Mergermarket Portugal M&A Briefing
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08:30
Registration and breakfast
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09:00
Chair’s welcome remarks
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09:05
Panel: M&A outlook in Portugal – surprising resilience and new capabilities
While the Portuguese M&A market has been severely affected by the pandemic, there were high-value deals in specific sectors. The Portuguese pipeline is being driven by energy, infrastructures, technology, hospitality-leisure, healthcare and retail. Panelists in this session will discuss assess how transactional activity has evolved because of the coronavirus pandemic and consider the key aspects of the new deal landscape. We'll share experiences on new and enhanced requirements for a successful deal, including a rebalancing of the risks and dealing with a higher scrutiny, rise in high-risk, high-reward opportunities and sectors that may see increased investment in 2022.
Panelists will discuss:
An overview of the development of the Portuguese M&A market
What lessons were learned from 2020? What best practices will practitioners take forward?
Drivers for divesting noncore assets
How investors can better position themselves in competitive processes
What will be the trends for last quarter of 2021 and beyond?
Alexandre Matos CFO, AlticeManuel Bentosinos Sales Director -Spain and Portugal, Datasite -
09:45
Morning refreshments and networking break
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10:15
Fireside chat: Reshaping the energy landscape
- Capital raising and funding strategies for growth.
- How is the race to decarbonization affecting M&A activity and what opportunities lie ahead.
- Pricing deals in the current environment.
- Emerging trends in Energy M&A deals
João Manso Neto CEO, Greenvolt -
10:45
Panel: Private Equity insights
Private equity market activity in Portugal was supported by ever-larger deals, but a reduction in volume. There is significant amount of dry powder in the private equity sector, which will lead to more deals, and it has elevated investors ESG enthusiasm.
The panellists will discuss the key drivers of deal flow in Portuguese private equity and what the drivers are for exit.
What were the key-drivers for M&A activity - scale M&A and consolidation or access to new capabilities?
What type of deals are private equity firms considering for 2021 and beyond?
How are investors incorporating ESG factors into the investment decision making process?
What are the factors to consider for a successful buyout?
Which sectors have the most potential for increased deal flow?
Miguel Lancastre Partner, Atena Equity Partners -
11:25
End of conference
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Maria João Ricou is the managing partner of Cuatrecasas in Portugal. She is a member of the firm’s executive board and head of the Banking & Finance and Capital Markets practice.
With extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the banking, finance and capital markets sectors, Maria João has focused her practice mainly on banking operations, regulatory matters, debt restructurings, structured finance (particularly securitization structures), corporate finance and all kinds of equity and debt capital markets transactions.
Recommended by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal 500 EMEA, IFLR1000, Best Lawyers (Banking & Finance, Capital Markets and Financial Institutions). In 2019 Iberian Lawyer included Maria João Ricou in its InspiraLAw list of top 50 women in the legal sector and is considered a lead partner in the European Banking & Finance Deal of the Year 2017 by The Lawyer.

Marsh & Mercer CEO, Country Corporate Officer Marsh McLennan Portugal
With more than 20 years of experience in the Financial Industry, Rodrigo developed much of his professional career at Novo Banco, former Banco Espírito Santo, where he took various responsibility roles in Portugal, United Kingdom, Switzerland and, since 2006, in Spain, where he was member of the Executive Committee and held the position of General Manager –Corporate Banking.
In 2015, Rodrigo joined Marsh, where he is Country Manager of Marsh Portugal, and Member of Marsh Iberian Committee.
Since April 2021 is also the CEO for Mercer Portugal.
Graduate in Business Administration, by Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Several Programs of Directive Development, conducted in Spain (IESE Business School), as well as in France (Insead Business School –Fontaineblau).

Fernando van Zeller, Head of Mergers & Acquisitions at Sonae, has spent its entire career in corporate finance. Prior to Sonae, he worked in the investment banking divisions of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley in New York, focusing on M&A transactions in the industrials and financial services sectors. In 2017, he joined Sonae group and, since then, he has been leading the acquisitions, disposals, mergers and equity capital market transactions of the group.
Fernando has a bachelor degree in Business Administration (Universidade Católica Portuguesa) and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business.

Luis Almeida is currently heading the Strategy and Marketing team that includes M&A. He joined Logoplaste in 2008 and has served in a wide variety of roles namely in business development and as CFO Logoplaste Group from 2016 to 2021. Luis started his career in Investment banking in London with UBS and Goldman Sachs.
Francisco Santos Costa is a partner with extensive experience of advising clients on cross-border M&A deals (leveraged and non-leveraged) and corporate restructuring mandates, as well as project development throughout the entire life cycle in all core areas of the energy and infrastructure sectors, including motorways, hospitals, energy, oil and gas and renewables.
He is well versed in all aspects of M&A involving energy and infrastructure assets, including private acquisitions and disposals, due diligence and general advice in the negotiation of energy, procurement and construction agreements (turnkey contracts), as well as public and private power purchase agreements. Francisco has recently been involved in major M&A transactions in the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors.
Recommended by Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, Legal500 EMEA, IFLR1000 and Best Lawyers (Corporate and M&A and Corporate Governance & Compliance Practice).

Graduated from Universidade Católica Portuguesa with a degree in Management and a Master’s in Television Management from Boston University School of Communication. He started his professional career at Banco de Investimentos ESSI in 1990. He joined the Impresa group in 1992 and became part of the administration in 2008.
In 2012 he assumed the group’s executive presidency - a role he held until 2016.
He has been a non-executive member of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Board since 2017 and CEO of Finerge since 2018.

Mariana Norton is head of the Corporate/ M&APractice in Cuatrecasas in Portugal. She has been a partner of the firms corporate M&A group since 2010. She worked at the Madrid office from 2004to 2017 and is currently based in the Lisbon office, where she started her career in 1998
Her practice both in Portuguese and Spanish law is focused on cross border M&A, joint ventures, private equity transactions and restructurings with extensive experience in renewable energies and infrastructures, advising sponsors, developers and financing entities on creating joint ventures, and acquiring, selling and developing projects.
She regularly acts for private equity investors on their investments and divestments, and represents strategic investors in connection with cross border acquisitions and sales of privately owned companies and assets. She has recently completed a number of major transactions in the infrastructures, energy, retail, real estate and financial industry sectors in Spain and Portugal.
On an international level, she has extensive experience in advising M&A transactions of multinational companies in Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Recommended by several directories including Legal 500 in Corporate M&A and Private Equity. In 2013, Mariana Norton received the '40 under 40' award, granted by Iberian Lawyer to the top 40 lawyers under 40 years of age on the Iberian Peninsula. In 2015, she was distinguished by Expansión as one of the most active M&A lawyers by a number of deals in Spain. In 2017, the prestigious publication Iberian Lawyer included Mariana Norton in its InspiraLAw list of top 50 women in the legal sector.

Before joining Tresmares Financial Products, he worked for more than 17 years in investment banking in Nomura, UBS and JPMorgan. In aggregate, he closed over 50 transactions in M&A, financing and capital markets with a total combined value in excess of €100bn
Borja holds a degree in Law and Business Administration and Management from the Comillas Pontifical University, ICADE

Pedro Godinho Ramos (London) joined KKR in 2020 and is a member of the Global Impact team. He has played a significant role in the firm’s investments in MasterD, Medac, Citation and CMC. Previously, Mr. Godinho Ramos worked at Bluegem Capital Partners, Generation Investment Management, Bain Capital and The Boston Consulting Group. He holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD, an MSc. in Business Analytics from Warwick Business School and a BSc. in Economics from Nova SBE.