STAGES OF PITCHING: 

Winners of the Mergermarket M&A Awards - Japan will be announced on 16th September. If you're an advisor interested to enter, here's how it works.

Step 1: Data analysis

We analyse our league table data in April to identify the top-ranked firms and form our shortlist.

The analysis considers overall value of transactions as well as overall volume (deal count) in equal measure - meaning that even if your transactions have undisclosed values, every deal counts.

The period under review is for deals announced between 1st April 2021 to 31st March 2022 - a full twelve month period.

Step 2: Shortlist announced on 20 June 

When the analysis is done, we announce a shortlist for each category on 20 June 2022.

Only these firms are eligible to enter the awards.

Contact Jessica.Shum@iongroup.com for further information.

Step 3: Send a pitch by 22 July

Each of the firms who successfully make the shortlist are invited to write a full A4 page pitch. The pitch is handed to a panel of M&A veterans who will review all the entries received, compare it with our league table data and debate who deserves to win.

This means the pitch is the most important stage of the process! Judges are looking for the story behind the data, such as the value-adding nature of the advisory work you provided to clients, examples of innovative or creative solutions to complex situations and how you helped get the deal across the line.

Step 4: Judging 

From July into the beginning of August, our judges will review all of the pitches and the data. The judges come from a wide variety of industry backgrounds, including investment banking, private equity, financial advisory, legal advisory, academia and journalism. They apply their knowledge to interpret if the deal data combined with what's written in the pitch all adds up to a winning entry.

Step 5: Awards announcement on 16 September at the Mergermarket Japan M&A Awards 2022

We will be announcing the top dealmakers from across the region on 16 September 2022 at the Mergermarket M&A Awards – Japan 2022 in the Peninsula Hotel, Tokyo. Stay tuned on which firms will be awarded.

TOP TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR JAPAN M&A AWARDS PITCH

If you’re asking yourself how to condense a year in deals into your A4 page pitch then look no further.

Let's start at the beginning. How do we get our financial advisory and legal advisory shortlists together? Each of the firms who successfully make the shortlist are invited to write an A4 page pitch. The pitch is handed to a panel of M&A veterans who will review all the entries received, compare it with our league table data and debate who deserves to win. To ensure that local advisers are represented within the country categories, we also nominate the highest ranked locally headquartered advisers to the shortlist.

We will provide the panel with the following M&A data during the judging process:

• Your league table ranking by both value and volume for the category
• The overall deal count and total transaction value for the firm for the category

 Your pitch needs to tell the story behind these numbers.

The judges want to know why you deserve to win. An ideal pitch will show how you added value to deal processes, supported clients and offered creative solutions to complex situations.

Your pitch may choose to highlight your successes across several different deals. All corporate and private equity transactions are captured by our shortlisting process and mandates to any party on the deal are valid – buyer, seller or target. Explain why these deals were so important and what you did as an adviser to get them across the line.

Sometimes, one deal says it all. If you worked on a landmark transaction and that single deal tells the story of your year, then make clear you have selected one example to highlight. The judges look for the direct contribution your firm made to the process, especially if you were a lead adviser.

What the judges are asked to ignore:

• Any reference to non-Mergermarket awards and rankings
• Deals that don’t meet our criteria for inclusion in Mergermarket’s database
• Financing or underwriting on deals where you had no M&A mandate
• Legal advice offered to financial advisers only

Some other useful notes:

• The pitches are treated as confidential documents. However, please clearly mark any previously undisclosed information as “confidential”.
• There’s no need for a presentation, illustrations or pitchbooks; just a single page will do fine.
• The mid-market prize includes deals $50-300m (or equivalent).
• Deadline day is Friday 22nd July.
• Send your entry to Jessica.Shum@iongroup.com 

And don’t forget…if you make a pitch, you’re in with a chance of winning. The winners will be announced at the Mergermarket M&A Awards - Japan on 16 September.