AICA EMEA Regional Meeting

Friday November 10, 2023

Collaboration, Communication and Creating the next generation of rainmakers

The latest AICA EMEA regional meeting kicked-off on Thursday 2 November with 60 corporate finance professionals from across our network coming together at the prestigious Sea Containers hotel on the South Bank in London, for a two-day conference focused on cross border M&A and member collaboration.

Presentations began with a warm welcome from AICA Chairman and FRP Corporate Finance Partner Simon Davies, who introduced a full agenda for the day comprising external speakers from European PE houses, family offices and acquisitive companies.

This also included speakers from across FRP outlining complementary services and sector specialists, including Victoria Kisseleva who presented on the European trends in the health, beauty and wellness sector – exploring the latest trends in AI, personalisation and sustainability.*

Break-out sessions in the afternoon focused on live deal opportunities and expanding cross border connections to widen buyer pools, and discussions around the challenges we are all facing with high inflation environments, and the continuing backdrop of conflict across Europe.

Day one concluded with a networking dinner in the Tower of London with a private viewing of the crown jewels – a highlight for all attendees.

Team development and the future of the network was a key focus for day two, with presentations on advancing the next generation of rainmakers and best practices in business development. This was followed by a lively discussion and planning session on the future strategy of the network including potential new territories, support services and developments to support deeper and more regular member communication.

The network will next meet at the Global Conference in Bangkok in May 2024.

Simon Davies, AICA Chairman and Partner at FRP Corporate Finance, said: “This year’s AICA conference comes at a time when we’re seeing continued international appetite for M&A – a trend that has been particularly prevalent across our deals for the past year or so. This is leading to a continuation of strong international transactions, partly driven by an increase in activity from European investors.

FRP Corporate Finance were delighted to be able to host this year’s conference and facilitate the discussions.”

*Read the latest article from Victoria on the investment boom in the beauty and wellness industry. Read More