25
Jun
Cross-border deals: Navigating the markets
Overseas buying has caught the attention of investors, both inbound and outbound, as business owners increase their appetite for engaging in cross-border M&A. Japan is a hotspot for inbound investment as the country has a large pool of solid assets, simultaneously, out-bound deals are also recovering with the opportunity for value creation and overseas expansion. On the other hand, there are long-terms challenges that remain such as an aging population, questions marks on if and when non-core divestitures will happen, ability for overseas investors to gain traction curtailing the growth momentum, and geopolitical issues. Our panel of experienced investors and dealmakers outline the driving forces for cross-border activity, including the hotspots in the Japanese market.
- How are companies integrating domestic & overseas operations to establish global management systems and structures?
- How do you navigate the cultural aspects of integration and drive value creation?
- Increase in carve out deals. What are difficulties that non-Japanese buyers typically face in these transactions?
- More hostile takeover cases in Japanese market recently. What are key areas buyer needs to be mindful about?
- Increase in the acquisition of early stage/start up business in Japanese market… What are key areas buyers need to be aware of?
-
SpeakersJonathan Wallace Managing Director MITSUBISHI UFJ MORGAN STANLEY SECURITIES
Guy Wallace Director, Corporate Development SONY
Joseph Fisher Partner HERBERT SMITH FREEHILLS GJBJ
Norio Shibayama Principal and Head of M&A Advisory Services, Tokyo MERCER
Ken Matsuda Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy KIRIN HOLDINGS
Cem Goekmen Global Head of Corporate Development ADRAGOS PHARMA
Loading feed
Co-Sponsors
Confirm cancellation
Something went wrong.
An error occurred trying to play the stream. Please reload the page and try again.
CloseSign-up to join the ION Analytics Community to:
- Register for events
- Access market insights
- Download reports
Jonathan is a Managing Director [and Co-head of M&A1] at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities in Tokyo. Based in Tokyo since 2005, he has advised on Japan-related M&A across various industries for over 20 years, focusing on cross-border transactions. Prior to joining Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley in 2011, he worked for Nomura Securities in Tokyo and London as well as EY in London. Jonathan graduated from Oxford University in 1999.
Guy joined Sony Network Communications, part of the Sony Group, as a Director of Corporate Development in April 2023, and recently started a concurrent role on the investment team at Sony Ventures Corporation, the venture investment arm of Sony Group Corporation known as the Sony Innovation Fund.
He has wide-ranging experience in originating and executing cross-border M&A transactions, strategic partnerships and incubation projects across various sectors and regions. Previously he held roles at KPMG FAS, Dai-ichi Life, and a tech company.
He holds an M.A. in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from the University of York, is a CFA charter holder and has obtained the JLPT N1 qualification.
Joe is a Partner within the Herbert Smith Freehills' Corporate team in Tokyo.
Joe has worked on a wide range of corporate matters with a particular focus on M&A, joint ventures and general corporate and commercial transactions. He regularly advises on transactions in both developed and emerging markets and has worked on deals across numerous jurisdictions in the firm's London and Tokyo offices. Joe also has experience across a wide range of sectors including TMT, consumer, energy, manufacturing and industrials.
Joe was named as a "Next Generation Partner" for Corporate / M&A in Japan by Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2024, and is ranked as a leading lawyer for Corporate / M&A in Japan by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2024.
He is admitted to practice in New Zealand and in England and Wales and is a licensed Registered Foreign Lawyer (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi) in Japan.
Experience
His career includes working at of one of the largest Venture Capitals in Japan and as a Business Consultant at one of the worlds largest professional Consulting Firms. Since joining Mercer, he has supported many Japanese clients in large stock acquisitions and multi-national carve out deals.
His latest project experiences are as follows;
- HR program establishment and employee transfer support for a JV establishment of an Energy Company including transfers between the UK and Singapore
- HR Due diligence and pension carve out negotiation support for an asset acquisition of a heavy electric machinery company spanning throughout the world
- Employee transfer, HR program and functionality establishment support for an asset deal spanning in 15 countries headquartered in North America
- Culture due diligence and culture integration support for a European corporation’s acquisition of a Japanese startup
Education
He graduated from Keio University (BA of Chemistry) and from Graduate School of Keio University (MSc. of Chemistry).
Ken is a senior manager at Corporates Strategy Department of Kirin Holdings. He is responsible for a large scale investment strategy, including a recent case involving a 1.9bn acquisition of Blackmores Group in Australia.
Prior to joining Corporate Strategy Department, he worked as Investor Relations Manager for 5 years. Prior to that, he was seconded to Mitsubishi Corporation and spent over three years in overseas (Hong Kong, UK), working mainly on strategy and communications.
Cem Goekmen is the Global Head of Corporate Development at Adragos Pharma, one of the fastest-growing global CDMOs pursuing a buy-and-build strategy. Prior to joining Adragos Pharma, Cem served as Investment Director at an alternative asset manager in Switzerland, focusing on European Equities. With nearly a decade of investment banking experience, most recently with Lazard, Cem has specialized in cross-border and cross-Atlantic M&A, as well as advising numerous clients on IPOs in Europe.