursday, October 5, 2023 at a negotiated rate of $339/night plus taxes. Guests may click on the link below to reserve their rooms.

Online Reservations

All reservations must be received by Monday, September 4, 2023.

Rooms are subject to availability.

More Info

Sponsors