International M&A network completes 110 deals in 2018
Pandea Global M&A – the international network of advisory firms founded by Daresbury-based Dow Schofield Watts – completed 110 transactions with a combined value of more than €1.6bn in 2018.
The network, which has members in 15 countries, was most active in the business support services sector, which accounted for 25% of the completed deals, followed by consumer and retail (15%), construction and engineering (13%) and technology (12%).
Notable cross-border deals included the sale of UK-based specialist flooring supplier Kemtile to US-listed engineering giant RPM International, and the sale of Irish alarm manufacturer HKC to Swedish group Assa Abloy.
The network, which recently rebranded to Pandea, was established in 2017 and initially brought together partners in the UK, US, Australia, Canada, France, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden and Ireland, representing more than 60 office locations between them.
Last year saw Pandea grow to 16 member firms, with Sancovia (Germany), Zaxo (Brazil) and JR Laddha Financial Services (India) all joining the network.
James Dow, of Dow Schofield Watts, said: “2018 has been another excellent year for the network. We look forward to welcoming new members to Pandea this year to further broaden the network’s coverage in Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa and South America.”
Manoj Laddha, of JR Laddha Financial Services, one of the new members, said: “We believe there was no better time to team up with a network of like-minded corporate finance specialists and we were particularly impressed by Pandea’s offering.
“The Indian economy has been at the centre stage of the world’s attention for the last few years and 2018 was a record-breaking year for deal activity.
“India’s consumer story will be shaped by its 440 million Millennials and 390 million Generation Z. The sheer size of India’s youth combined with improved education pave the way for sustained growth in purchasing power and makes India’s consumer story one of the world’s most compelling for the next 20 years.”
Pandea member firms met twice last year, in Paris and Lisbon, for the network’s biannual conference to exchange views on real-world deal issues, market trends and opportunities in global markets, with the next meeting scheduled for May in Milan.
Pandea is a global network of selected independent firms with a primary focus on creating and executing cross border M&A transactions to add significant value to its members’ clients, such as providing enhanced and cohesive access to a larger pool of international acquisition targets, local market expertise and overseas buyer pools.
