The Deal Economy New York 2018

Nov. 29, 2018
8:30 am - 5:45 pm

About This Event

The M&A market survived the current volatile environment of global and geopolitical uncertainty in robust health. Cross-border deals and disruptive transactions continued to prevail, as shareholders backed smart and strategic deals and companies continued to search for the technologies and capabilities needed to be competitive. The passing of U.S. tax reform had a profound impact on companies and their M&A strategy, while private equity firms continued to look for the right targets on which to deploy their stockpiled capital.

The Deal Economy conference explored the most effective strategies for deals and transactions, focusing on the opportunities and challenges facing dealmakers in 2019.

Speakers

Bruce Linton
Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, Canopy Growth Corporation

Bruce Linton is the Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, at Canopy Growth Corporation.

Darren Abrahamson
Managing Director, Bain Capital Private Equity
James Batson
Investment Manager, Legal Counsel, Bentham IMF
Rachel Bhattacharya
Director, Corporate Finance, Strategic Initiatives, Investor Relations, General Motors
James J. Cramer
Host, “Mad Money with Jim Cramer” & Co-Anchor, "Squawk on The Street”, CNBC; Founder, TheStreet, Inc.
Alex Darden
President and Head of US Infrastructure, EQT Partners Inc.
Kyle Fox
PE Consultant, H.I.G. Capital
Kal Goldberg
Partner, Finsbury
Angelo Greco
Chief Business Development Officer, CardConnect, a First Data Company
Deepak Gupta
Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, Covanta Energy Corporation
Matthew Greenberg
Partner, Pepper Hamilton
Jelena Guzenko
Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, Siemens
Tal Hacohen
Partner, Orrick
Lori Heinel
Executive Vice President, Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors
Lonne Jaffe
Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners
Quentin Koffey
Portfolio Manager, Strategic Investments, D.E. Shaw & Co.
Ele Klein
Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel
Mary Lehner
Partner, Antitrust, Competition and Trade, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Kai Liekefett
Partner, Chair, Shareholder Activism Practice, Sidley
James Manges
Partner, Head of Consumer, Trilantic Capital Partners
Bob Marese
Managing Director, MacKenzie Partners, Inc.
Stephen Master
Vice President, GTCR
Dianne McKeever
Chief Investment Officer, Ides Capital
Randy Paine
Co-Head, Key Corporate Bank and President, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc.
Kimberly Petillo-Décossard
Partner, Cahill Gordon & Reindel
Omar Pringle
Partner, Corporate and M&A, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Greg Psihas
Head of Corporate Development, Lockheed Martin
Satish Raman
Chief Corporate Development Officer, Fractal Analytics
Raj Ratnakar
Chief Strategy Officer, Fortive
Edward Richards
Vice President, Corporate Business Development, The Lubrizol Corporation (a Berkshire Hathaway Company)
Gino Sabatini
Head of Investments, W. P. Carey Inc.
Eric Schaefer
Managing Director, Eurazeo Capital
Chris Schulitz
Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, Paychex, Inc.
Lex Suvanto
Global Managing Director, Financial Communications & Capital Markets, Edelman
Christina Wojcik
Vice President, Legal Services, Seal Software
Daniel Yunger
Managing Director, Kekst CNC
Eric Ziff
Managing Director, Aon Transaction Solutions

Agenda

8:30am – 9:00am
Registration and Networking Breakfast
9:00am – 9:05am
Opening Remarks
9:05am – 9:50am
State of the Market: Getting Deals Done in a Volatile and Uncertain Environment

Given continued high equity valuations, historically low interest rates and volatility all around, what are the tactics and strategies dealmakers can employ to best structure transactions in the current environment? This panel will address how to weigh the trade-offs involved in using cash, stock and debt to finance deals as well as expectations for cost synergies and top-line and/or market share growth.

Moderator: Kimberly Petillo-Décossard, Partner, Cahill Gordon & Reindel

Panelist: Kyle Fox, PE Consultant, H.I.G. Capital

Panelist: Jelena Guzenko, Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, Siemens

Panelist: Gino Sabatini, Head of Investments, W. P. Carey Inc.

Panelist: Chris Schulitz, Director, Mergers & Acquisitions, Paychex, Inc.

Panelist: Daniel Yunger, Managing Director, Kekst CNC

9:50am – 10:35am
Private Equity Forecast: Exploring Challenges and Opportunities

What are the trends currently prevailing in PE and what does the foreseeable future hold? What are the most promising sectors and segments for PE and the most prevalent means of financing transactions in them? This panel will cover these topics as well as the impact of the macroeconomic and political climate, high equity valuations, volatility and rising interest rates – and how to meet the challenge of doing due diligence in this environment.

Moderator: Omar Pringle, Partner, Corporate and M&A, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Panelist: Darren Abrahamson, Managing Director, Bain Capital Private Equity

Panelist: Alex Darden, President and Head of US Infrastructure, EQT Partners Inc.

Panelist: James Manges, Partner, Head of Consumer, Trilantic Capital Partners

Panelist: Stephen Master, Vice President, GTCR

Panelist: Eric Schaefer, Managing Director, Eurazeo Capital

10:35am – 10:55am
Networking Break
10:55am – 11:40am
The Evolution of Shareholder Activism: New Strategies and Tactics

As Activism becomes more commonplace, new trends and tactics have emerged. This panel will examine some of the most interesting: dissident campaigns, including a surge in withhold-vote campaigns, proxy fights coupled with hostile bids and activists’ hiring of multiple proxy solicitors to target retail and institutional investors separately. What are the challenges facing corporate management when targeted by multiple activists with different investment objectives and horizons?

Moderator: Ele Klein, Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel

Panelist: Kal Goldberg, Partner, Finsbury

Panelist: Quentin Koffey, Portfolio Manager, Strategic Investments, D.E. Shaw & Co.

Panelist: Kai Liekefett, Partner, Chair, Shareholder Activism Practice, Sidley

Panelist: Bob Marese, Managing Director, MacKenzie Partners, Inc.

Panelist: Dianne McKeever, Chief Investment Officer, Ides Capital

11:40am – 12:20pm
Cannabis and Consumer Products: Keynote Interview with Bruce Linton, Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, Canopy Growth Corporation

Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC) was the first cannabis producing company in North America to be listed on both the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange, and included in a major stock index. To date, the company has enjoyed market support for capital raises of over $6 billion including a $5 billion investment by Fortune 500 beverage company, Constellation Brands. Amid the push to legalization in the U.S., big deals continue to happen in the space. Jim Cramer talks with Mr. Linton about why the industry is so hot and where it’s headed next.

Interviewer: James J. Cramer, Host, “Mad Money with Jim Cramer” & Co-Anchor, “Squawk on The Street”, CNBC; Founder, TheStreet, Inc.

Speaker: Bruce Linton, Founder, Chairman and Co-CEO, Canopy Growth Corporation

12:25pm – 1:45pm
Luncheon & Special Keynote Address: Jim Cramer’s Business Outlook for 2019

Speaker: James J. Cramer, Host, “Mad Money with Jim Cramer” & Co-Anchor, “Squawk on The Street”, CNBC; Founder, TheStreet, Inc.

1:45pm – 2:35pm
Innovation, Disruption and Integration in Corporate Dealmaking

Recent effective, innovative and disruptive deals, and what made them so successful, offer important lessons for corporate dealmakers. What are the most promising opportunities and biggest challenges facing dealmakers going forward? How are corporate acquirors seeing value in their increased use of representations and warranties insurance? Panelists also examine the role that integration plays in these calculations, and what forecasting techniques can best ensure that projections are realistic.

Moderator: Steve Gelsi, Senior Reporter, The Deal

Panelist: James Batson, Investment Manager, Legal Counsel, Bentham IMF

Panelist: Rachel Bhattacharya, Director, Corporate Finance, Strategic Initiatives, Investor Relations, General Motors

Panelist: Matthew Greenberg, Partner, Pepper Hamilton

Panelist: Edward Richards, Vice President, Corporate Business Development, The Lubrizol Corporation (a Berkshire Hathaway Company)

Panelist: Eric Ziff, Managing Director, Aon Transaction Solutions

2:35pm – 3:20pm
Cut Through the Red Tape: Deal Certainty, Antitrust Risk, and Foreign Investment Roadblocks in the Current Environment

Shifts in antitrust and foreign investment policies continue to have numerous implications for the market. Dealmakers must understand the climate—the opportunities and risks. What should we make of the attack on AT&T-Time Warner? Do all Chinese buyers face roadblocks at CFIUS? What steps can dealmakers take to effectively understand all of the various risks involved in any international deal, and how can they reduce the regulatory uncertainties associated with cross-border transactions?

Moderator: Mary Lehner, Partner, Antitrust, Competition and Trade, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Panelist: Deepak Gupta, Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions, Covanta Energy Corporation

Panelist: Greg Psihas, Head of Corporate Development, Lockheed Martin

Panelist: Satish Raman, Chief Corporate Development Officer, Fractal Analytics

Panelist: Raj Ratnakar, Chief Strategy Officer, Fortive

3:20pm – 4:05pm
M&A and FinTech: Extension, Not Disruption

The financial services industry has embraced fintech as an object lesson in how to avoid disruption. Rather than attempt to fend off technology as a competitive threat, the industry has used M&A to refresh and expand its existing business through bolt-on deals that add new technology to their retail, commercial and investment banking systems. This panel will delve into this case study in how the “if-you-can’t-beat-em-join-em” approach can extend the life of an otherwise creaky business model.

Moderator: Chris Nolter, Senior Writer, The Deal

Panelist: Angelo Greco, Chief Business Development Officer, CardConnect, a First Data Company

Panelist: Tal Hacohen, Partner, Orrick

Panelist: Lonne Jaffe, Managing Director, Insight Venture Partners

Panelist: Randy Paine, Co-head, Key Corporate Bank and President, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Inc.

Panelist: Christina Wojcik, Vice President, Legal Services, Seal Software

4:05pm – 4:40pm
Closing Keynote Interview with Lori Heinel, Executive Vice President, Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors

State Street is the third-largest asset manager in the world, responsible for around $2.8 trillion in assets. Lori Heinel, Executive Vice President, Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer will give her perspective of how a large, long-term investor with both active and index-based strategies, views activist investors, and discuss the important balance between public and private markets.

Interviewer: Lex Suvanto, Global Managing Director, Financial Communications & Capital Markets, Edelman

Speaker: Lori Heinel, Executive Vice President, Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer, State Street Global Advisors

4:40pm – 4:45pm
Closing Remarks
4:45pm – 5:45pm
Cocktail Reception

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