M&A Methods | Interview with Associate General Counsel, Commercial & Strategic Transactions at LyondellBasell

Interview with Associate General Counsel, Commercial & Strategic Transactions at LyondellBasell
By Andrew Gratz, Esq. & William Jefferson Black

In this interview Publisher William Jefferson Black sits down with Andrew Gratz, Associate General Counsel at LyondellBasell, who manages the legal team that supports the multinational public-company's acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic transactions globally. 

LyondellBasell was formed through a merger in late 2007, followed by a 15-month chapter 11 restructuring.  Today the company has a $30B+ market cap and a position as one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world.

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Eight strategies for improving the performance of turnaround acquisitions

Lessons from eight successful M&A turnarounds
By Mr. Ib Löfgrén & Mr. Lars Fæste & Mr. Tuukka Seppä & Ms. Niamh Dawson & Mr. Daniel Friedman & Mr. Rüdiger Wolf

M&A is a tough business, especially when an acquisition target requires a turnaround to reach profitability.

Around 40% of M&A deals require some type of turnaround, whether because of minor problems or other crises, by the buyer to improve the underlying value of the target company. This study analyzes large deals where...

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Understanding recent SEC proxy developments impact on M&A

SEC Proxy Developments in 2018
By Jeffrey Karpf, Esq. & Jasmine Johnson, Esq.

In 2018, the SEC continued to take small steps towards refining the shareholder proposal and proxy processes, although the guidance remains a bit muddled and imprecise.

In addition to publishing Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14J (“SLB 14J”) and two new Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations (“C&DIs”) regarding Notices of Exempt Solicitation, the SEC also hosted a proxy roundtable featuring a variety of viewpoints this past fall.

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Improving board involvement in M&A at each phase of the deal process | M&A Conference at Wharton San Francisco

By Brian T. Mangino, Esq. & Mr. Steve Rust & Alan Konevsky, Esq. & Ray Veldman, Esq.

M&A deals necessitate the involvement of both sides’ board of directors. However, effectively engaging and communicating with each board can be a difficult task to navigate.

Faculty member Brian Mangino, Esq., Partner at Fried Frank distilled board engagement into four major phases and then guided the discussion through each phase...

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Using portfolio reviews to inform the M&A strategy | M&A Conference at Wharton San Francisco

By Mr. Clark O'Niell & Mr. Sanjay Kacholiya & Mr. Charlie Rice

This discussion looked at methods for reviewing financial performance and strategic operational value from past acquisitions to model optimal buy-side transactions and guide the deal sourcing process.

Clark O’Niell, Managing Director in the EY-Parthenon practice of Ernst & Young LLP, began the conversation asking the participants how they use data analytics, especially from their own portfolios, as part of...

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