AI Magazine November 2016

www.acquisition-intl.com • November 2016

The Wallet of the Future In an inspirational and thought-provoking interview, the firm’s tech billionaire Dr. Andy Khawaja reveals that Allied Wallet have some of the largest shopping carts in the history of payments, and shares his ambition to see all global transactions take place using a simple fingerprint. PAGE 30

COPPERSTONE CAPITAL PAGE 48

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Education is Essential P2E FINANCIAL 47

Opportunity Knocks TONGUE TIED LTD 34

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Love Success - You’re Hired!

Recruiter of the Year 2016 LOVE SUCCESS PLC 25

Indonesia’s Most Credible Intellectual Property Firm AM BADAR & PARTNERS 12

The World Leader in Ozone Generators BIOZONE CORPORATION 38

A Full Service Offering EMMANUEL JACQUES ALMOSNINO (EJA) 49

RICHARDTYLER I N T E R N A T I O N A L

US Unique in the World as to Its Bankruptcy Laws GERACI LAW LLC 11

Editor’s Comment

The content of the following has been certified by the CPD Certification Service as conforming to continuing professional development principles

I am delighted to welcome you to the November edition of AI magazine, which features the latest developments in the world of corporate finance, including legal issues, M&A, personnel, investment as well as the allimportant support services and tech.

Acquisition International & Wealth & Finance INTL June Edition Online Learning

AI GLOBAL MEDIA LTD (10347)

Date:

June 2016

Certificate No:

A002970

The CPD Certification Service, The Coach House, Ealing Green, London W5 5ER. Tel: 020 8840 4383 Fax: 020 8579 3991 E-mail: info@cpduk.co.uk Web: www.cpduk.co.uk

No information contained on or in this website constitutes investment advice or an offer to invest or to provide management services and is subject to correction, completion and amendment without notice. Neither AI nor any of its associated entities are authorised to give financial advice of any nature nor are they regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Prior to making any investment, AI recommends that any prospective investor should consult with its own investment, accounting, legal and tax advisers to evaluate independently the risks, consequences and suitability of that investment.

New research reveals Chinese M&A into the UK hits a record high with greater returns going to private acquisitions and smaller deals. The research focuses on cross-border acquisitions from China to the UK during the period 2012, when Chinese companies began making frequent acquisitions in the UK, to mid-2016 and is the first of its kind.

In legal news, Prime Minister Theresa May and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday 8th November 2016 have witnessed the signing of a major Intellectual Property (IP) agreement between the UK and India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was put together by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) and the Indian Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

In other key news, private banking is an industry currently undergoing something of a renaissance. As the balance of economic and geopolitical power between East and West has shifted over recent years, there has been an explosion in demand for private banking services across the Asia Pacific region.

I hope you enjoy the informative selection of features in this issue of AI magazine.

READ THIS MONTH’S CPD ACCREDITED ISSUE TO GAIN 6 CPD POINTS

How to get in touch AI welcomes news and views from its readers.

Correspondence should be sent to; Address: Acquisition International, First Floor Suite F, The Maltsters, 1-2 Wetmore Road, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1LS. Phone: +44 (0) 1283 712447 Email: reception@acquisition-intl.com Website: www.acquisition-intl.com Find us on...

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30

The Wallet of the Future

Contents

20

44

An Important Source of Information for Companies Everywhere

Private Banking

25

Love Success

12

41

Indonesia’s Most Credible IP Firm

The Age of Big Data

Inside...

NEWS 4

PERSONNEL

LEGAL

Gender Pay Gap at 19.6% for Information and Communication Sector 22

Tackling Negative Content the Easy Way 8 UK and India Agree to Increase IP Cooperation 9 US Unique in the World as to Its Bankruptcy Laws 11 Geraci Law LLC Indonesia’s Most Credible Intellectual Property Firm 12 Am Badar & Partners Expert Negotiators and Mediators 14 Equal Justice Ltd A ‘Hands-On’ Approach 15 Immigration Solutions Lawyers Competent, Professional & Multidisciplinary 17 YUASA and HARA

Public Sector Wants More Mobile Working - New BT Research 23

The Path of Digital Transformation 39 Mastech Digital The Age of Big Data 41 ORTEC Consulting INVESTMENT

Love Success: You’re Hired! 25 Love Success PLC

A Long-Term Investor 43 Perceva

Permits for Working in Hungary 27 SBGK Attorneys at Law

Private Banking - Alternative Investments - Mitigating Risk 44

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH

Abundant Opportunities in Botswana 46 Botswana Development Corporation

Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Banking 28 Boom in Mobile E-Commerce Drives Businesses to Enhance Platforms Through IoT and Predictive Analytics 29 The Wallet of the Future 30 Allied Wallet

M&A

An Industry Innovator 32 GoWireless, Inc.

Sector Talk 18 with Bureau van Dijk

Opportunity Knocks 34 Tongue Tied (Jersey) Limited

An Important Source of Information for Companies Everywhere 20 Bureau van Dijk

Riverbed: SD-WAN’s Latest Innovator 37 Riverbed Technology

Education is Essential 47 P2E Financial A Full Service Offering 49 Emmanuel Jacques Almosnino HEALTH Time Is King 51 Accord Healthcare Italia Bob Taylor: A Business in Health that Really Cares 52 Alliant Healthcare WINNERS’ DIRECTORY 54

Acquisition International - November 2016 3

News: from around the world

Digitisation of Tax ‘Harder on Small Businesses’ In preparation for its ‘Making Tax Digital’ project, HMRC is reviewing the results of its official consultation period with the business community. The UK200Group, the UK’s leading membership association of quality-assured chartered accountancy and law firms, has been an active part of the consultation process and has in turn asked its members for their views and the views of their SME clients.

The UK200Group represents the interests of 150,000 SMEs through its members and it is taking a lead on tax digitisation to guide business owners through the process. So, what exactly does HMRC mean by ‘making tax digital’?

By 2020, businesses, self-employed people and landlords earning over £10,000 per annum will manage their tax affairs through a digital, online account, and will be required to update HMRC at least quarterly.

These digital tax accounts will be a more sophisticated version of the personal tax accounts which are already in use for individuals, and allow taxpayers to see their Pay as You Earn position, tax credits and National Insurance Contributions, plus an estimate of state pension on retirement. However, by 2018, banks and building societies will be required to report interest payments to HMRC to be included in digital tax accounts, and individuals will be able to report additional sources of income digitally.

Digital tax accounts for businesses will show an overview of income tax or corporation tax, VAT and National Insurance Contributions, plus income and expenses on a quarterly basis. Taxpayers will be expected to use software accounting systems to record day-to-day transactions, categorise them into different types of income and feed back to HMRC.

Andrew Jackson is Head of Tax at UK200Group member Fiander Tovell and Chair of the UK200Group Tax Panel, and is also on the consultative committee of the Office for Tax Simplification. He said, “the digitisation of tax is going to have a very different effect on small companies compared to larger ones. For larger companies with financial controllers, accounts teams and reasonably sophisticated software accounting systems in place, the switch will be much easier than for smaller businesses without a dedicated accountant or bookkeeper. There is already internal reporting going on in a large business so it is not so difficult to start diverting that reporting to HMRC. “Making tax digital will force all businesses and selfemployed workers to start using accounting systems, and that implies having someone to deal with accounts – even if they’re not a chartered accountant.

If they don’t have someone to input the data, keep the system up-to-date – who is aware of how things need to be done – they will have to get to a place where they have one. And often, that will be a bookkeeper who has never had to deal with taxation before.

“HMRC officials think that getting small business to use accounting systems will reduce errors, and if people are making fewer errors they should have a more accurate idea of how their businesses are performing. That’s got to be a good thing.

“However, they don’t seem to appreciate why people aren’t using accounting systems at the moment. I think what they’ve failed to identify is that businesspeople aren’t doing it now because of the cost of implementing an accounting system - this isn’t just financial, but includes the time and effort spent learning how to use it and keeping it up to date. It’s not just a case of putting a few numbers in various boxes – it takes a whole new set of skills to use these programs properly.

“This, again, is going to affect small businesses more than it affects larger ones because the overheads for setting up accountancy systems are going to remain broadly the same, regardless of turnover. A complex accounting system, for example, is also massively over-engineered for a lot of the UK’s businesses, which might only have half a dozen clients or customers.

“HMRC seem to acknowledge this, and are also proposing that businesses be allowed to use simplified methods for doing their accounts.

Unfortunately, what this would do is destroy a lot of the useful information that is the whole the point of preparing accounts in the first place.

There are also technical issues that Andrew sees as potential problems for his clients, such as whether he’s going to be able to access their digital tax accounts easily and effectively. He went on to say, “HMRC officials are happy to make the information in the digital tax account available to agents. Agents will be able to dial into HMRC’s systems, download the information they need and pull it into the tax return or the accounts that they’re preparing, or use various interfaces to see the information in the way that they want to. They’ll not be restricted to seeing the information in the way that the client does, and the format will be more flexible and more useable. I like that.

“However, what HMRC officials have said is that the agent will not be able to see the digital tax account itself. What they’ll have to do is reconstruct the account from the data they have available. Now that is very dangerous because it means that the taxpayer and the agent are potentially seeing different things. I think it’s crucial that we can see on our screens what the client can see on theirs. If we can’t see your tax affairs, how are we supposed to help you handle them?” www.uk200group.co.uk

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NEWS / From Around The World

Business Leaders United in Call for Greater Support for UK Middle Market to Boost Post-Brexit Economy Key UK business figures in early November met at The Economist Event’s inaugural Middle Market Forum: ‘Business after Brexit’ to discuss the vital role that the UK’s Middle Market companies will play in Britain’s post-Brexit economy.

Striking a tone of cautious optimism, business figures agreed that ongoing support for the UK’s middle market was vital to ensure the UK remains on track in the wake of Brexit, uncertainty in the Eurozone and the US Presidential result. Middlemarket companies, with a turnover between £25m and £500m, contribute over a third of private-sector GDP, revenues and employment. Delegates of the conference agreed that British brand remains strong abroad, which will continue to strengthen exports.

Michael Gove predicts no election before 2020 Key note speaker and MP for Surrey Heath, Michael Gove, spoke about the impact of immigration in a post-Brexit Britain. He said the public have no problem with immigration, providing that those entering the UK, “manifest significant life enhancing skills”. He emphasised that concern over immigration lies with those that come to do “low skilled work” and that overall, migration should be determined by the skills that the country needs.

Graham Cartledge, CBE & Chairman of Benoy, who runs a business solely based in Britain, stated that he still sees Brexit as having the potential to cause chaos to UK businesses and is worried for the future. In a stark contrast, Mottie Kessler, CEO of 2M Holdings stated that, “life is not controlled

by Europe and the UK is the best place to run an international business” due to our time zone and availability to contact key markets in APAC and EMEA.

Gove also stated that he does not expect to see another general election before 2020 and that, “the UK will be outside the EU by the next election which will be concluded in March 2019, despite parliaments recent ruling that the divorce proceedings must be legislated.”

Miriam Gonzalez of global law firm Dechert warned, “we haven’t yet heard the basic parameters on the relationship with the EU. What we do know is that there is likely to be an acrimonious negotiation with the EU and that whatever we want to take we have to give, there will be winners and losers.”

Richard Cockett, business editor of The Economist rounded off the event by saying, “the speakers have been surprisingly optimistic. The majority voted remain but are now seeing the advantages of Brexit and are seeking the opportunities which is interesting. A major concern for companies is retaining talent. Everyone agreed that we are in the fog of Brexit and feeling nonplussed by what’s happening. The message from the speakers is that they will get on with running their business as they always have done.”

He also emphasised that a post-Brexit priority should be a free trade agreement with the remaining EU nations and the quickest way to secure this is between two individual sovereign states. He concluded that EU migrants already living in the UK prior to the Brexit vote should be entitled to stay.

Arthur J. Gallagher Secures Long-Term Exclusive Partnership with the University of Manchester Arthur J. Gallagher has won a competitive tender to provide insurance broking services to the University of Manchester on an exclusive basis from 1st November 2016. The eightyear appointment, which follows a recent public procurement exercise, will see Gallagher deliver local client support and claims handling from its team based on New Bailey Street, Manchester, combined with the specialist resources and expertise of its UK Public Sector & Education practice.

Tim Devine, managing director of Gallagher’s UK Public Sector & Education Practice, said, “we are delighted that our ability to clearly demonstrate our understanding of the University of Manchester’s diverse risk exposures, as well as our capabilities in designing and structuring an insurance programme to effectively mitigate these, has resulted in such a long-term exclusive appointment.

“With more than 12,000 employees and billion-pound income, the University of Manchester is a very large business in its own right as well as prestigious seat of research and learning, creating a complex and unique risk profile.

Alongside our colleagues in Manchester and wide range of in-house sector specialists — whose expertise we can pull in as client needs demand — we very much look forward to working with the university over the years to come, where our role will be to facilitate its further growth and success.”

With its roots dating back to 1824, the University of Manchester is the UK’s largest single-site university and a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading research establishments, with 25 Nobel Prize winners having worked or studied there and 83% of its research judged as ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ by the Research Excellence Framework.

Ranked 5th in the UK, according to the 2016 Academic Ranking of World Universities, and 35th in the world, the University of Manchester has over 38,000 students, attracted more than £345m in external research funding in 2015 and has an annual income of £1.01bn.

For more info, go to www.ajginternational.com.

Acquisition International - November 2016 5

News: from around the world

Cass Publishes Innovative Research into Chinese M&A Market New research reveals Chinese M&A into the UK hits a record high with greater returns going to private acquisitions and smaller deals. The research focuses on cross-border acquisitions from China to the UK during the period 2012, when Chinese companies began making frequent acquisitions in the UK, to mid-2016 and is the first of its kind.

With the growth of Chinese outbound M&A activities and their foreign direct investment (FDI) becoming increasingly important to the world’s economy, the research is both timely and useful in examining whether these investments create value to shareholders of the acquiring firms and which factors will drive performance.

Solid, reliable data regarding M&A deals related to China is notoriously difficult to obtain and confirm.

Therefore, this research was made possible by utilising the proprietary database of Chinese deals compiled by Grisons Peak LLP where the final sample was 44 UK acquisitions by Chinese publiclylisted companies where deal sizes were greater than $5 million and the deals resulted in control (over 50% ownership) of the target companies.

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The results of this study show that: • Deal volume of Chinese cross-border M&A into the UK hit a record high in 2016 Q2. The aggregated deal value was at a peak in 2015 Q1.

• Specifically targeted were British companies in the consumer and real estate sectors, with more recent activity in the healthcare sector.

• Chinese acquiring firms gained significant positive abnormal returns on the day following the event announcement but the positive returns disappeared as the event day progressed.

• Chinese acquiring firms engaged in real estate and other non-financial sector deals perform better than those targeting financial sector companies based in the UK. • Acquisitions between Chinese firms and private firms in the UK show superior returns to acquiring companies that are publicly listed and smaller deals contributed more to acquirer success than larger deals.

Professor Moeller said, “this research breaks new ground because it focuses on the performance of Chinese acquirers in the UK, a relatively recent phenomenon. Many studies look only at the performance of acquiring companies in developed countries and/or cross-border deals generally, but because the home location of the acquirer can be such a large influencer on the deal, most of those studies reported mixed results. We therefore used a unique, detailed and proprietary database from Grisons Peak LLP to enable us to do detailed analysis of Chinese companies as acquirers when not lumped in with acquirers from other countries.’

You can read the full paper online - ‘An Analysis of Short-Term Performance of UK Cross-Border Mergers and Acquisitions by Chinese Listed Companies’ - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers. cfm?abstract_id=2863247.

NEWS / From Around The World

Legal Cost Finance Launches Two Membership Schemes for UK Lawyers Legal Cost Finance, the pioneers of ‘payment plans’ for legal costs, has launched two membership schemes for lawyers (both Solicitors and Direct Access Barristers). First, it has launched its free Associate Membership scheme, which supports and empowers lawyers to offer ‘payment plans’ to each member’s own clients.

Second, the influx of consumer enquiries directly received by Legal Cost Finance has necessitated the need for an exclusive membership scheme, which is named Catalist. Panel Members of Catalist receive fully-funded case instructions from consumers who have made contact with Legal Cost Finance before appointing a lawyer, and thus require not just funding but also an introduction to a suitable practice.

Legal Cost Finance Associate Membership By joining the no-cost, no-obligation associate membership scheme, lawyers become part of the wider Legal Cost Finance ‘family’ in offering ‘payment plans’ to their own clients. Legal Cost Finance is fast becoming the household name as the most attractive scheme for paying legal costs, which has been triggered by an intensive marketing campaign. Lawyers across the UK, from firms of all sizes and specialising in all areas of law, are seeing an increase in new client conversions, because the ability to pay their legal costs in monthly instalments means more people can pursue their legal matters.

Legal Cost Finance founder Dr Yuri Rapoport commented, “as we have a ‘payment plan’ to suit every client – including those with limited access to funds through to high-net worth individuals and businesses – the breadth of legal practices offering Legal Cost Finance is wide, and growing each day.

“There is no cost and no catch to becoming an Associate Member. There aren’t many situations in business where you can genuinely claim to be ‘winwin’, but Legal Cost Finance offers exactly that.”

In existence since 2013, Legal Cost Finance has helped hundreds of lawyers minimise ‘aged debt’ by offering their clients unique payment plans for all kinds of legal matters, both contentious and noncontentious.

While there are other financing options in existence for legal costs, most are restricted to narrow qualifying criteria and pose high risks to lawyers.

Such is the case with Litigation Funding, for example, which favours applicants with ‘cases that are likely to produce the highest financial awards’, rather than those ‘deserving of justice.’

The Catalist Membership Panel Dr Rapoport has also announced the launch of an exclusive new membership panel, named Catalist, which again is ‘powered’ by Legal Cost Finance. Dr Rapoport said, “due to the heightened consumer awareness of Legal Cost Finance, many consumers are now coming to us directly - so we are creating an industry-first, exclusive membership panel of lawyers, who receive fully-funded case instructions through Legal Cost Finance. The scheme is based on each practice’s growth target from new client income.”

Many Legal Cost Finance Associate Members have already signed-up to the Catalist panel, so they can recommend Legal Cost Finance to their own clients, and can also receive new clients from Catalist, with fully-funded cases. Catalist measures the financial outcomes it will create for the member practice and promises a 1000% return on the subscription fee, making the membership scheme the ‘dream tool’ of any business development and marketing director.

Dr Rapoport concluded, “the Catalist guarantee ensures there is no risk for any participating panel member by providing a quibble-free refund policy.

We truly put our money where our mouth is, so you can rest assured that when we say we can accelerate your practice performance, we really mean it. The financing is coming in from lenders and the clients are queuing up for payment plans.

All Catalist does is allocate these new client instructions fairly and appropriately among its panel member lawyers.

“Catalist will become the legal practice’s best and most effective marketing tool – there’s absolutely no risk and it is in a different league to any other client generating platforms, such as ‘referral services’, currently operating in the market. Catalist truly is a first - it delivers actual client instructions – clients with sufficient funding in place to pursue their legal matter. That is a very powerful proposition.”

Comgest Strengthens U.S. Presence Comgest, the independent, international asset management group focused on quality-growth investing, continues to expand its global footprint via the SEC registration of its Boston and Dublin-based entities.

Registration with the SEC allows Comgest to offer dedicated portfolio management services to U.S. clients, in addition to its private fund offerings.

The Comgest office in Boston, which undertakes investment research for the Group, will now also serve as a hub for U.S. investor relations activities. Comgest has appointed two senior investor relations professionals, James DuPont and Kevin Robertson, to the Boston office. James and Kevin collectively share almost thirty years of industry experience and will enhance the servicing of Comgest’s institutional investor base in the region. The duo join Peter Shapiro, a U.S. Equities Analyst who transferred from Comgest’s Paris office to launch the Group’s Boston-based research activities in 2015.

Arnaud Cosserat, CEO and CIO of Comgest said, “the strengthening of our U.S. entity marks an important milestone in Comgest’s commitment to our growing American investor base and our ability to provide local servicing. The U.S. market has many like-minded, long-term investors that value a sustainable equity investment approach such as that of Comgest. Our clients appreciate the strength of our track record across global and regional equity markets and, importantly, the discipline with which we apply our quality-growth approach.”

Comgest, known for its long-term quality-growth investment style, has over $23.0bn (€20.7bn) assets under management globally [1]. The asset management group serves a global client base of long-term oriented investors. Its product range comprises equity strategies covering Global and Emerging Markets, as well as Asia, Greater China, India, Japan, Latin America, Europe and the U.S.

[1] As of 30 June 2016.

www.catalist.legal www.legalcostfinance.co.uk

Acquisition International - November 2016 7

LEGAL / Tackling Negative Content the Easy Way

Tackling Negative Content the Easy Way Self-help reputation expert, Simon Wadsworth, says that while there will always be situations where expert legal advice is required - there are many instances where SMEs can help themselves – thus achieving the same level of success while avoiding a hefty bill.

t has the potential to cause long-term damage to any business - but in an age where online reviews are king, how do you tackle negative content without blowing your budget? Several recent cases have demonstrated the power of using legal redress to take down malicious or unfair criticism. But while calling in lawyers might work well for larger corporates; smaller organisations might do well to adopt a more DIY approach.

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As Simon Wadsworth, managing director of UKbased reputation experts, Igniyte, explains: “While there will always be situations where expert legal advice is needed, there are many instances where SMEs can help themselves - achieving the same level of success while avoiding a large bill.

“When I speak with clients and business leaders, I suggest taking a series of relatively simple steps.

For lawyers, pursuing a legal route is second nature, but this can be very costly and appear confrontational.

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“Adopting a more ‘human’ strategy - speaking to people and organisations directly rather than through lawyers - can achieve results that are just as positive, without the large legal bill. So, when it comes to tackling one of the most common problems we see - disparaging comments written on an individual’s website or on a public forum this kind of direct contact can work really well. A useful first step might be to find the owner of the site and send them a handwritten letter explaining the impact these negative comments are having on your business.

“Be mindful of your tone of voice and language when you do this. Being light, friendly and to the point usually gets the best results. Make it clear that you understand they might not be obliged to remove content, but it would be greatly appreciated if they would consider doing this as it would make a real difference to you personally.

“Another important strategy comes from looking at publishers’ own guidelines. So, take some time to examine their small print. Most sites have clear terms of use/user guidelines on acceptable conduct and reviewing these can provide an easy way forward. If a site or publisher’s own T&Cs have been broken, you can ask and encourage them to undertake a non-legal removal of posts on your behalf.”

Simon Wadsworth is an expert in online reputation management. He is the founder and Managing Partner of Igniyte – which has been managing the online reputation of high-profile individuals and well-known brands since 2009.

Simon also runs the popular Reputation blog, Reputation Matters, which explores current trends and provides practical advice to business owners on managing reputation risk. For further information please contact: Aimee Sutcliffe; PR Manager. aimee@igniyte.com; 0113 8399302.

LEGAL / UK and India Agree to Increase IP Cooperation

UK and India Agree to Increase IP Cooperation Prime Minister Theresa May and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday 8th November 2016 have witnessed the signing of a major Intellectual Property (IP) agreement between the UK and India. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was put together by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) and the Indian Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion.

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•

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t will help enhance bilateral cooperation on a range of IP related activities. For example:

Exchanges of best practice in the field of IP, for example, streamlining the processing of registrations for patents, trademarks and designs; Technical exchanges which can involve supporting enforcement authorities and assisting mechanisms for the judicial resolution of IP disputes; Outreach activities including business advice on how to value and secure IP and; Education campaigns to increase awareness and respect for IP for the general public.

The agreement, signed by Adam Williams, acting director International Policy at the UK IPO, and joint secretary Rajiv Aggarwal of India’s Department for Industrial Policy and Promotion, reflects the importance of Intellectual Property for economic and social development in both regions.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, the UK’s Minister of State for Energy and Intellectual Property said, “I have been very impressed with the rapid progress India has made with its intellectual property regime in recent years. A strong IP system is an important catalyst for running a modern innovative economy.

“It makes perfect sense for the UK and India to share best-practice and look to improve our respective IP systems as much as possible. I look forward to working closely with our India counterparts to ensure that innovative British and Indian businesses can thrive whether their operation is in Manchester or Mumbai.”

Sir Dominic Asquith KCMG, British High Commissioner to the Republic of India added that, “the signing of a MOU on intellectual property between India and the UK is an important development that will promote innovation and creativity in both countries. It will help the UK to support India’s drive to improve ease of doing business, thereby advancing trade, investment and economic growth.”

Frederic Legrand - COMEO / Shutterstock.com

www.gov.uk

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IP16081

BRUNET & CO. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY Brunet & Co. Intellectual Property is a Canadian intellectual property firm that serves clients ranging from multinational companies to first-time inventors.

Our firm practices exclusively in the area of intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs, trade secrets, technology transfer and licensing. We practice before the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for domestic and foreign clients, and before the US Patent and Trademark Office for Canadian clients. We are committed to quality and offer superior service with state of the art systems, years of experience in Canadian and international patent prosecution and comprehensive technical backgrounds.

www.brunetco.com

LEGAL / Best of the Best in Finance 2016: US Unique in the World as to Its Bankruptcy Laws 1610AI25

US Unique in the World as to Its Bankruptcy Laws The United States is unique in the world as to its bankruptcy laws.

No other country gives its ordinary citizens the ability to start fresh, without debt, without stripping them of almost all their possessions.

Name: Peter Francis Geraci Company: Geraci Law LLC Email: help@geracilaw.com Web: www.elimadebt.com Address: 55 E Monroe St. #3400, Chicago IL 60654 Phone: 1-800-CALL-PFG

Best of the Best in Finance 2016

ankruptcy is a biblical law. Its origins are in Deuteronomy 15:1‐2, which states, “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbour. He shall not exact it of his neighbour, his brother, because the LORD’s release has been proclaimed.”

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The Old Testament is also pretty harsh on lending money with interest, Ezekiel 18:13 says, “Lends at interest, and takes profit; shall he then live? He shall not live. He has done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon himself.”

Attorney Peter Francis Geraci is one of the top experts on bankruptcy law in the United States.

His law firm manages over 1.2 billion in debt a year under chapter 7 or 13 of the United States bankruptcy code, under which individuals may either discharge or repay their debts. Geraci Law limits its practice to only three states, in the Midwest, Illinois Indiana and Wisconsin, but files about 1.8% of the bankruptcies filed in the entire United States.

“Geraci Law has been in existence since 1977, starting as a solo practice, and growing to more than 70 attorneys today. Its motto is ‘changing your life for the better’ and that is exactly what the bankruptcy law the United States is designed to do.”

Many people who fled to the New World were escaping debtor’s prisons. The debtor’s prison and London was dug under the bed of the river Thames, so that it was constantly wet and dripping water, and the debtors were trapped by iron grates in the muddy caverns. Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia as a haven from debt, but other colonies such as Pennsylvania, owned by the Duke of York, had harsh debtor laws.

After independence, with the later the signing of the US Constitution in 1787, the concept of ability to free oneself from debt, without horrible repercussions, became enshrined in American law.

The U.S. Constitution provides that Congress shall make uniform laws relating to bankruptcy. Article 2 section 8. At various times, Congress did not get around to making bankruptcy laws, and made them only in response to economic crises, such as currency failure caused by state bank failures in 1842. However, since 1898 the United States has had a uniform bankruptcy law continuously.

In 2016, about 800,000 individuals filed to either discharge or reorganise their debt. That is less than two out of every thousand and the population of over 360 million. So it is proof that having a bankruptcy law does not affect the economy, jeopardise creditors’ rights, or have anything but a beneficial effect. Those countries that keep their citizens and that, or worse yet, provide no way to borrow unless there is absolutely no risk to the creditor, often find a great disparity between the assets of the great majority of the population, and those of the wealthy elite. Since the United States tightened up its bankruptcy laws, in 1978, and again in 2005, United States is also seen a greater disparity between the rich and the poor.

Geraci Law has been in existence since 1977, starting as a solo practice, and growing to more than 70 attorneys today. Its motto is ’changing your life for the better’ and that is exactly what the bankruptcy law the United States is designed to do. Geraci Law has been one of the leaders in law firm administration software, having full‐time programmers on staff coding in creating proprietary software to manage its multi‐office, multi‐attorney law practice. Although the practice of bankruptcy law does lend itself to computerisation, proprietary algorithms created by attorney Peter Francis Geraci that are embedded in the software, allow the law firm’s management to produce quality legal services at a low cost. Recently, Geraci Law instituted a program to eliminate email, and the attendant virus and denial of service attacks that come with using email, with its proprietary client corner portal, on its websites www.infotapes.com and www.elimAdebt.com

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Company: Am Badar & Partners Email: info@ambadar.co.id Web: www.ambadar.co.id Address: Wahid Hasyim, No. 14, Jakarta, 10340 Indonesia Phone: + 62 21 398 37314 -15

2016 Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year, Indonesia

Indonesia’s Most Credible Intellectual Property Firm Am Badar & Partners is one of the leading Intellectual Property Firms in Indonesia that handles all areas of IP and related IP matters. The works of this firm are handled by professional staff of IP administration, IP technological experts and IP litigators. Of course, Am Badar & Partners are accustomed with the IP matters, either with the Indonesian IP Laws or with the practice in the Indonesian IP Office. Hence, filing applications and maintaining registrations have become daily work for the firm.

Further, they can also declare that their firm has a good experience and reputation in legal practice, such as representing clients in IP prosecutions in the court.

he law firm Am Badar & Partners was founded by Mr Toetoen Ambadar, SH, and was established as a legal entity on 2nd September, 1965. Today, after more than 50 years as a prominent figure in its legal field, it is one of the most prestigious law firms in the field of Intellectual Property Rights in Indonesia.

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As one of the oldest law firms in the field of Intellectual Property Rights in Indonesia, Am Badar and Partners has long-standing and strong client relationships and consistently committed to protect the interests of the clients. Since 1999, Mr. Toetoen Ambadar has taken a less prominent role, however the the firm has been run by the family’s dynamic second generation: Nadia Ambadar, SH, Annisa Ambadar, SH LL.M, Anis Ambadar, SH, Nabila Ambadar, SH LL.M, And Dora Ambadar, SPsi.

“At a time of huge change in the legal industry, we are determined to continue leading Indonesia’s market as we have throughout our 50-year history.”

12 Acquisition International - November 2016

monitor our clients’ trademark validity so that our renewal reminder will be provided in timely manner to the clients. That is how we keep our clients’ trademark registration alive.

“Meanwhile, we also have Watching Service work, which we are responsible to monitor the Trademark Official Gazette. Once we find a similar or identical published trademark application, we will immediately inform it to our client and afterwards, the client may consider to hamper the said similar published trademark application to be registered or not by filing an Opposition with the Indonesian Trademark Office.

“In the meantime, in the event that the client has a dispute with an Indonesian registered trademark, we are pleased to represent the client to solve the matter; based on our experiences in negotiation, we believe that we will be able to provide the client with the best result. Further, we also offer another legal action that can be taken to solve this matter, namely by sending a Warning Letter or filing a Cancellation Action. We have already faced various cases in representing our clients through this action in the recent past, and these cases have surely made us as a firm stronger than ever before.”

Nadia, as Director of Strategy & Business Development, provides a privileged insight into the inner workings of Am Badar & Partners.

Nadia then goes on to detail the three phases that am Badar & Partners have in place for dealing with matters related to the paten issues: namely, PreFiling Phase, Filing-Registering Phase and AfterGrant Phase.

“Besides doing filing & maintaining our clients’ applications,” she says, “we always keep our database in order to support our monitoring system.

Through our good monitoring system, we can easily

“In the Pre-Filing Phase, we give consultation and opinions to our clients, whilst conduct patent search with the Indonesian Patent Office; we can also assist them to translate their claims into Indonesian.

LEGAL / 2016 Intellectual Property Practitioner of the Year, Indonesia: Indonesia’s Most Credible Intellectual Property Firm

“Further, in the Filing-Registering Phase, beside assisting the client in filing patent applications in Indonesia, we also periodically monitor the progress of their applications. In case the Office Actions are issued by the Patent Office, we will immediately report it and also provide our clients with opinions and strategy to respond to the Examiner’s demand.

“Last but not least, in the After-Grant Phase, as already stated above, related to our monitoring system, we believe that our clients’ patents will be more protected since we always send reminders to the clients for them to pay the annuity fees, which will always be provided two months before the due dates.

Until the present time, Am Badar & Partners are still working hard in order to actualize their strong desire to provide their clients with the best services – namely, they seek to facilitate the client in checking their application status, which can be checked directly through our website, so that the client can easily check their applications. “Our hope is that the said service will ease the client into a routine of checking their applications, and we also hope that they will feel safe and secure since they know exactly that their applications are being well maintained and monitored.

The main purpose of this matter, according to Nadia, is to provide a quick and proper service to the firm’s valuable and unswervingly loyal clients.

“Further, our next desire to provide the young local inventors with knowledge and education of IP in order to raise their awareness to protect their inventions. We also wish to organize the IP socialization, especially in the remote territory. For this purpose, we have to collaborate with some Educational Institutions / Research Institutions as well as the Indonesian IP Office. We are aware that Indonesia has so many potential Inventors.

Unfortunately, they still do not know that their invention can be protected and also can be commercialized.

“As we all know, the Madrid Protocol,” – the new primary international system for facilitating the registration of trademarks across multiple jurisdictions – “has already been implemented in almost all over the world - in the near future, it will also be ratified in Indonesia. Therefore, it is an essential task for us to prepare our firm to face the ratification and implementation of the Madrid Protocol. We believe that by expanding the scope of our litigation field as well as the skill of our team, we will be able to face the Madrid Protocol.

“We will also be supported by local inventors, and we believe that their awareness of protecting their inventions will increase in the near future, so the domestic patent application will also increase.

Moreover, we have already had a good relationship with the Indonesian big companies that have so many trademark applications which have been filed through our firm. Their trademarks are not only filed in Indonesia, but we also assist them to file their trademark applications in other countries.”

Nadia’s assertions about the family company are backed up in weight of strong evidence, which attests to the family’s close personal involvement in their business, and their drive to become Indonesia’s foremost legal champions of intellectual property: to date, Am Badar & Partners have filed over 10,000 patent applications and over 15,000 trademark applications since 2006.

“As the biggest IP firm in Indonesia, our responsibility is not only to protect our clients’ rights and interest in Indonesia. We also have a social and moral liability to raise the awareness of the Indonesian people about the importance to protect the Intellectual Property. Hence, we will do our best to raise the awareness of Indonesian people to protect their IP. Indeed, this purpose will require a lot of support from all parties, such as from the Indonesian Government, the International IP Organization, the Indonesian Practitioners and also our loyal clients.

Nadia concludes, “at a time of huge change in the legal industry, we are determined to continue leading Indonesia’s market as we have throughout our 50-year history.”

Acquisition International - November 2016 13

LEGAL / Our Company in 60 Seconds: Expert Negotiators and Mediators

Expert Negotiators and Mediators Equal Justice Ltd Solicitors was the incorporation of ‘Lawrence Davies & Co’, which opened in October 2003. EJS commenced trading in April 2005. EJS pioneered the concept of ‘affordable representation’ from first advice to trial. The firm look for the best costs-benefit outcome for their clients, as the firm’s CEO Lawrence Davies explains in a short interview, which profiles this firm of expert negotiators and mediators who provide a second to none service.

Name: Lawrence Davies, CEO Company: Equal Justice Ltd Email: lawrencedavies@ equaljustice.co.uk Web: www.equaljustice.co.uk Phone: 0207 603 3200

Our Company in 60 Seconds

hat products and services does your firm provide?

We are a specialist firm of solicitors that provides employment law advice and representation at the Employment Tribunal; we also provide accredited training on employment law.

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What does your client base look like?

A mixture of employees, employers and staff associations.

What are your firm’s unique selling points?

Affordable representation which is aimed to enable the client to achieve equal justice within the Employment Tribunal system; that is city quality advice which remains affordable for the client from day one to the final trial. We have a 100%-win rate for employers and a 95%-win rate for employees We also win big. We have secured the highest UK discrimination award this Century. We also settled another ET claim for £8.5 million.

What are the main challenges facing your company today?

Brexit – this could have a very damaging effect on employment law rights.

What are the main objectives for your business in the future?

Business expansion without compromising client service and quality of advice.

What business or business person do you most admire and why?

Apple and other businesses that value staff and try to encourage innovation and creativity.

14 Acquisition International - November 2016

LEGAL / Our Company in 60 Seconds: A ‘Hands-On’ Approach

A ‘Hands-On’ Approach Immigration Solutions Lawyers is a leading immigration law firm in Australia, headed by managing director and principal lawyer, Anne O’Donoghue. The firm has been assisting clients in navigating the different avenues of migration to Australia since 1993. Anne O’Donoghue reveals more about Immigration Solutions Lawyers in an insightful interview.

Company: Immigration Solutions Lawyers Pty Ltd Name: Anne O’Donoghue Email: anne@ immigrationsolutions.com.au Web: http:// immigrationsolutions.com.au/ Address: Suite 1304, World Tower, 87-89 Liverpool Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Phone: +61 (2) 9264 6432

60 Second with Anne O’Donoghue

ho are your clients?

We have focused our expertise in the immigration space both at a corporate and personal migration level for many years, delivering a high degree of excellence in this work. The practice places a strong emphasis on servicing business clients both at an international and domestic level. The corporate stream has significant expertise in dealing with sponsoring overseas employees and business innovation and investor visas including the new Entrepreneurial stream.

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What makes your firm unique?

Immigration Solutions Lawyers take a very ‘handson’ and collaborative approach, delivering a high standard of legal support with an understanding of the technicalities of regulatory framework of migration law practice in Australia. The law practice is always looking for new opportunities in the global market, embracing new technologies and emerging areas of practice. These areas include, transnational practice, international trade and investment law, which are very complimentary with the existing corporate migration practice.

What is the greatest challenge facing you at present?

I want to continue to build our international network for corporate migration, through my affiliation with the International Bar Association, membership in the Visalaw International Alliance, referrals from well-regarded international colleagues and my reputation as the Managing Director and Principle Lawyer of Immigration Solutions Lawyers.

What is the overriding aim of you firm?

To continue to expand our international presence in corporate migration and international trade and investment law whilst maintaining our reputation as the leading immigration firm in Australia.

What publications are you involved with?

I have co-authored the chapter, ‘Australia’ in the Corporate Immigration Review, which is currently up to its 6th edition. I also contribute to the Global Business Immigration Handbook, published by Thomson Reuters, the Annual Global Report for the Global Employment Institute International Bar Association and the Immigration Global Guide as the country representative for Australia.

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Intellectual Property Office and International Law Office

www.li-cai.com.tw

LEGAL / Best Corporate Law Firm 2016 - Japan: Competent, Professional & Multidisciplinary MA16126

Company: YUASA and HARA Name: Shigeru Ohira, Kozo Yabe Email: law@yuasa-hara.co.jp Web: www.yuasa-hara.co.jp Address: New-Ohtemachi Bldg. Sec.206, 2-2-1 Ohtemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan Phone: +81 3 3270 6641

Best Corporate Law Firm 2016 - Japan

Competent, Professional & Multidisciplinary YUASA and HARA is a multidisciplinary firm combining legal, IP prosecution and accounting/tax services. While we provide an integrated solution to all of our local and international corporate clients, our core clients are varied but are predominantly based in manufacturing and service industries, or are brand owners and retailers.

ased on the solid team work of our lawyers, patent attorneys and accounting/tax agents, we provide a wide range of services for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) from the usual legal due diligence, through to more specific purposeful evaluations of legal, IP and tax risks in M&A. In particular, our professionals share a professional understanding of not only corporate asset management and finance, but also technically valued intellectual property assets.

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The M&A market in Japan After various amendments of the company law and other regulations to encourage M&A and corporate restructuring, it is very common to see different types of M&A in Japan now. Recently, we have witnessed positive trends for international corporations from outside of Japan, seeking to acquire high quality facilities and assets of Japanese corporations, as part of their business reorganisation.

However, we are still seeing some difficulties in competitive pricing rates from the acquirer side in foreign countries due to cultural differences in business with the Japanese corporations to be acquired. As a post-merger issue, labour and human resource management is also problematic for acquirers, because Japanese labour laws and regulations tend to be much more sympathetic and favourable from the perspective of employees.

To stay at the cutting edge of new developments, recruiting the best talent not only in a legal capacity, but also a business sense is a key factor in maintaining a high level of professionalism within our qualified team.

Our most distinct advantage for M&A is being able to quickly assemble a competent team of qualified law, IP and accounting/tax professionals who can seamlessly work together on the task at hand.

In addition, all our professionals are capable of working in English and Chinese, and are fluent in both of these languages.

Acquisition International - November 2016 17

Chemicals Sector M&A Company: Bureau van Dijk E-Mail: bvd@bvdinfo.com Web: www.bvdinfo.com

Both the volume and value of deals targeting companies in the chemicals sector declined in the opening six months of 2016. According to Zephyr, the M&A database published by Bureau van Dijk, there were 880 transactions worth a combined $101,270 million announced over the course of H1.

ince the end of July 2016, the value of deals appears to have been bumped up a notch, while volume looks to be continuing to decline. In H2 2016 to date there have been 524 deals worth a combined $99,482 million signed off. If deals continue to be announced at this rate until the end of December, it is likely that H2 will improve on H1 in terms of value, although volume would drop for the second consecutive six-month period. This would not be an unusual result; the last time H2 failed to surpass H1 by value was in 2011, when aggregate value dropped 78% to 420,799 million in the second half of the year.

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Last year the increase was sizeable as value skyrocketed and deals worth $127,864 million were announced between July and December. If the pattern of H2 building on H1’s result occurs again this year, 2016 could prove to be the industry’s best performing year for some time.

The $101,270 million invested in H1 2016 is the largest amount for a H1 period to date. In fact, it is second only to H2 2015 ($127,864 million) as the most valuable six-month period, dating back to the beginning of 2000.

As always, the aggregate value of all transactions in 2016 has been significantly boosted by a relatively small number of deals. The largest deal targeting a chemicals company signed off since the beginning of the year was announced during September, when Bayer agreed to pick up US pesticides manufacturer Monsanto for $66,000 million. This deal alone accounts for 66% of the

18 Acquisition International - November 2016

$99,482 million invested in the sector in H2 to date and 33% of the $200,752 million invested in the whole of 2016 so far.

The year’s second-largest transaction is a $43,000 million takeover of Swiss agricultural pesticides and fertilisers maker Syngenta by CNAC Saturn.

When combined with the Monsanto deal, the aggregate consideration accounts for 54% of the $200,752 million injected in 2016 to date.

North America has so far attracted the most investment of all world regions in 2016, notching up deals worth a combined $104,367 million.

Despite the fact that there are still just under two months to go until the end of the year at the time of writing, this figure has already surpassed the $98,061 million invested in the region in 2015. The same is true of second-placed Western Europe, which has thus far attracted $62,590 million of investment, compared to $20,960 million in 2015.

The significance of individual large deals is again highlighted when we observe that, despite placing top by value, North America could only place third by volume with 229 deals, behind the Far East and Central Asia and Western Europe, with 521 and 488, respectively.

To sum up, although H1 2016 could not keep up the pace set in H2 2015, it looks like an increase in deal making values is likely in H2 2016 and given that the first half of the year still generated some extremely impressive levels of investment, we look set for one of the most valuable years to date in terms of investment in the chemicals sector.

M&A / Sector Talk

Number and Aggregate Value (mil $) of Chemicals Deals Globally: 2006-2016 YTD (as at 31 October 2016)

Number and Aggregate Value (Mil $) of Chemicals Deals Globally by Sector: 2006-2016 YTD (as at 31 December 2016)

Deal Number half yearly value of deals (Announced date)

Aggregate deal value (mil $)

Zephus classification (target)

Number Aggregate of deals deal value (mil $)

H2 2016

524

99,482

14,938

1,066,078

H1 2016

880

101,270

Chemicals, Petroleum, Rubber & Plastic

H2 2015

961

127,864

Wholesaling

2,537

181,452

Industrial, Electric & Electronic Machinery

830

80,011

44

66,329

H1 2015

936

49,441

H2 2014

896

62,367

H1 2014

816

37,352

Public Admin, Education, Health Social Services

H2 2013

874

64,359

Mining & Extraction

208

59,124

Personal, Leisure & Business Services

1,220

54,802

Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences

642

48,287

Food & Tobacco Manufacturing

240

28,212

H1 2013

720

25,527

H2 2012

692

37,968

H1 2012

669

20,902

H2 2011

711

20,799

H1 2011

751

93,151

H2 2010

735

37,043

Wood, Furniture & Paper Manufacturing

342

26,126

H1 2010

610

37,936

Retailing

307

24,645

H2 2009

612

24,678

345

23,470

H1 2009

586

15,760

Miscellaneous Manufacturing

23,079

618

40,103

Banking, Insurance & Financial Services

189

H2 2008 H1 2008

721

35,087

Utilities

166

20,873

Construction

121

14,889

Transport, Freight, Storage & Travel Services

140

12,287

Computer, IT and Internet services

78

11,072

H2 2007

721

67,524

H1 2007

665

30,604

H2 2006

635

21,635

H1 2006

466

41,780

Number and Aggregate Value (Mil $) of Chemicals Deals Globally by Deal Type: 2006-2016 YTD (as at 31 December 2016) Deal type

Number of deals

Aggregate deal value (mil $)

Acquisition

5,915

707,398

Minority stake Institutional buy-out Management buy-out Demerger

9,217 511 123 19

323,928 73,466 1,289 438

MBI / MBO

3

85

Real Estate Announced Deals H1 2016 was disappointing in terms of the aggregate value of announced deals targeting the real estate industry as value reached its lowest level since H2 2012.

According to Zephyr, the M&A database published by Bureau van Dijk, there were 2,750 deals worth a combined $68,661 million signed off during the six months.

The decline in deal making levels within the real estate sector appears to have carried over into H2 2016 and as the year nears its end it looks unlikely that either volume or value will reach the same levels as in previous years. So far in H2 2016, $41,385 million has been invested across 1,492 transactions. If results continue on this trajectory until the end of the year both volume and value are likely to decline on both H2 2015 ($71,563 million) and H1 2016 ($68,661 million). However, there is always the possibility of extremely high value transactions being signed off before the end of December, which could at least give aggregate values a significant boost.

North America has topped the world region rankings in terms of both volume and value in 2016 to date, having been targeted in 2,222 deals worth $45,049 million. Both of these figures are some way off the levels generated in 2015, with value being around 50% lower than the $90,049 million invested last year, and given that we are now just two months away from the year end time is running out if deal making levels are to come anywhere close to these figures.

The Far East and Central Asia placed second by value with $95,985 million, which has already surpassed the $25,578 million invested in 2015.

Other notable regions include Western Europe ($25,586 million) and South and Central America ($8,304 million).

Number of Chemicals Deals Globally by World Region: 2006-2016 YTD (as at 31 December 2016) World region (target) Far East and Central Asia

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

635

702

864

932

521

Western Europe North America Eastern Europe Oceania

264 241 102 49

369 242 148 44

324 301 131 22

410 311 120 27

488 229 67 36

Africa South and Central America Middle East

11 50 10

24 45 14

17 45 9

39 44 12

30 27 11

The real estate sector has not attracted as much investment in 2016 as it did in 2015, and H2 2016 looks likely to be one of the lowest-performing six month periods for a number of years in terms of value. Many will be hoping that when January comes around we see renewed enthusiasm for deals in the sector and activity will once again come close to the levels recorded in previous years.

Acquisition International - November 2016 19

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Company: Bureau van Dijk Name: Louise Green, global marketing director Email: uk@bvdinfo.com Web: www.bvdinfo.com Address: 10 Northburgh Street, London EC1V 0PP Phone: +44 20 7549 5000

Businesses of Distinction

An Important Source of Information for Companies Everywhere With financial information on 200 million companies across the globe, Bureau van Dijk are a major resource for company data. Our global databases contain a wealth of information on financial reports, hierarchies and statistics. Bureau van Dijk was established in 1991, and today has over 800 employees in more than 30 offices across the world, so we have truly become a global company in our scope.

ur research team operates from Manchester, Brussels and Singapore and collects data on M&A and intelligence around corporate ownership structures, as well as many other aspects of company information, such as financials. Meanwhile, our sales, marketing and customer support teams are based across every continent, from offices in cities including Beijing, Chicago, Dubai, Johannesburg, London, Sydney and Tokyo. The products and software that Bureau van Dijk offer are developed in offices in Geneva and Brussels, and we have been ISO 9001-compliant since 1998.

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“Bureau van Dijk undoubtedly acts as an important source of information for companies all around the world.”

Bureau van Dijk specialise in private company information. Indeed, we ensure that our clients have access to extensive information on private companies, detailed company hierarchies and standardised financial reports so they can compare companies across the world. We use a global database, Orbis, which currently has more than 140 sources. Orbis, along with our other databases, contains a wide range of company information and business intelligence for individual countries, regions and the world.

We are always looking at new ways to enhance our coverage, source new information and increase the universe of companies. At Bureau van Dijk, we source content ourselves and also from other regulatory sources. Our clients benefit from the information which is gathered through standardising financials and ratios, linking data sources, creating unique identifiers, linking directors and contacts, adding bespoke research, appending and linking corporate structures, integrating information on M&A deals and rumours, applying data verification, and cleansing and quality control.

20 Acquisition International - November 2016

From this, a range of comprehensive range is created. Bureau van Dijk’s global information is standardised for international company searching and comparisons. Our products are available across a range of interfaces and solutions, that can be blended with the client’s own data and integrated into their workflow.

Bureau van Dijk software is vital to helping users create sophisticated searches and comparisons. All of our software is proprietary and created by our team of developers. They work to specifications designed by our analysts, who are experts in their fields and have an in-depth knowledge of data content and user-requirements. The result of this is that Bureau van Dijk offer robust products, all of which demonstrate a thorough and practical understanding of information.

We offer a number of options to help our clients integrate their systems and data with our products, and customise how they are used. These range from simple add-ins to help with customised analysis, to accessing our web services architecture for customisation. Bureau van Dijk offer advice and support at all stages and can help with all kinds of data management projects.

Bureau van Dijk’s catalysts speed up the use of our products for specific applications. They are designed to address companies’ business challenges and help them get the right data for projects, in the correct format. Customised solutions are also available and are handled by a team of dedicated experts.

Customers of Bureau van Dijk use our products in a variety of ways to help them complete their many business challenges. Our information is used across a wide range of business challenges including the following: • Compliance, due diligence and client onboarding – delivering quicker insight on customers and their business partners; • Sales and marketing – generating more business opportunities from their customers;

M&A / Businesses of Distinction: An Important Source of Information for Companies Everywhere

• •

•

•

•

•

•

•

Transfer pricing – for their compliance, risk management, reporting and planning; Academic research – intelligence on companies, their sectors and markets with advanced analysis options, for academic and student research; Supplier risk management and procurement – market intelligence for robust supplier screening and monitoring; Credit risk – comparable financial information on companies for benchmarking and credit risk management – plus information on banks for inter-bank credit risk analysis; Corporate finance and M&A research – encompassing a broad source of deals combined with robust company information; Professional services including accountancy, law firms and consultants – ideal company solutions for lawyers, accountants and consultants; Government – the aim is to improve efficiency for research companies and their peers in detail, and also to mitigate financial and reputational risk for local and central government departments and finally; Data management – unique identifiers and bespoke matching/de-duping and dataenhancing services – to create links between disparate datasets across the client’s organisation and create single views from data silos.

Simplicity is a key attribute for Bureau van Dijk.

We aim to make comparisons between companies worldwide as easy as possible. To ensure the comparisons add value and make searching viable, we perform ‘treatments’.

Crucially, Bureau van Dijk created a specific standardised account format that best reflects the many accounting procedures, yet still gives our users well-populated reports. Once financials are standardised, then they can be compared and facilitate cross-border searching.

Bureau van Dijk also combine, and link company data with other information to give our clients the optimum research tool. We aim to find the right balance between giving companies an intelligent tool that can accommodate different data regulations, whilst not over complicating the user experience. We also stay ahead of developments (political, economical and legal) that could affect our content.

Our range of sources has massively increased and are no longer just about regional data providers.

We have our own bespoke datasets, including M&A data, corporate ownership links and contextual information about what companies do and their position in the market. In addition, some of our providers specialise in a specific type of information, rather than just a country.

With such a vast amount of data, Bureau van Dijk undoubtedly acts as an important source of information for companies all around the world. There is no doubt that banks, insurance companies, financial and consulting organisations, governments and research institutes all benefit from the service that Bureau van Dijk provides.

Acquisition International - November 2016 21

PERSONNEL / Gender Pay Gap at 19.6% for Information and Communication Sector

Gender Pay Gap at 19.6% for Information and Communication Sector • • •

ONS statistics show the gender pay gap has narrowed to 18.1%; National gender pay gap now lowest on record – 18.15; Lowest gender pay gap since the survey began in 1997, when the gap for all employees was 27.5%

he Minister for Women and Equalities, Justine Greening has welcomed figures showing the gender pay gap is now the lowest on record. The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics, provide the most accurate data on the median average difference between men and women’s earnings. These statistics show that the information and communication sector has a gender pay gap of 19.6% – that’s 1.5% above the national average.

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Breakdown of latest gender pay gap by sector below.

From next April, the government will be taking action to tackle the gender pay gap by requiring all employers with more than 250 employees to publish their gender pay and gender bonus gaps. This will help shine a light on the barriers preventing women from reaching the top.

The benefits of helping women to unlock their talents are huge – tackling the UK gender gap could add £150 billion to our annual GDP in 2025.

That’s an opportunity that neither government nor businesses can afford to ignore.

Minister for Women and Equalities, Justine Greening said, “it is fantastic to see we now have the lowest gender pay gap on record. No woman should be held back just because of her gender.

The changes we’ve made so that men and women can share their parental leave, the support we’re giving to get more women into the top jobs at our biggest companies and our drive to get more girls taking STEM subjects at school are all helping to reduce this gap.

“We’ve achieved amazing things but there’s more to do – that’s why we are pushing ahead with plans to require businesses to publish their gender pay and gender bonus gap for the first time ever from April next year.”

To help drive further progress and help eliminate the gender pay gap in a generation the UK government is: • Introducing requirements for all employers with more than 250 members of staff to publish their gender pay and gender bonus pay gaps for the first time ever from April next year; • Working with business to have 33% of women on boards by 2020 and eliminate all-male boards in the FTSE 350; and • Doubling the amount of free childcare available to working parents of three and four year olds, helping to remove the barriers that can prevent women from returning to the workplace.

This builds on the changes, the government has already introduced to support women in the workplace, including: • Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees; • Introducing a new system of flexible parental leave; • Supporting women’s enterprise by helping female entrepreneurs start up and grow their own business; and • Increasing the National Living Wage, of which two-thirds of recipients are women. www.gov.uk/GEO

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PERSONNEL / Public Sector Wants More Mobile Working - New BT Research

Public Sector Wants More Mobile Working - New BT Research Two thirds (67%) of UK office workers say mobile working is more important than a company car, and half now carry most of what they need to do their job in their bag, according to BT’s latest research. However, despite their employees’ appetite for new flexible ways of working, organisations are still struggling with technology and budget limitations to make it a reality. he mobile multiplier’ research, which independently surveyed 1,500 office workers in large organisations in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, reveals a new era, where mobile working is no longer a perk but a staple requirement. Results show workers are keen to break away from the static office: Today’s office workers put flexible working top of a benefits package from the ideal employer, with 76 % including it in their top three priorities.

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However, effective communication with colleagues is still an issue. Employees reported that they often waste time trying to get hold of people while working remotely, which delays decisions (54%), and find it difficult to access documents and files (43%). As such, there’s a need for better technology, with two thirds of office workers saying better communication would really help their organisation succeed. In particular, workers

want technology upgrades to use with their smartphones including screen sharing (6%), instant messaging (6%) and video conferencing (48%).

“Businesses are keen to support their employees’ desire for a more flexible way of working, but the reality still falls short of the ambition. The technology in place often still lags behind, causing delays and frustration,” says Andrew Small, vice president of Unified Communications, Mobile and Contact Centre Portfolio at BT. “It’s important for companies to future-proof their business by investing in mobile collaboration technology to support a flexible working model. The more employees have a good experience of work on the go, the more benefits their organisations will see.”

The research also revealed that budgets are a major concern. Businesses pay for around 75 % of the bill for their employees’ work mobile devices,

and employees are aware of the restrictions that this puts on their use. For example, a fifth of office workers say they often run out of mobile data, while 37 % say they don’t use their mobile devices much when overseas due to roaming charges.

Small continued, “whilst budgets continue to be a major priority, limiting mobile use can be a false economy if it ultimately prevents office workers from being more productive. We want to offer businesses the opportunity to manage rising data roaming costs associated with working on the go, particularly internationally.”

To address these issues, BT is announcing the launch of BT One Mobile anywhere and BT One Cloud mobile, which support collaboration and cost saving in a mobile working business model.

BT One Mobile anywhere is a service to help organisations manage international data roaming costs incurred by their employees by offering organisations a single, fixed price tariff for global data roaming, which is shared across all travelling employees. This capability helps organisations to support seamless flexible working within their budgets.

To tackle communications issues between teams working remotely and in the office in the UK, BT One Cloud mobile brings together EE’s extensive 4G mobile network, and the BT fixed network to deliver cloud-based collaboration services.

The research involved an independent survey of 1,528 office workers in large organisations in France, Germany, Spain and the UK, conducted by Davies Hickman Partners Ltd in September 2016.

It covered the full range of office workers in terms of ages as well as a variety of sectors. Separate interviews were conducted with 10 IT Decision Makers to give an alternative perspective. The results of previous research on Digital Dislocation in the workplace earlier in 2016, sponsored by BT and Cisco, complemented the analysis.

For more on the research, go to: http://www. globalservices.bt.com/uk/en/point-of-view/ mobile-multiplier?cid=(pl)btcom(cm)furl(lk)mobilemultiplier.

Acquisition International - November 2016 23

PERSONNEL / Recruiter of the Year 2016: Love Success: You’re Hired!

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Love Success: You’re Hired!

Company: Love Success PLC Address: 1 Lancaster Place, London, WC2E 7ED United Kingdom Phone: 020 7870 7177 Email: info@lovesuccess.co.uk

Recruiter of the Year 2016

With a London HQ and a nationwide presence, Love Success steps up as the UK’s leading recruitment consultancy. Specialising in matching stellar candidates with coveted business support roles, Love Success extends its expertise to a host of niche verticals, including HR Directors, Specialist Compliance Contractors, EAs & PAs, Marketing Specialists and Office Support Personnel. Founders Jane Atherton and Julia Vassie talk us through the business and how it supports clients through every stage of the recruitment process.

ove Success aims to ensure that both clients and candidates receive the highest standard of service. This culture of transparency and personalisation is largely due to the fact that the majority of staff are shareholders who’ve been with the company since the beginning and worked together for over 15 years.

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Love Success has gained an enviable reputation as being one of London’s most honest and reliable recruitment consultancies and has recently been formally recognised by the Prime Minister as one of the Fortuna 50 index of the fastest growing femaleled businesses - Top 25! It’s great to see a truly diverse UK success in Love Success!

Thanks to an inspired marketing and social media campaign, Love Success has successfully broadened its client portfolio, and sector presence.

Today, the Love Success inventory features a diverse selection of temporary and contract positions, permanent placements and professional roles across a wide range of sectors.

“We would rather provide the best person for the job rather than the best CV. There’s a huge difference!”

“Social media has also been a key focus, and we have been building the personality of our brand, as we understand that recruitment is no longer possible without a solid on-going presence in social media,” says Julia Vassie, co-founder and managing director.

Backed with the latest cloud-based technology, Love Success has empowered itself with a unified, nationwide presence. This allows it to advertise, respond, recruit and direct, both locally and nationally. From London and Bournemouth to Birmingham and Edinburgh, Love Success delivers a service that’s reliable and seamless.

“Our reputation as the go-to recruitment agency in London and the UK is growing rapidly. We’ve embraced technology that puts us at the forefront of recruitment, including a brand-new website and the integration of technology to ensure that our recruitment process is entirely seamless for both candidates and clients,” explains Julia Vassie.

With an impressive 97% placement rate and a client referral rate of 70%, Love Success’s collaborative, professional and intuitive approach is clearly working its magic. Using a strategic blend of face-to-face recruitment and social media interaction, Love Success offers clients personalised recruitment solutions, backed with an office which is full of class with beautiful art work and chandeliers and the best address in London!

“We’ve always wanted to change the face of recruitment and make it more personal. Ultimately, we want to offer a personal, friendly services which clients can rely on, all with the reach, foundation and strengths of a larger company. People do not enjoy working with faceless corporations when it comes to recruitment, and we are able to bridge the gap between offering a personalised experience and vast industry experience.”

Following its nationwide success, the company has recently launched Love PAs, a dedicated division specialising in high calibre executive assistants, personal assistants and office support staff.

“Our Love PA division’s core market is dedicated to supplying high net worth people and organisations; ranging from celebrities to corporate executives.” explains Jane Atherton, co-founder and managing director.

Acquisition International - November 2016 25

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PERSONNEL / Permits for Working in Hungary 1604AC93

Permits for Working in Hungary Hungary is the place where several international companies carry out their long-term activities, primarily English, and the employees are instructed by the employer in the same language. Therefore, there are a wide range of possibilities for employees originating from all over the world, to be employed in Hungary.

Company: SBGK Attorneys at Law Name: dr. Andrea Ilona Nagy Email: andrea.nagy@sbgk.hu Web: sbgk.hu Address: H-1062 Budapest, AndrĂĄssy Ăşt 113 Hungary Phone: +36 1 461 1000

hose who are not Hungarian citizens, and do not have the right to free movement and residence, are called third-country nationals in Hungary.

Such people may also enter into an employment relationship in the territory of Hungary, if they hold a residence permit issued by the immigration authority under the single application procedure, or a work permit issued under a procedure (other than a single application procedure for the employment) of a third-country national applying for a residence document.

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The single application procedure in Hungary is carried out, if the third-country national submits an application for the issue of a residence permit for the purpose of employment. In this case, the employer in Hungary and the worker shall conclude a prior agreement, for the purpose of employment.

The agreement for entering into a contract for employment relationship may be concluded for a fixed period of no more than two years.

The other possibility, is that being employed in Hungary means you need to be in possession of a work permit. This permit is issued by the Hungarian Authority. if the employer has had a valid labour requirement notified for the position, for which the third-country national is to be hired. In addition, subsequently notifying the labour requirement that no worker is available for the position in question,

who is registered as a job-seeker and satisfies the conditions of employment prescribed by the legislation or specified by the employer’s labour requirement.

Irrespective of the current trends in the labour market, if issued, the seasonal work permit for employees is valid for no more than 90 days.

Work permits shall be obtained irrespective of current trends in the labour market also in cases for example when the director of a branch or representative office of a foreign-registered business association as defined by international agreement; education activities in primary, secondary and tertiary educational institutions in a foreign language; or for persons attending practical training courses within the framework of the Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci and Grundtvig programs.

It has to be highlighted that other provisions must be applied for persons with refugee status, indeed beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and persons enjoying temporary protection, persons who has been granted immigrant or permanent resident status, and also to those with the right of free movement and residence.

Consequently, all have the possibility of being employed in the heart of Europe.

Acquisition International - November 2016 27

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Banking

Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies and Banking We’ve always loved money. Because, as the old saying goes, it does make the world go round. From the days of bartering we’ve been exchanging, and used shells, miniature replicas of bronze tools, rare metals like silver and gold, and eventually starting to standardise the modes of money into various types of coinage and currency.

nd now we are evolving a new system the ‘bitcoin’. According to Sopra Banking Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies are based on digital technologies and utilise cryptography, through the ‘blockchain’, as the method of protection, in much the same way as we’ve used watermarks and similar methods to protect paper money. This is a natural pathway for money to go down. We are becoming an increasingly digitised society. Cryptocurrencies are part of this new era.

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Before we begin, a little on what the blockchain is and how it works.

The blockchain, is as it sounds, a chain of information broken up into blocks of data.

Cryptocurrencies, like bitcoin and others, use the blockchain as a conduit. A blockchain is sort of like DNA in that each ‘gene’ (block) contains a specific piece of information. Each block of data represents a transaction of currency and you can follow the chain to build up a picture of each transaction, right through to the current one. You could take the analogy further and describe the individual units (nucleotides of the gene, i.e. ATGC) as being a simple codon, a little like the encryption in the blockchain. In the block chain, the block of data is protected using public - private key encryption and you can only access these data if you hold the private key. This is also what obfuscates the information within cryptocurrencies and therefore helps to prevent data theft.

Blockchain Banking Applications The evolution of bitcoins mechanisms has been acknowledged by banks, and has the potential to go beyond this and be revolutionary. The Fintech sector has been exploring the use of cryptocurrencies as a new innovation to challenge some of the more legacy business models in banking that may stall progress. Many banks, including CitiBank, Santander and UBS, are starting to embrace that this disruption can exert a positive influence on future banking innovation.

Because the blockchain encrypted transactions are registered in an authenticated ledger system, it allows individuals and banks to transfer assets worldwide in a secure and traceable way. Security is always paramount to finance.

Removal of intermediaries: One of the areas being explored by the financial sector is how cryptocurrency technology can remove the need for intermediaries due to its inherent cryptography 28 Acquisition International - November 2016

based security. It offers an automated intermediary system, removing the need for the current system of centralised ledgers that act as a custodian. In the blockchain, there is no central ledger - instead it is a decentralised trust model not dependent on a single entity. Financial market researchers the TABB Group, whilst speculating that blockchain syndicated loans can happen very soon also caution that the financial sector needs to agree standards and set up checks and balances before the blockchain technology can truly make inroads into the sector.

Voting management: Another key area that is seeing financial sector disruption via the blockchain is in ‘voting management’. Voting amongst shareholders and directors may well be crucial to the continuation of a company, mergers and acquisitions, and other crucial verdicts. Proxy voting can improve voting turnout for these fundamental decisions but can also be open to fraud and security issues.

The use of the blockchain as a proxy voting mechanism can retain the ease of electronic voting whilst simultaneously increasing security. The NASDAQ chief executive Bob Greifeld announced in October 2015 that the Estonian NASDAQ market will be using blockchain based technology to provide proxy voting at AGMs - all possible from a voter’s mobile device.

Dividends and shares: Cryptocurrency technologies are also being modified to accommodate the issuance of shares and dividends. This year the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the use of blockchain technology to allow Internet trader Overstock.com to issue company shares. The fact that a block chain keeps a record of every transaction and its owner of the throughout its lifetime means it is perfectly placed to handle this sort of transaction in a very seamless and traceable manner.

The Blockchain as a Proof Chain Pretty much any type of information can be encrypted and placed within the blockchain. In this way, it acts like a database – a linear and traceable database. Because the transactions are verified by a community of users and not a single entity, the trust levels are increased; there is no single weak link or point of failure. Each part of the block in the chain is individually timestamped and cryptographically signed. And so, any process that now requires documentation and proof of validity or certification could have those paper documents

replaced by individual blocks. One example of use is identity verification, including name, date of birth, address and so on. The block chain could be used to create certified and verified identities that offer a greater level of assurance when performing financial transactions. Speeding up the process and building in hardened trust models goes beyond the current centralised, single intermediary system and takes it into a whole new sphere.

Crossing the Border with a Blockchain Seamless cross border payments are one of the real potentials of cryptocurrency technology. The current systems used for moving money across global borders are full of friction and some processes utilise many multiples of banks and within those multiples of intermediaries. A blockchain provides a more simplified process, based on inherent accountability, assurance and verification. It can also allow for localised transactions within the movement of currency - a bit like opening an email on a desktop; the email may have been sent from the USA but it opens in a French client. Each part of the money movement is audited through the chain for financial system compliance, and the experience should end up much more streamlined and with reduced costs.

Which blockchain has to be used?

There are different types of blockchains, broadly falling into open and private. Companies like Ripple and Etherium would like to impose their blockchain, but understandably blockchain community and banks don’t like to depend to a company to transfer their asset securely.

The Future is Blocked Finally, cryptocurrencies and the underlying blockchain technology are being taken seriously by the banking sector. Analysts Greenwich Associates found that 94% of the surveyed financial professionals believed that technologies like the blockchain would be beneficial to institutional markets and that at least half of those were actively exploring their use. The previous concern that the obfuscation of and inability to trace transactions fuelling the criminal elements use of cryptocurrencies is being left behind. Instead the ability of the blockchain technology to create more efficient, secure and faster processing systems is proving too attractive to ignore For more information www.soprabanking.com

contact,

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SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Boom in Mobile E-Commerce Drives Businesses to Enhance Platforms Through IoT and Predictive Analytics

Boom in Mobile E-Commerce Drives Businesses to Enhance Platforms Through IoT and Predictive Analytics With the explosion of mobile e-commerce, the number of online communication channels and the volume of customer data is multiplying, prompting software developers to design platforms that can collect and analyse data from all channels. The technologies that will best empower businesses to improve their mobile e-commerce communications and transactions include Big Data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), omni-channel communications and ad predictive analytics.

ew analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Next Generation Technologies for Mobile E-commerce (http://frost. ly/yv), finds that enterprises use automated responses based on data trigger points to personalise and individualise their customer conversation. This translates to greater conversion rates of shoppers to customers, expanding enterprises’ client base and strengthening brand loyalty.

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“While predictive analytics analyse the volumes of Big Data collected on shoppers, the IoT augments predictive analytics by collecting data from multiple points of customer contact, including brick and mortar stores, websites and telephone calls,” said TechVision research analyst Mike Valenti.

“Integrating these technologies supports the goal of omni-channel sales and creates a seamless shopping experience at any venue.”

Many small- to medium-sized enterprises are unaware of the volume of mobile e-commerce and believe they need personnel with high

technical expertise to handle the transactions and data. Enterprises find it difficult to build a bridge between e-commerce conducted on mobile devices and desktop communications. They will find it easier to navigate between the two once they start considering mobile e-commerce as complementary to other types of online commerce, rather than as a separate or competing entity.

Meanwhile, the development of omni-channel technology platforms is proving vital for targeted e-commerce and marketing. It is important that the marketing campaigns be individualised and device-agnostic to suit the device preferences of customers. Cross-device conversion technology enables enterprises to access valuable customer data from multiple devices.

“One of the main challenges of managing content on different devices is the variety of screen sizes where the interactive data is displayed,” noted Valenti. “This has fuelled the innovation of responsive templates that provide easily used interfaces on laptops, tablets and/or smartphones.”

Another exciting addition to the mobile e-commerce experience is augmented reality (AR). Using this technology, an online shopper can virtually experience the product, such as knowing the way a necklace will appear on the shopper or having a driver’s view of a new automobile.

Enabling consumers to store their AR experiences on a mobile device adds a new link between the enterprise and its customers.

Enterprises are also addressing the important issue of security, as smart phones and tablet computers can be hacked or even physically stolen for account intrusion. Enterprises now offer biometric access to mobile e-commerce, which is going a long way in enhancing the security and speed of transactions.

Next Generation Technologies for Mobile E-commerce, part of the TechVision subscription, offers a detailed account of the technology trends that will support the expansion of mobile e-commerce from 2016 through 2020. Frost & Sullivan’s global TechVision practice is focused on innovation, disruption and convergence, and provides a variety of technology-based alerts, newsletters and research services as well as growth consulting services.

Its premier offering, the TechVision program, identifies and evaluates the most valuable emerging and disruptive technologies enabling products with near-term potential. A unique feature of the TechVision program is an annual selection of 50 technologies that can generate convergence scenarios, possibly disrupt the innovation landscape, and drive transformational growth. You can view a summary of the TechVision program by clicking at the following link: http://ifrost.frost.com/ TechVision_Demo.

For complimentary access to more information on this research, please visit: http://frost.ly/z7

Acquisition International - November 2016 29

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Company: Allied Wallet Web: www.alliedwallet.com

The Wallet of the Future Allied Wallet is a world leader in payment processing and merchant services, enabling consumers to transact with merchants at a very low rate. They provide payment processing services in 164 currencies, 196 countries, and almost every payment method taken globally. In an inspirational and thought-provoking interview, the firm’s tech billionaire Dr. Andy Khawaja reveals that Allied Wallet have some of the largest shopping carts in the history of payments, and shares his ambition to see all global transactions take place using a simple fingerprint.

an give me a flavour of your background prior to the setting up of Allied Wallet, including your involvement in the US retail business?

After departing from Lebanon, I worked in US retail industry for 10 years. Specifically working in men’s clothing enabled me to meet many international customers based in Beverly Hills, on the legendary Rodeo Drive shopping street. Dealing with a number of international clients at the time, I was able to collect payments from all consumers all around the world. That was my experience in sales, as international clients used to visit me in the boutique.

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“Dream and aim big, because the sky’s the limit and you will get there if you really want to.”

Throughout your career, including your present position at Allied Wallet, what would you say drives you?

What drives me is that I am always looking to make our services better than any others on the market.

I look what is out there and I see how transactions are handled, but I would like my services to be more convenient and workable for the merchants. I am always inventing products that help the consumer and the merchant to connect with each other, and transact in a better manner.

What inspired you to open the firm’s London office? What do you feel that the City of London offers to a firm such as yours?

London is the heart of Europe for finance, and it has always been the capital of banking for Europe, and the central financial city in the world. I decided to open up an office in London around eight years ago, because I wanted to expand, and if you don’t have premises in London then you pretty much have it anywhere.

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I wanted to have a presence in the UK and to make the European and Asian market aware that we exist in the UK, indeed in our London office we have about 15 or 20 members of staff on the operations team. London is very international in its scope and it is a location where you can expand to other European countries, and the US certainly learns a lot from the UK’s banking system. The US strives to be a better banker, so in this vein they can learn much from the UK. Turning now to the wonderful work of Allied Wallet, how would you sum up the versatility and safety, that your ‘Next Gen Payment Gateway’ offers?

The Next Gen Payment Gateway is essential a platform for API, with tokenisation built in, so if you enter one transaction you will not have to enter your banking details online again. The credit card details you enter the first time you make a payment via Allied Wallet, are memorised. You simply have to confirm that the last four digits of the credit card are correct before executing the transaction.

Every Allied Wallet payment is encrypted using PCI Level 1, the highest level of security for credit card data, so the beauty here is the convenience. You do not have to pull a piece of plastic from your pocket any more, and if you were in a restaurant, nobody could take a picture of you and commit fraud. We call it Next Gen Payment Gateway because we believe it really is part of the next generation.

In terms of building an e-commerce website, can you tell me the powerful tools and resources available from Allied Wallet that can help companies hit the ground running from day one?

Allied Wallet have some of the largest shopping carts in the history of payments, indeed have over 37 of them integrated into the main platform, indeed the API is a very simple integration tool. This covers pretty much every consumer in the world, and saves you spending a lot of money and hours on integration, because you have this simple tool at your disposal with the compliments of Allied Wallet.

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / The Wallet of the Future

You can process most transactions globally, so Allied Wallet can sign you up and give you a merchant account, wherever you are based. It assists those who receive payments online, and we take currencies as well, so the customer is not hit by conversion and foreign exchange rates.

While PayPal sends payments to a virtual wallet, we will send the same straight to your bank account. It is a fast and convenient service, that you can use anywhere in the world, indeed our phenomenal approval rate is 87% is much higher than anybody else’s.

How does Allied Wallet strive to offer the best payment processing solutions in the industry, while always exceeding customer expectations?

When we sign up a merchant, Allied Wallet will provide them with a local payment method, that the consumers use the most in a specific jurisdiction.

With a dedicated API integration in this respect, it is pretty much a global banking system that Allied Wallet has built in, enabling consumers to transact with the merchants at a very low rate.

As we are coming close to the end of the year and Christmas 2016, what are your personal and business aspirations for the future?

I want to see all future transactions carried out at a higher speed, and much more on the level of the electronic fingerprint. I would like to see this happen at all ATM’s, so nobody would not need to get their card out any more. Anything just to make your wallet lighter would be amazing, to be more virtual, and that is the future I am helping to build.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Dream and aim big, because the sky’s the limit and you will get there if you really want to.

Acquisition International - November 2016 31

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An Industry Innovator Company: GoWireless, Inc. Name: Kevin Elder Email: kevin.elder@ gowireless.com Web: www.gowireless.com Address: 9970 W. Cheyenne Ave., Las Vegas NV 89129 Phone: +1 866 487 1222

CEO of the Year – USA

Founded in Southern California in 1995, GoWireless has continually strived to be a driving force in the wireless industry. Working at the helm of this highly innovative company is Kevin Elder, who took the time out to speak to Acquisition International about his company and how they are constantly driven to succeed.

o kick things off, how would you describe GoWireless to someone to who had never heard of you before?

Basically, GoWireless is a national authorised retailer for Verizon, who specialise in wireless retail products for consumers and small businesses. As such, our client base is predominantly individual and family consumers.

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How is your business performing at present and what challenges are you currently facing?

Our business is very robust and I see some very good years ahead. However, like any business, we need to be nimble and be able to change quickly as the business and industry inevitably changes.

The biggest challenge facing the business today is the uncertainty around the future roadmap of the wireless industry.

We are trying to gauge a timeframe as to when phones and accessories will take a back seat to more innovative network or media products, and how will GoWireless participate in these opportunities. However, I trust in the relationship that we have built with Verizon and I am confident that we will be in a very good position to succeed with them.

“It’s imperative to stay ahead of the competition and not get complacent.”

With the rapid growth and constantly changing technology coming from the wireless industry, what has been your philosophy on leading a business in such an ever-evolving arena?

From my experience, leaders simply cannot be wavering in their management of the business, and making key decisions in a timely manner and following through with actions leads to greater success. Being an effective leader requires trust and confidence in the team you build around yourself. One cannot be everything to everyone and manage every minute aspect of the business.

Therefore, it is critical to seek out and retain talented team members that know the industry and know business

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In a fast-paced industry such as ours, corporate success is deeply dependent on the innovation and creativity of those in leadership roles. In this respect, it’s imperative to stay ahead of the competition and not get complacent.

Please can you tell us more about your team at GoWireless, and how they contribute to the firm’s success?

First and foremost, having the right leadership team surrounding me is vital. Once this is in place, having a well-trained and motivated team in the field is equally as important. Consumers have a choice when purchasing products and services, and I want them to choose GoWireless. We need to work hard, and build talented and highly successful teams to ensure that we deliver the type of experience that keeps customers coming back and telling others about their experience.

Could you tell us about you experience prior to your current position? How has this informed the work you do today?

I have always been an entrepreneur and very driven to succeed. Prior to founding GoWireless in 1995, I worked for a company selling faxing services to large businesses. I quickly saw the potential in the communications/telecommunications industry and opened up my first retail store selling pagers and cellular telephones. The rest is history.

It is indeed! Moving away from the past, what does the future have in store for GoWireless? What are your plans for 2017 and beyond?

I need to stay challenged and innovative. As the wireless business related to smartphones continues to mature, I want to find the next ‘go to’ device and/ or service that consumers will be standing in line to buy. We want to continue to deliver innovative products combined with a world class customer experience in our retail doors. We will look to expand our retail footprint throughout the US while exploring other ways to service the needs of our customers.

Thank you very much for speaking to Acquisition International, and many congratulations on receiving this recognition for your continued success!

Thank you very much too! I must say it has been really great to share my thoughts with you and spread the word about GoWireless!

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / CEO of the Year – USA: An Industry Innovator

Acquisition International - November 2016 33

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Opportunity Knocks Company: Tongue Tied (Jersey) Limited Name: John Shouler Email: john@tongue-tied.co.uk Web: www.tongue-tied.co.uk Address: Les Ormes, Mont a la Brune, St. Brelade JE3 8FL Jersey Phone: +44 (0) 1534 735505 01273 419999

Global Translation Services - Securing Business Worldwide

Tongue Tied was born in 1989 in East Sussex UK and started its life by just offering translation services. While their first client was American express, Tongue Tied gradually grew into the successful company it is today. Tongue Tied services are maintained and driven by a dedicated group of individuals including directors, a financial controller, an IT manager and senior project managers, who work as a tight-knit team to deliver language-based solutions to the end users. Today, the firm does a lot of medical, PR, advertising translation work, as revealed in an interview with the director of Tongue Tied (Jersey) Limited, John Shouler.

y way of background, Tongue Tied added both face to face and telephone interpreting in 1990, followed in later years by typesetting into every known software platform and print, both lithograph and digital. Tongue Tied also offer complete conference facilities including sound booths and roving microphones, so they can organise a complete conference anywhere in the world, providing both the interpreters and the equipment.

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In the late 1990’s, Tongue Tied began franchising its business with mixed success. Tongue Tied Kent and Tongue Tied Bristol were very successful, so the directors of the former retired a few years later and Tongue Tied Bristol was acquired by BAE.

“We are looking to organic growth, that is gradually growing year after year, which suits us down to the ground.”

Other franchises were moderately successful and an office was also opened in Ohio, U.S.A. In the UK, Tongue Tied Manchester is now the most successful of all the franchises, which has now been joined by a new franchise, Tongue Tied South East.

Tongue Tied also own 50% of a company called UK Tech Trans which specialises in highly technical translations and is indeed very busy and successful. Tongue Tied’s latest office (H.O.) and home is in Jersey, where they can see a partnership developing between many Jersey based organisations, especially in relation to international websites that will be looking to attract business and cooperation with overseas companies and in any worldwide language.

Regardless of the size of a company, to what extent do you think that effective communication with clients should be a primary concern?

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Tongue Tied is in a market where translations are quite a grey area, so we have to ensure effective communication with clients to ensure we get the translation correct. You can translate for example a paragraph or a letter, and it can be completely different according to the meaning, so we have to get it completely right.

What are the benefits of effective translation skills and what potential do you see for new connections and business ventures in this vein?

Categorically, yes. There are huge benefits, whether it is the translator working for us which we have all around the world at the end of an email, or perhaps dealing with new business ventures. It is very important for a company such as Tongue Tied to have good translation skill, especially if you are dealing with highly sensitive or even military information.

What would be your case for clients to use your firm’s services?

There are many translation companies out there, but at the moment we have 92% client retention rate, which is a huge number for any business. I attribute this to the cost, the quality of Tongue Tied’s work and also to the delivery. Most clients we serve want everything yesterday, so you have to be very fast in terms of the delivery process.

How are you able to assist investors and business owners alike in ensuring that they stay ahead of the competition in the crowded marketplace?

The quality of Tongue Tied’s work will assist investors and business owners, but we cannot necessarily go to them and say that we are better, but such clients will send us work to translate.

We are not in the business of changing that work, when we need to carry out the work accurately and efficiently.

What role do your staff play in the successes of your firm?

The staff at Tongue Tied are second to none. They include project leaders in Hove, many of which speak a number of languages. As well as staff in

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Global Translation Services - Securing Business Worldwide: Opportunity Knocks

Jersey, we have franchised units around the UK and they have their own staff. The project leaders do a superb job and they are always busy. The work is almost endless. When a job comes in, within one hour it is placed and we get back to the client to tell them that we are now working on it for them.

What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for your firm in 2016 and beyond?

Tongue Tied‘s opportunities are increasing, indeed with the opening of the firm’s office in Jersey, we have entered into a new market, having been invited there by Locate Jersey (www.locatejersey.com).

We now have 18 clients in Jersey and that number is growing every week - and we are introducing our European clients to the island. Tongue Tied even features in the latest book by international bestselling crime writer Peter James published in May, which is certainly quite a compliment! We are very happy with life on Jersey and would like to thank Locate Jersey again and everybody else who have helped us to settle down on this wonderful island.

the world including Europe, Asia, and US to name a few. If you want any translation work completing in Scandinavia, it is very expensive so there is massive opportunity there, because Tongue Tied can come in and deliver the service at UK prices and therefore undercut the competitors there. We are looking to organic growth, that is gradually growing year after year, which suits us down to the ground.

There are many more opportunities out there in the very large market place we are dealing with, indeed we have clients in 28 different countries around

To ‘top off’ a great year Tongue Tied have just been awarded the prestigious A1 business award for the ‘Best Translation Company – 2016’.

Acquisition International - November 2016 35

Ventura Elementary School Home of the Tigers!

Leading Students To Success

www.ocps.net 36 Acquisition International - November 2016 1609JC04

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Businesses of Distinction: Riverbed: SD-WAN’s Latest Innovator 1611AI03

Company: Riverbed Technology Address: One Thames Valley House, Wokingham Rd., Level 2, Bracknell RG42 1NG, UK Phone: (+44) 1344 401900 Web: www.riverbed.com

Businesses of Distinction

Riverbed: SD-WAN’s Latest Innovator Riverbed is a leading technology provider which supports applications, websites, networks, data centers, the cloud, and remote offices to work more efficiently. We spoke to Liz Saucedo to learn more about this dynamic and innovative business and the services it provides.

stablished in 2002, Riverbed is an IT applications performance company which started life as a wide area network specialist in order to fill a gap in the market for clients looking to transfer network details across a large area. SteelHead, the firm’s first WAN optimisation product, formed the basis of the firm’s product offering, which now includes SDWAN solutions, which Liz is eager to discuss in greater detail.

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“A storied company with a long legacy of market leadership, Riverbed pioneered WAN optimization.

Since then we have expanded our solutions for the software-defined era, and are now at the center of hybrid networking, the cloud, SD-WAN, SaaS, mobile, big data, and infrastructure visibility. In short, we are building a software-defined architecture for digital business.

“As a hallmark of the firm’s dedication to excellence, 97% of Forbes 100 global companies utilise their systems to improve their success.”

“Our latest development is SD-WAN is software wide area network optimisation, and these innovative solutions ensure that we do not have to physically ship products to our customers, cutting down on costs, installation time and maintenance.

“However it is how our products work together that ensures true efficiency; when they are integrated together they help with hybrid networking and infrastructure visibility, enabling clients to identify where a breakdown is themselves, as well as providing data analytics.”

The firm’s product offering now encompasses four revolutionary solutions: SteelHead, the firm’s core product which was key to bringing the firm to market and remains the firm’s most popular product; SteelFusion, a hybrid networking product; SteelCentral, which supports visibility; as well as Riverbed’s latest offering, SteelConnect, the firm’s SD-WAN solution.

Working with over 28,000 customers, all of whom are businesses seeking solutions to spread their network reach over a wide area. As a hallmark of the firm’s dedication to excellence, 97% of Forbes 100 global companies utilise their systems to improve their success. These firms choose Riverbed’s solutions, according to Liz, rests on its impressive client service and their specialist knowledge.

“Our internal culture breeds smart, dedicated employees, and as such they are able to provide a high level of client service which marks us out as a great option for customers.

“Alongside this another key selling point for Riverbed is our sector specialism. Unlike many of our major competitors we only provide WAN solutions. By focusing on just one niche area we are able to focus more on providing the products our clients need, listening to our customers and adapting our suite of solutions to suit.”

Currently the firm’s major challenge is penetrating the SD-WAN market, which the firm has only just moved into. As leaders in the WAN industry, Riverbed is now eager to expand its presence in this new market, which is valued at around $40 million. In her concluding comments Liz is optimistic about the firm’s move into this new sector as she talks us through its plans to emulate the success that Riverbed has already achieved in the WAN market.

“Moving forward, our key focus will be making our mark on the SD-WAN market and ensuring that we gain a significant share in this exciting sector.

Many of competitors are slowly coming around to SD-WAN, but we are offering a product which is at the top of the market and meets the needs of users, and as such we are setting ourselves above the rest and marking ourselves out as the best possible option for any SD-WAN needs. Ultimately we would like to become a market leader in this dynamic market, and look forward to the opportunities for growth and development that this challenge will bring us in the future.”

Acquisition International - November 2016 37

BiOzone corporation

BiOzone Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of ozone generators and ozone water treatment process trains designed to meet a wide range of water and air pollution oxidation needs.

www.biozone.com

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AI’s Biotech Top 50 – USA

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Top 50 in Technology: The Path of Digital Transformation 1611AI29

Company: Mastech Digital Name: Vivek Gupta, President and CEO Web: www.mastechdigital.com

Top 50 in Technology

The Path of Digital Transformation Mastech Digital is a digital technologies company providing IT staffing and project services. Over the years, they have mastered the art of finding the best IT talent for the varied needs of corporations in the United States, across most industries. In a compelling interview with the firm’s President and CEO Vivek Gupta, he reveals the staffing services they offer across the SMAC stack, automation, Internet-of-Things, as well as all kinds of mainstream technologies ranging from legacy to contemporary skill sets. They also have additional capabilities in executing projects in digital transformation areas such as Salesforce.com, SAP HANA and Digital Learning Services. an you tell us how your vital products and services allow your customers to continue succeeding and to what extent is your own continued success?

Our ability to provide hard-to-find IT staff to our customers, in a timely manner, enables them to gain higher operational efficiencies in running their IT organisations. Our cost-effective solutions certainly have a direct and positive impact on their profitability. Digital skills in today’s world are in high demand - and our ability to staff the digital workforce allows the customers to gain a competitive edge.

When it comes to Mastech Digital’s stack of digital transformation services, our global delivery model and proprietary tool sets ensure reduction in their total cost of ownership, giving clients higher returns in their enterprise IT investments.

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To what extent do you think that our society is dominated by technology?

It would perhaps be more appropriate to say that our society is permeated by technology. With its ubiquity and rapid advancements, technology has become a resource that we cannot live without. However - the empirical goal of technology has always remained the same – to simplify life and make it efficient and easy.

This applies to communication, travel, healthcare, food, leisure or shopping. Technology has ensured our experiences get better by the day and yet it is amazing to see its scope increase exponentially.

To what extent do innovative advancements in technology and automation make businesses across the world seek to streamline their operations to reduce financial outlay and increase revenue?

In business, the role of technology has rapidly changed over the years. From being a business enabler, it has become an essential differentiator for companies to gain competitive advantage. The last few years have been particularly interesting. Trends have been around the increased adoption of digital technologies and in a broader sense, indeed we are seeing convergence of various technologies.

This hyper-connectivity is making businesses smarter and more competitive than they were

previously. Automation has resulted in the redefinition of jobs, as well as creating new ones, while the SMAC stack and Internet-of-things have both given rise to new business models and a new breed of a digital workforce. Corporations that are leveraging these trends are proving to do well both in terms of gaining market share, something that enhances customer satisfaction, as well as increasing their internal operational efficiencies.

How do you ensure that your firm stands out from the competition?

Mastech Digital’s standing as a reputable IT staffing firm in the US is a result of the long-standing relationships we have and also the successful engagements with several leading corporations.

We are one of the very few IT staffing firms that is minority owned and publicly listed. Importantly, we specialise in finding ‘purple squirrels’ – those rare IT skill sets and combinations that are so hard to find.

Our global delivery model in sourcing talent, allows us to reduce the turnaround time in staffing any kind of digital and IT skill set.

What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for your firm in the future?

We believe that Mastech Digital’s journey on the path of digital transformation is filled with opportunities – to deliver impactful services, including and beyond staffing - to our US-based customers. Opportunities to build IP-led digital solutions that can solve business challenges of today and tomorrow are what we aim for.

These are indeed great times in be in, when the world is going down the digital path and our customers are embracing digital innovations as an important lever for growth. We take this as a challenge to ensure we retain our reputation as a go-to company for staffing rare skill sets, even for digital staffing.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

While transformation today is digital, innovation still remains human. Mastech Digital’s strengths in IT staffing, combined with our focus on digital technologies makes us the ideal partner for any company that has embarked on its digital transformation journey.

Acquisition International - November 2016 39

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GALLO

Interpretation & Translation Services

Crossing the Language Barrier with Sensibility AI’s Outstanding Women in Business in 2016

Name: Margarita Gallo de la Torre Email: margaritagallo@hotmail.com Telephone: 206 799 9848 Fax: 425 244 4012

SUPPORT SERVICES & TECH / Top 50 in Technology: The Age of Big Data 1610AI28

The Age of Big Data Name: Patrick Hennen Email: Patrick.hennen @ortec.com Web: ortec-consulting.com Address: Houtsingel 5 2719 EA ZOETERMEER The Netherlands Phone: +31 88 678 3265

Top 50 in Technology

ORTEC Consulting is a highly renowned specialist in business analytics.

We support companies by providing analysts with in-depth experience in advanced analytics. We can provide companies with all the right tools and insights they need to become more adaptive and responsive in the age of big data. On top of that, we offer a unique big data portal for companies that want to start benefiting from analytics without the hassle of huge IT implementations and the need for in-house expertise.

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n addition, we develop tailor-made optimisation models and technology, offer consulting services and implement projects for all levels of analytics

maturity.

For over 30 years, we have helped businesses grow their turnover, lower their costs, and reduce their environmental impact by turning complex data into priceless intelligence. Companies like IKEA, Shell, Albert Heijn, KLM and Coca-Coca trust our solutions and expertise to make better decisions and improve their supply chains. Their continued success has positioned us as an industry leader for companies that are looking to innovate and outperform their competitors with analytics.

As such, we see the future as one big opportunity, as our field is evolving at an even faster pace.

The world is becoming increasingly complex and intertwined, and organisations hope to find answers in their data in order to develop new business models and spot trends. Whether it is our big data portal, our consultants or our education and training, we believe that we have the very best services to help these businesses find the answers they need.

Acquisition International - November 2016 41

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South Africa’s leading investigation, forensics and intelligence services company

It is an unfortunate reality that the private security and investigation industry is littered with unscrupulous operators who prey on the vulnerable, fly-by-nights who promise the world yet deliver nothing, and incompetents that (no matter how well-intentioned) bungle matters, worsen situations and endanger others. This reality has bred a sense of public distrust that has made the business of being an investigator more challenging for professional, reputable operators. At the same time, though, it has enabled Intertel, and others like Intertel that strive for excellence, to stand out from the crowd.

www.intertel.co.za

INVESTMENT / Private Equity - an Optimistic Landscape: A Long-Term Investor 1611AI09

A Long-Term Investor Company: Perceva Name: Jean-Louis Grevet / Franck Kelif / Christophe Ambrosi Email: jean-louis.grevet@perceva.fr / franck.kelif@perceva.fr / christophe.ambrosi@perceva.fr Web: www.perceva.fr Address: 32 avenue de l’Opéra, 75002 Paris, France Phone: +33 1 42 97 19 90

Perceva is a Paris-based independent private equity firm, focusing on companies facing challenges: turnaround situations (financial or operating difficulties), spin-off or carve-out of larger corporations, and other special situations.

erceva contributes significant equity amounts each year to support French companies who have been weakened or need to address a challenge. The special situation can arise from various issues: inability to fix operational issues, improper monitoring of performance, loss of a major market, an overleveraged balance sheet, a required strategic repositioning, a separation from a large group, and so on.

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Private Equity - an Optimistic Landscape

Being the shareholder of a special situations company requires specific short-term management skills combined with a long-term focus.

Any repositioning requires the ability to deal with periods of stress or crisis. Managing these crucial moments implies that the company and its partners benefit from careful attention, close support and adequate resources. Perceva has developed a unique 20-year experience which translates into fast and efficient decision-making, adapted to the companies’ tight deadlines. Perceva provides both resources and expertise to address short term priorities: cash monitoring and management, and restoring relationships with key stakeholder (suppliers, clients, creditors, employees). When it comes to analysing issues, and identifying

solutions, time management is critical. The short-term focus is on loosening the constraints that weigh the company down, to unleash the companies’ development potential.

Perceva’s objective is to reposition companies on sound fundamentals across all functions, in order to make sure all key processes are run efficiently and each company has the best possible teams.

This will require for example the reinforcement of the marketing department to better target nextgeneration products, a significant overhaul of manufacturing and logistics to bring service rate & quality to best-in-class levels, or the implementation of tailored reporting tools to better monitor the performance. The goal is to create sustainable industrial value.

Communication with management teams is frequent, through regular meetings around cash forecast or operations reporting, and also through ad hoc discussions of action plans in a projectmode approach.

Perceva currently manages two funds, totalling €350 million raised from international and French institutional investors. Portfolio companies are France-based industry leaders with strong brands, and most of them have a significant export business, as well as plants or subsidiaries abroad.

The private equity market in France has been good lately. French investors (AFIC) recently advertised high or record-high numbers for S1 2016. On Perceva’s segment, the deal flow remains steady with a mix of private companies, subsidiaries of large corporations, and troubled LBOs, providing numerous good opportunities to choose from.

A business is like a sports team - it constantly evolves. Perceva’s approach is to listen, motivate and allow a company to establish long-lasting recovery drivers. Our teams share the same values around work, personal commitment, respect towards others, integrity and courage.

In terms of the future, Perceva is actively investing its second fund, which has had a very good start with three promising deals: the carve-out of French door manufacturer Keyor (from Masonite), the carve-out of lingerie leader VFB (from Fruit of the Loom), and the takeover of the leading bedding activities of Cauval.

Acquisition International - November 2016 43

Private Banking - Alternative Investments - Mitigating Risk Private banking is an industry currently undergoing something of a renaissance. As the balance of economic and geopolitical power between East and West has shifted over recent years, there has been an explosion in demand for private banking services across the Asia Pacific region.

The emerging markets of China, Malaysia and elsewhere pushed total global assets managed by the private banking industry in 2015 to $20.3 trillion, up from $18.5 trillion in 2013 and the growth of China into a global power has led to an explosion of wealth within its sphere of influence.

ecent analysis by the World Wealth Report (1) for example, reveals that the number of individuals with investible assets worth $1 million plus in the Asia Pacific region increased by 17% in 2013, to 4.3 million people. The total wealth held by this group also increased correspondingly by nearly a fifth, to $14.2 trillion.

There are downsides to property investment however. Property requires regular maintenance for example and while, on the whole, tenants can be relied upon to not mistreat a property and pay the rent on time, bad tenants can turn an investment into a full-time job. Politics can also weigh large in the minds of property investors and housing and property is for many a significant political issue.

This growth in the market for private banking has been further assisted by tighter regulation in the post-crash world. Scrutiny and regulation have forced many mainstream and high-street banks out of investment banking, leaving the field open for more specialist and investment driven banks.

Regardless of these dynamics however, striking the right balance between return and risk remains key in the private banking sector.

This ensures that the market is often the subject to policy interventions, and property investors can need to be aware of the political contexts in which they make their investments. Investors in one development in London, for example, have been singled out in the media as being representative of rising property prices and the political frustrations which follow (4). As a result of this kind of rhetoric - rent caps are being considered or implemented in cities including Dublin, New York and Berlin - despite all the evidence against such market intervention.

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Building investments In the wake of the 2008 crash, and the age of low interest rates and quantitative easing which it ushered in, property has remained the most attractive investment for those looking for significant returns. The reasons for this are clear. Recent research from Savills (2) revealed that the total value of property worldwide (currently around $217 trillion) is 36 times more valuable than all the gold ever mined (worth approximately $6tn), 2.3 times the value of outstanding securitised debt ($94tn), and 3.9 times the total value of equities ($55tn). The same report estimated the growth rate of this global asset class to be 1.77%, so there are returns to be made and growth rates in local markets often far exceed this.

Recent data from MSCI shows that US commercial property funds in 2015 grew a staggering 15.6%, according to the PREA/IPD US Quarterly Property Fund Index (3). Even more impressive is the fact that investments in US commercial property have seen a cumulative return of 129% over the past six years.

44 Acquisition International - November 2016

At the other end of the scale, larger investments through Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), while generating decent returns, are not as high yielding as direct investment can be. The fact that these investments are managed by large corporations and investment houses also means that there is often a potential disconnect between returns, and the allocation of those returns to investors. Indeed, a recent report from a research team in Toronto found that, while REITs had the highest net returns amongst a sample of asset classes, investors in REITs saw the lowest allocations - just 0.6% of total asset value (5).

Making them work Despite the politics property investments continue to outperform other asset classes and so remain popular. Looking again at the US for example, we see that commercial property as an asset class has outperformed US bonds (up 4.39% over the period 2011 to 2015), stocks (up 13.45%), corporate bonds (up 4.72%) and commodities (down 10.93%) (6).

The best way to maximise returns, while minimising risk Rycal Group have developed a niche which is proving to be increasingly popular with investors.

The opportunity is centred around the Carlton James Group, an investment portfolio with a focus on the US’s hospitality sector. Over the last five years this portfolio has seen average returns of 17% per annum. With a strategy based upon wide-ranging geographical and market intelligence, Carlton James look also for additional revenue generators - for example taking into account a development’s proximity to highways, malls and economic infrastructure - as well as local economics.

Simon Calton, co-founder and CEO of the Carlton James Group said, “private banks and their clients define themselves by their willingness to consider alternative investments - finding the opportunities that others miss. Making alternative investments work for clients however requires depth of knowledge and understanding in any given market.

A portfolio such as ours is a perfect partner for investors looking for opportunities in the US that others have yet to capitalise on.

“The secret of Carlton James’ success has been the ability to take a 360-degree view of any investment.

We recognise that, to a large extent, the residential property market is saturated, and economists from many global cities are talking about local housing bubbles. Property used for hospitality however is a growth market, and will continue to be so in an economy geared ever more towards the service sector.

“Our expertise also extends to considering the local infrastructure around the properties we invest in.

How near is closest freeway or shopping centre?

What future developments are planned in the local vicinity? These questions and more are key to the long-term success of our portfolio and guide our decision-making processes.”

INVESTMENT / Private Banking - Alternative Investments - Mitigating Risk

For more information, please visit http://www.rycalgroup.com/newinvestors 1. https://www.worldwealthreport.com/ 2. http://www.savills.co.uk/_news/ article/72418/198559-0/1/2016/world-realestate-accounts-for-60--of-all-mainstreamassets 3. https://www.msci.com/documents/10199/ e667cc74-b4e2-4f72-8d8a-8b88e283b211 4. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/ may/24/revealed-foreign-buyers-own-twothirds-of-tower-st-george-wharf-london 5. http://www.pionline.com/article/20160627/ PRINT/160629891/reit-returns-strongallocations-remain-low-study-finds 6. https://www.bullionvault.com/guide/gold/ Annual-asset-performance-comparison

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INVESTMENT / Private Equity - an Optimistic Landscape: Abundant Opportunities in Botswana 1611AI04

Company: Botswana Development Corporation Name: Boitshwarelo Lebang Head-Marketing Communications Email: Boitshwarelo@bdc.bw Web: www.bdc.bw Address: The Tower, Fairscape Precinct, Plot 70667, Fairgrounds Park P/Bag 160 Gaborone Botswana Phone: +267 3651300

Private Equity - an Optimistic Landscape

Abundant Opportunities in Botswana BDC is a development finance Institution tasked with the industrialisation of Botswana. Founded in 1970 as a company with the government as its sole shareholder, its main aim is to develop the commercial, industrial and agricultural sector through the funding of commercially viable projects with developmental impact. The firm’s main instruments are debt and equity, but they do have tailor made funding solutions for each project they invest in. BDC has been in existence for over 45 years and their offices are in Gaborone, Fairgrounds. In an interview, the firm’s Head-Marketing Communications, Boitshwarelo Lebang provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of private equity in the Botswana region, and what it takes to be successful in this market. lthough the global economy has been uncertain over the past months, to what extent do you think that the private equity landscape has been fairly positive, with several regions specifically enjoying positive developments?

Given that we primarily participate in the African private equity (PE) space, we can say there has been positive developments despite uncertainties in the global economy, especially as many African economies are generally affected by movements within the extractive industries. Private equity activity is customarily linked with the macro economic performance of every economy and in Africa, currency devaluation and commodity prices have been very volatile.

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The commodity price reductions and depreciation of currencies has caused a real tightening of liquidity in the region, as traditional fundraising avenues have become more constrained. This has positioned private equity as the best alternative for capital raising, bringing in more deals and opportunities for better returns.

Whilst challenges remain, do you think that the atmosphere is rife with investors who are seeking to branch out and continue to expand?

The current situation has had an effect on the approach and strategy of many participants in the market. There have been some investors who have taken a conservative approach, but others have put their hands up to branch out and take advantage of the situation. The bullish investors would generally look out for companies with cross border growth potential and defensive sectors such as health care, education, food and water. There is indeed a significant demand for healthcare and education created by a young population. Rapidly growing economies continue to provide opportunities and demand in financial services, consumer goods and services, real estate and infrastructure.

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With this positive atmosphere around many areas of the private equity market, to what extent do you think there remains the constant requirement for advisors and consultants to have a major input to investors?

Being successful in Africa requires people on the ground who understand the markets. Advisors and consultants can greatly assist in building up proprietary deal flow, developing viewpoints on deals and constantly navigating through changing markets. Given the developing nature of the private equity market in Africa, bottlenecks are often thrown in the process, but these barriers can be dealt with guidance from experienced experts working on the ground. The input by advisors extends to accessing relationships with regulators, which may be helpful in terms of changes and reform on policy, as well as regulatory deliverables.

What contribution does your firm make to private equity deals that ensures that the best possible outcome is reached for your client, so they are able to gain the most for their investments?

BDC strives to balance developmental aspirations with commercial sustainability, thereby offering promoters a unique array of funding products geared towards having the greatest socio-economic and commercial impact. BDC therefore brings to the table a structural flexibility, driven by the need to maximise returns and create sustainable value for the promoter and all stakeholders.

Do you have any plans for the future that you would like to share with our readers?

BDC in the medium term is focusing on energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology sectors. We are ready to partner and collaborate with investors who are ready to transform this continent through exploring the abundant opportunities it offers.

INVESTMENT / Best of the Best in Finance - USA: Education is Essential 1610EA16

P2E Financial Company: P2E Financial Name: Adrian Brice Email: adrian.brice@ p2efinancial.com Web: www.p2efinancial.com Address: 1479 Kensington Ave #189, Buffalo, New York 14215 USA

Education is Essential Based in Buffalo in New York, P2E Financial are a unique financial planning firm. We profiled them to find out more about their expertise, and their ultimate goal of educating and empowering their clients.

t P2E Financial, the company provides a wide variety of wealth management services, allowing them to cater to the needs of their highly diverse range of clients. Whether it’s financial planning assistance, health coverage plans, or life insurance, P2E Financial have a highly experienced team dedicated to providing the very best assistance and support.

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Best of the Best in Finance - USA

Regardless of the class of clientele, the firm believes that education is essential, which is why they dedicate a great deal of time to ensure that all of the clients have exactly what they need. As such, they make the effort to sit down with a client, go through the finer details and explain it in a language that makes sense to them. In areas such as retirement and wealth planning, many of their clients come from non-financial backgrounds, and need someone who can explain and advise them in plain English and make sure everything is crystal clear for them.

Another key attribute of P2E Financial is the wealth of experience and expertise they can deliver for their clients. Adrian Brice at P2E has over 13 years’ experience in financial planning, working

with financial institutions such as TIAA-CREF and BMO Harris Bank. As a result, P2E Financial has the experience and expertise of one of the larger institutions, but at the same time their boutique size allows them to deliver a truly personalised service for their clients.

In this sense, P2E Financial work in way that their clients feel valued and are getting the best possible service. They understand that with aspects such as retirement planning, people want a piece of mind that their savings and wealth are in the best possible hands. As such, providing a personalised service goes an incredibly long way for them.

Perhaps more most important of all, they listen to what their clients’ views and get their insight into what their goals are.

Looking towards the final end of 2016, and with 2017 on the horizon, the future certainly looks bright for P2E Financial. Ultimately, their future goals are to continue to deliver the highly personalised service for their clients, as this way of working has served both themselves and their clients tremendously well since their inception. And of course, they hope to educate and enlighten even more clients in the future.

Atomazul / Shutterstock.com

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2014 Copperstone Capital.

All rights reserved.

winner

Copperstone Capital is an investment management firm founded in 2009 with offices in Moscow, Russia and London, United Kingdom.

We manage wealth for high net worth individuals and institutions through various hedge fund strategies.

16 Sadovnicheskaya Street, Moscow, 115035, Russia T +7 495 988 0010 F +7 495 951 1410 www.copperstonecapital.com

HEDGEfund awards2015 Best Russian Fund (Since Inception)

GLOBAL CONSISTENT

CONFIDENT

STRATEGIC LASTING INDEPENDENT

INVESTMENT / Most Trusted for High-Value Transactions in the Caribbean: A Full Service Offering 1605AC32

A Full Service Offering Company: Emmanuel Jacques Almosnino (EJA) Location: Saint Barthelemy (“Saint Barth”) Email: contact@eja-lawfirm.com Web: www.eja-lawfirm.com

Most Trusted for High-Value Transactions in the Caribbean

For more than 20 years, the Emmanuel Jacques Almosnino (EJA) law firmbased on the luxurious island of Saint Barth- has effectively represented VIPs and high-net worth clients from around the world. We explore how the range of services to the firm provides to these distinguished clients and how it aims for excellence across its full service offering.

usiness structures can vary as widely as the types of businesses that use them. When setting up a business, choosing the right structure can be critical to the success and life of a company. EJA assists its clients in forming the most appropriate business entity on or off Saint Barth. This is done with respect to a wide variety of a choice of entity matters, including the formation of corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, LLCs and more.

Concentrating its practice areas in real estate and wealth management, corporate structuring, international; taxation and litigation ensures that the firm is able to operate a focused approach and provide expert assistance.

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“Ultimately it is this unique combination of all this knowledge and experience that has distinguished Mr. Jacques as a truly exceptional talent .”

EJA has extensive experience in advising clients in matters of international taxation. The firm’s attorneys help its clients understand the tax consequences of foreign investments, how these investments will be taxed in their native country and how they will be taxed abroad. Clients include corporations, financial institutions and individuals, mostly from the U.S., the European Union, China and Russia. The firm also advises businesses that are in the process of incorporating, acquiring and restructuring or selling an entity, as well as high-net worth individuals who are interested in investing in Saint Barth real estate and its industries.

The firm’s litigation department handles a broad range of complex matters in French courts, and before agencies, administrative bodies and arbitration tribunals. Areas of concentration include commercial and civil litigation; corporate disputes; construction litigation; international dispute resolution; and administrative disputes in real estate and taxation. Founder and Managing Partner Emmanuel Jacques has helped countless businesses institute practices that have helped them retain millions of dollars in litigation matters, the retaining of outside counsel, contractual agreements, dispute prevention, and day-to-day operations and procedures.

The firm has successfully negotiated the purchase of properties valued at $60 million and successfully handled the negotiation of financing up to $40 million as much as handled the negotiations of commercial leases in the most famous areas of Paris. The firm regularly handles the acquisition of luxury real estate not only in Saint Barth, but also in Paris and other famous locations in France and Monaco. Notable projects the firm has undertaken include representing an American Equity Fund regarding a five-star hotel transaction in Saint Barth and successfully won a major case against the French tax authorities which clarified the special status of Saint Barth as an overseas territory of France in the Caribbean.

Emmanuel has a strong background in law and has worked around the world, supporting clients with a range of legal cases. At the age of 23, he graduated from the Paris University of Law and became the youngest attorney in France. After graduation, Mr. Jacques was named Director of the Cabinet of the general manager at the Paris Chamber of Commerce, where he successfully handled several reforms. He served in that position until 1992. In 1993, after fulfilling his one-year military obligation in Mexico in assisting French companies in settling into the region, he returned to France, resuming his legal career as a junior partner at a Paris law firm. By 1995, at the age of 27, Mr. Jacques established his own practice in Paris, and was later named Of Counsel for a U.S. firm based on Paris’ Avenue Montaigne.

During his time in Paris, Mr. Jacques taught at Paris University of Law and was named Vice President of the parent organization of the 112 international French Chambers of Commerce, as well as Special Advisor to the French government for trade with Nordic countries.

Recognizing that every action has the potential for global financial repercussions, he is one of a select few attorneys who is well versed in international finance, international relations, and management. He studied Management at HEC Paris, the highest-ranked business school in Europe where he earned an MBA then a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance and received his diploma in International Relations and Diplomacy at CEDS; Emmanuel Jacques was also trained for Economic Intelligence at IHEDN in Paris and for negotiations at Harvard University in Boston.

Ultimately it is this unique combination of all this knowledge and experience that has distinguished Mr. Jacques as a truly exceptional talent in international legal advocacy.

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The Cruikshank Advisory Group Ltd. Midmarket Expertise and Focus The Cruikshank Advisory Group Ltd. is an independent provider of advisory services to buyers and sellers of middle market companies.

Our services include: • • •

Divestitures Acquisitions Financing

We focus on companies ranging in revenue size from $2 million to $100 million and have significant knowledge of the financing, private equity and private sale market in Canada and the United States.

CAG believes mid-sized private companies in Canada pose unique challenges and require specialized skills in valuation, marketing and problem solving if they are to be taken to a successful completion. We have developed our expertise and experience by successfully completing deals over the years.

Email: Doug@cruikshankadvisory.com Phone: +1-604-922-2553 Web: www.cruikshankadvisory.com

HEALTH / CEO of the Year - Italy: Time Is King 1622AI05

Time Is King Accord Healthcare Italy has been working on the Italian Hospital market since 2010. Accord is presently recognised as one the key players on the local pharmaceutical market, reaching leader position for many of the products commercialised over the past five years. Having said this, it is only since 2012 that the company has been actively offering its products to the NHS, reveals the CEO of Accord Healthcare Italy, Massimiliano Rocchi.

Company: Accord Healthcare Italia Name: Massimiliano Rocchi Email: mrocchi@ accord-healtchare.com Web: www.accord-healthcare.it Address: Viale Monza, 265 – 20126 Milano Phone: +39.02.94323700

CEO of the Year - Italy

ow does it feel to have been awarded CEO of the Year - Italy?

Needless to say it is a big honour to receive such an award, as it recognises five years of focus and efforts put into building a successful business in a country, like Italy is, where competition is strong and public rules change quite often. We have proven that commitment, hard work and passion that are necessary, but not sufficient, ingredients to succeed. The other key success factor is represented by the products we sell and, from this specific view point, the manufacturing of a wide range of high-quality products is essential.

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Can you tell us how the business is going and the challenges you face at the helm of it?

Despite the market counts an increasing number of competitors and, as a consequence of that, prices are decreasing year over year, our capacity to bring to the market a significant number of new generic products on a yearly basis allows Accord to mark a significant 100% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last five years.

In general terms, issues could derive from the public administration. Actually, the NHS is facing a very tough challenge to fund new INNs, such asanti-hepatitis C and monoclonal antibodies.

Thus, as an example, a hospital pay-back measure has been set up to recover money even from generic pharma companies. In my opinion, generic companies already are the main contributors to reducing hospital pharmaceutical costs, so they should be totally excluded from the application of such a measure.

To what extent do you think that corporate success often depends on the innovation and creativity of those in leadership?

I truly believe that innovation and creativity does not necessary mean something totally new. In our specific market, where the core products have been commercialised for decades, innovation and creativity may mean a different way to get the results sought, like, for example, new processes or new internal standards. Behind all those, there are the people, who are at the end the real key success factor. We must manage the change, and drive those people through the change.

Why is strong and decisive management key to ensuring ongoing success?

Time is king, so there is no room for wasting time.

The key role for a manager is, as I said, to manage the change and align people behind the company’s targets. I cannot see any other way to achieve the results as the company sets in its long-range plan.

Of course, people commitment cannot balance products deficiencies, but it is equally true that even the best products will not achieve remarkable targets without committed teams to support them.

Can you tell us about your career background prior to attaining your current position?

I have been working in the pharmaceutical arena since 1991, when I worked as representative for UPSA, a French company. I moved to BMS in 1999, where I started my experience in the hospital market as a product manager for the oncology division, then in Mayne Pharma/Hospira in 2003 as Marketing Manager. In 2010, I came to Actavis as hospital business manager, finally joining Accord Healthcare Italy in 2012, as the managing director.

What kind of clients do you serve and how do you approach them?

In Italy, the hospital market is basically made of public hospitals, which have to follow the local procurement process. Therefore, our current business is based primarily on public tenders.

Do you have any plans for 2016 and beyond that you would like to share with our readers?

We are looking at the possibility to expand our business both organically and inorganically, to improve our presence and market share on the Italian market.

What challenges lie ahead in the future for you as a CEO and for your company in 2016?

Controlling price erosion and preserving margins are key challenges in the generic market for a company like Accord. New markets, such as biosimilars, are becoming increasingly attractive and achievable. The business model is significantly different form the one we are using now, in the sense that we have to build the internal infrastructure (people and knowledge) to effectively address that opportunity, but we are definitely looking into this area for future growth.

Acquisition International - November 2016 51

1610AI22

Company: Alliant Healthcare Web: allianthealthcare.com Address: 333 Bridge Street NW Ste. 1125, Grand Rapids, MI 49504 Phone: 888-307-1144

CEO of the Year - Michigan

Bob Taylor: A Business in Health that Really Cares Alliant Healthcare, a veteran owned business that provides quality, cost-effective medical device products and services. We interviewed CEO and Founder Bob Taylor to tell us more about the firm and how his leadership has helped steer it to its current success.

stablished in 2002, Alliant Enterprises and its subsidiary, Alliant Healthcare, provide quality products designed to support the healthcare industry. Bob, who began his career in the Air Force as a B-52 navigator and has since developed a healthcare empire built around a supportive and collaborative internal culture, as he explains.

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“In founding Alliant Enterprises I, first and foremost, wanted to create a great company culture, knowing that we could be successful at almost anything we chose to do if I put the right people in a phenomenal work environment. I call it ‘Culture First’. We are a culture driven group of people dedicated to helping each other succeed. To me, it’s even more important in how we do things than strictly the financial performance of the business.

“The chief purpose of the foundation is to drive down the suicide rate of veterans which is at an unbelievable, 22 veterans per day.”

“Sharing in the company’s success is a big part of the culture. It is important to me that everyone has a sense of ownership in the company and is rewarded based on the success of the company.

So, I created our “Pathways to Success” program to reward everyone, and we have created a 50% matching 401(k) because I think my greatest responsibility is to make sure people leave here in a better place than when they arrived.

“In addition, we also have a lucrative profit sharing program. A benefit to this is that the management team is creating and driving towards loftier goals for profitability than I would on my own. They know where the source of everyone’s wealth will come from and that it is from our profits, and this helps motivate our staff and drive everyone to do their best and support our common goals.”

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As a veteran himself, Bob is eager to support others who have served to return to the corporate workplace, and as such he has set up a charity in order to support those returning from service and help them integrate back into society, as he explains.

“My business is veteran-owned and while we are successful, I realize there are veterans who have sacrificed far more than me. I hire veterans and typically 25% of my workforce is a veteran or a spouse of a veteran. However, this is still not enough, which is why I created the Patriot Promise Foundation in the Fall of 2015. The Patriot Promise is aimed at helping veterans deal with the challenges they face in transitioning back into society.

“The chief purpose of the foundation is to drive down the suicide rate of veterans which is at an unbelievable, 22 veterans per day. I am writing a book called “From Service to Success - New Mission, New Purpose” which is due to be released in the Spring of 2017. The book will help veterans and their families better understand what’s happening and to let them know they are not alone.

The book also provides some excellent tools for the veterans to better adapt to the new world they are entering, and we are always aiming to raise awareness and continue to spread the word and help more people.”

Learn more about or donate to the Patriot Promise Foundation at patriotpromise.org After six years of active duty, Bob worked for Richard-Allan Medical, a medical device business in Kalamazoo, MI, as a R&D engineer in its minimally invasive surgical program. Bob, who wanted to learn more about running a business, took a variety of roles across engineering, operations, marketing, international business, and finally, mergers and acquisitions. Through this Bob, alongside two other partners, acquired seven Richard-Allan product lines to start Aspen Surgical Products, which was the starting point for Alliant, as Bob emphasises.

“When I sold my interest in Aspen in 2002, my dream was to build multiple businesses, led by

HEALTH / CEO of the Year - Michigan: Bob Taylor: A Business in Health that Really Cares

great people, operating under one overarching culture to create success for each person in the company. Right now, I own a conglomerate of three businesses headquartered in Grand Rapids, MI. “The first, Alliant Healthcare Products, is a channel partner to companies selling into the federal market.

We can provide turn-key operating rooms, mobile imaging centers, endoscopic devices and a host of products used in the daily care of patients. We also provide state-of-the-art medical technologies such as cryo-preserved umbilical tissue to help treat the difficult wounds of veterans. In total, we have sold over $350,000,000 of healthcare products and services into the federal space since 2008.

“I started my second company, Surge Cardiovascular, in 2010 through an acquisition. We manufacture, design and sell perfusion cannula products used in open-heart surgery to arrest the heart while surgeons perform coronary bypass or heart valve replacement. Surge is a global device company with sales in 28 countries. The most exciting part of this business is that we’re now developing our own products with intellectual property. We launched three new products aimed at less invasive cardiac surgery this year and plan to introduce five more next year in order to help surgeons improve surgical outcomes in open heart surgery. I expect our 37% compounded annual growth to expand at higher rates over the next three plus years.

“We added our third business, Medisurge, this year when we stood up an 18,000 square foot facility for clean room contract medical device manufacturing.

We currently manufacture, package and sterilize: urological, cardiac, and general surgical devices for five major medical device companies. Medisurge has a unique value proposition in our advanced and lean manufacturing. Lean manufacturing is our ability to drive down costs and to improve and accelerate our customer’s results. The advanced manufacturing proposition is a recognition of the very aggressive cost drivers in healthcare today.”

Looking to the future, Bob is keen to expand the businesses in order to continue to support a wide range of clients. With 40% growth year on year since 2010 Bob is confident that Alliant Enterprises and its related companies can continue to build upon this success thanks to his collaborative culture and strong work ethic.

“In 2011, Alliant was the 9th fastest growing healthcare business in the US, and our growth potential far exceeds any business I’ve been involved with to date. But, the true measure of success is the quality and capabilities of the people I work with and how much they enjoy working here.

It is my promise to them to help make this business a success by any measure, which will continue to be my focus going forward.

“As such moving forward I see substantial growth for the business. I believe that other firms will be looking to produce more products in the U.S., and I am ready to support them with this. I look forward to taking advantage of the opportunities this will bring.”

Acquisition International - November 2016 53

Winners’ Directory CEO of the Year – USA Company: Benchmark International Name: Gregory Jackson Email: Jackson@benchmarkcorporate.com Web: www.benchmarkcorporate.com Address: 4488 W. Boy Scout Blvd., Suite 400, Tampa, FL 33607 Phone: +1 813 898 2350 Most Innovative External Asset Manager Company: TCA Asset Management SA Name: Ludovic Bonnamour Email: Bonnamour@tca-am.com Web: www.tca-am.com Address: 8/10 rue du Port, 1204 Genève Switzerland Phone: +41 22 566 52 50 Fortunes in Finance Company: VILAF – Hong Duc Name: Nguyen Quang Hung Email: hung@vilaf.com.vn Web: www.vilaf.com.vn Address: 6th Floor, HCO Building, 44B Ly Thuong Kiet St., Hanoi, Vietnam Phone: (844) 3934 8530 Best of the Best in Finance Awards - UK Company: Better Buy Insurance Name: Gary Beeston Email: info@betterbuyinsurance.co.uk Web: www.betterbuyinsurance.co.uk Address: 9 Quy Court, Colliers Lane, Stow-cum-Quy, Cambridge, CB25 9AU Phone: 0203 794 9335 Best of the Best in Finance Awards - UK Company: City Dockland Accountants Name: Alperen Mustafa Yalchin Email: info@citydockland.com Web: www.citydockland.com Address: 485 Kingsland Road, Dalston, London E8 4AU Phone: 0871 200 3087

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Best of the Best in Finance Awards - USA Company: SC Associates Tax & Accounting Name: Sharron Cirillo Email: s.cirillo@scassoc.net Web: www.scassoc.net Address: 651 N Broad Street Suite 103 Middletown DE 19709 Phone: + 1 302 454 1100 Best of the Best in Finance Awards - UK Company: Ash Business Consultants Name: Andy Green Email: info@ashbusinessconsultants.co.uk Web: www.ashbusinessconsultants.com Address: 2 Richmond House, Mount Place, Boughton, Chester CH3 5BF. Phone: 0845 177 1360 Best of the Best in Finance Awards - Hong Kong Company: General International Agency Limited Email: info@giahk.com.hk Web: www.gialtdhk.com Address: Suite 1501, 15/F, AIA Kowloon Tower, Landmark East, 100 How Ming Street, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong Telephone: (852) 3108 6666 CEO 100 - UK Company: MRL Public Sector Consultants Ltd Name: Dr. Roni Ajao Email: Roni.Ajao@mrl.uk.com Web: mrl.uk.com Address: MRL Public Sector Consultants Ltd Phone: (+44) 01954 715715

Winners’ Directory

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