The keynote will explore the post pandemic world of Italian deal-making, growth and potential economic recovery.

• Taking stock of the impact of COVID-19 and subsequent pressure on financial markets
• Are on-going geopolitical tensions and trade issues affecting M&A in Italy?
• Reading the signs: What can be expected from the year ahead? Will shareholder activists be triggered by lower valuations?

Italian deal making activity continued to grow in 1H21, reaching €34.9bn in value up from €20.4bn over the same period in 2020 and signalling significant recovery from COVID-19 following supportive monetary policies and a strong vaccination campaign. This positive market sentiment has seen a rise in transactions across all sectors including those more cyclical such as non-food, consumer goods and transportation.

• What are the perspectives and current deal-making in investments and what is the market sentiment for next year?
• How are changes to FDI screening likely to affect cross-border M&A activity?
• Foreign direct investment policy changes and their impact on deal-making: Navigating new rules and regulations, golden power and the increase of red tape
• The impact of COVID-19 on pricing and valuations: potential economic recovery?
• What are the sectors that look likely to emerge strongest from the pandemic? Trends for 2022

Sustainability has climbed higher on the agendas of not only boards and management but also consumers, employees, and regulators, creating a sharpened focus on the importance of considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) M&A. Increasingly it is seen as a question of value-generating business development rather than merely risk mitigation. This has come sharply into focus in the energy sector, as investors look to increase their exposure to renewable energy and related industries to improve their ESG credentials.

• The importance of ESG on deal-making and enterprise value creation: what matters?
• The impact of ESG-driven shareholder activism activity in Italy
• How to integrate ESG into your deal practices
• ESG impact on ratings and reputation
• Lack of standardisation and reporting standards and their impact on effective disclosures

Digital transformation is not a new trend, the continued growth of new technologies has been dubbed the fourth industrial revolution. But in many industries, the adoption of these technologies remained relatively low, until the pandemic drove companies to adapt their footprint to futureproof their strategy. With both corporates and sponsors looking to invest in innovation, digital enabled businesses across all sectors could prove ripe targets for acquisition.

• Exploring the sectors and sub-sectors that have shown resilience throughout the crisis and are likely to continue to see growth
• Focus on the retail and consumers’ sectors
• A practical overview of how understanding and overcoming risks related to digitalisation help build resilience
• Impact of digital transformation on family-owned businesses – how COVID and its consequences have helped speeding up the trend towards change

A Head of M&A will discuss how their daily routine from corporate strategy, deal origination, execution, and integration has been impacted by COVID-19 and what trends are here to stay

The last 2 years have been challenging and have caused many companies to reconsider their portfolio strategies, both with a shorter-term focus on generating liquidity but also on refocusing to ensure they are prepared for future market disruptions. Divesting non-core businesses can help to rebalance and potentially fuel growth.

• Enabling strategic portfolio management and better divestments
• Expected rise in corporate divestitures
• Exploring the benefits and challenges of different strategies including spin-offs, carve outs and public IPOs
• Planning for future market disruptions by developing a robust portfolio strategy

Private equity firms remain a key driver of European M&A, buoyed by a healthy financing market, and extensive amount of dry-powder available to deploy. A panel of private equity veterans will explore the lasting consequences of the impact of COVID-19 on fundraising, buyout and exit trends in the region. They will also debate hypothetical investment opportunities to explore the various approaches to the deal process, value creation strategies as well as sector views.

• What type of strategies is Private Equity considering? Are new business models emerging?
• Is the current trend in de-listing providing more deal sourcing opportunities for private equity?
• Alternative solutions and private equity structure - unique structuring on deals
• Club Deals, Search Funds and Pledge Funds: are these the current investment focus for private equity?
• Build and buy platforms
• How can private equity get involved in permanent capital solutions?
• What has been the most fruitful exit path where SPACS played a role?