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Sustainability has shifted from a “nice to have” and “regulatory must have” to a driver for business performance. What are the current trends and how might businesses think about sustainability in five years’ time? In this “Inside Corporates Podcast episode” we welcome Roberto Micelli, Partner at Deloitte Switzerland. Roberto focuses on helping clients achieve deal value expectations through M&A and transformation, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. He will share his views if companies are doing enough and the right things to drive sustainability and how M&A can act as a gamechanger on this transformation journey.

M&A | Sustainability | Transformation | ClimateChange | ESG | Strategy

Guest: Roberto Micelli, Partner Financial Advisory, Deloitte SwitzerlandHost: Karin Hodson, Partner Financial Advisory, Deloitte Switzerland

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Speaker: Professor Dr. Klaus Wellershoff

Moderator: Indrek Luuk

Topics discussed:

• How do structural changes impact inflation and what can we expect going forward?
• What are the elements that need to go right to see a positive real interest rate?
• Why does the equity market not correctly price macroeconomic risks and opportunities?

Inflation and changes in the macroeconomic environment continue to impact the landscape of M&A deals. What can we expect in 2023 and what are the key trends ahead? In this episode we have invited Prof. Dr. Klaus Wellershoff to discuss inflation, where its heading and why we need to fight it. He also talks about interest rate expectations and their practical implications on M&A.

“If you want to quench inflation out of the system, you need to have positive real interest rates and not only just a little, but real 100 basis points, 200 basis points of positive real interest rates. Otherwise, monetary policy is just not effective.”

M&A | Inflation | Interest rates | Macroeconomics | Recession | Economist

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Speaker: Arun Tharmarajah, Head of European Banking at Wise

Host: Matt Lock

Topics discussed:

• What were the biggest barriers Wise faced when the company was founded?
• What type of strategic partnerships is Wise entering and what are potential issues?
• Where are the biggest disruptions and changes expected over the next 5-10 years?

The young FinTech Wise, also formerly known as TransferWise was founded in 2011 and has grown to a serious market player with a global footprint. The mission of Wise is to enable cross-border money transfers and avoid expensive and nontransparent processes. In this podcast we get insights into the mission of Wise, it’s future plans and its collaborations with European banks.

"We want to make the world truly borderless. We want spending money to be as easy as sending an email all over the world."

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Speaker: Vanessa Gentile, Alliance & Channel Lead at Salesforce Switzerland

Moderator: Matt Lock

Topics discussed:

• What makes Salesforce so successful?
• What are the top 3 considerations when entering strategic partnerships or looking for alliances?
• Salesforce has launched a few products to help companies navigate the pandemic. But what are these?

Salesforce just marked the 22nd anniversary in March and since the founding in 1999 has developed into one of the most successful CRMs worldwide. In this podcast we want to understand what made Salesforce so successful, but also what criteria is important to the firm when entering into strategic partnerships or alliances. Additionally, on a personal note our speaker Vanessa reveals a very helpful and innovative way of keeping kids busy with only a dice while working from home.

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We don't see each other anymore and trust is getting more and more important to empower relationships in general. If they know you care about them, you trust them, then you have achieved a strong relationship with your partners, with your community, and also with your customers and your internal stakeholders.

M&A #StrategicPartnerships #StrategicAlliances #Trust #BringWomenBacktoWork #BWBTW #WorkingfromHome

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Speaker: Daniel Schmucki, CFO at SIX Group

Host: Matt Lock

Topics discussed:

• Given that trust is important in order to enter into a strategic partnership, but how much harder is it to build trusted partnerships in our virtual world?
• “You should always do your homework before you start a partnership”. What are the activities that are most important here?
• What are the top 3 tips that need to be considered when entering into a strategic partnership?

We have all been experiencing the impact of lockdowns, and we see that there is an emerging interest in exploring new ways of collaborating. In this podcast we cover the topic of strategic partnerships, what to consider when entering into strategic partnerships and how SIX in Switzerland is dealing with the topic. SIX operates the infrastructure for the financial centers in Switzerland and Spain and ensures the flow of information and money between financial market players. One of the successful products of SIX is TWINT, which is covered in this podcast as well.

“Partnerships can be considered as successful when they achieve at least one of the following goals. First, access to new customers and markets. Secondly, the improvement of capabilities and or resources. And third, the reduction of financial and operational risk.”

M&A #StrategicPartnerships #SIX #TWINT #BusinessStrategy

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• What impact did the pandemic have on business valuations and what challenges are noticeable now?
• In which areas will corporates and private equities adjust their strategic priorities after the pandemic?
• Are companies conducting due diligence differently today?

COVID-19 has felt like a rollercoaster and despite uncertainties the market is experiencing accelerations of M&A opportunities for corporates and private equity in certain sectors. This podcast explores the emerging trends from the current environment, explores where the pandemic has accelerated the M&A business and explains how M&A activity may develop in 2021.

Roberto Micelli, Partner M&A, Deloitte AG: "We observe that a significant number of corporate sellers are open to negotiate lower prices if the sales process is quick, smooth and "clean". This is quite new. COVID-19 has accelerated that trend and this increases opportunities for buyers, especially for private equity buyers."

M&A  #Valuations #BusinessStrategy #DueDiligence #Stockmarkets #Accelerators #Integration #Separation

Speaker: Roberto Micelli, Partner M&A, Deloitte AG

Host: Matt Lock

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Navigating a company in times of crisis is a challenge, however phases like these demand to focus on what is really important in business as well as private life. This episode shares insights from Deloitte’s CEO in Switzerland, his leadership approach during COVID-19 and the top tips for CEOs when leading in times of crises.

• Did the pandemic change Deloitte Switzerland’s strategy?
• How relevant is the sustainability topic to Deloitte and how does Deloitte live the topic internally?
• Where will corporates be spending their time in the coming months and years and are there any top tips to share with fellow leaders?

Reto Savoia: "Authenticity is key. Try to find your own authentic leadership style. Particularly in times of crises, we need to build trust and credibility with our people and foster an open, honest and transparent communication."

Speaker: Reto Savoia, CEO Deloitte Switzerland

Moderator: Matt Lock

Social responsibility #Resilience #Digital transformation #CEO #Purpose-led strategy #Authentic leadership

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Speaker: Amandine Favier (Head Sustainable Finance at WWF Switzerland)

Moderator: Matt Lock

• What is “Sustainable Finance” and how can it help the wider organisation?
• When will ESG become comparable amongst countries, as there is no agreed definition yet?
• How did COVID-19 impact the ESG goals so far?

Future finance functions and their capital allocation decisions have a critical role to play when it comes to sustainability. In this episode we discuss what environmental and social risk management means and how financial institutions can integrate key environmental issues (e.g. fighting bio-diversity loss or climate change) into their strategic decisions. 

"What kind of future do we want in 20 years time? We want our future to be a climate safe world with a “net zero emission” - means that there is more emission that is being absorbed from the atmosphere than emitted in the atmosphere.”

SustainableFinance #ESG #Biodiversity loss #Climatechange #CapitalAllocation

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Fraudulent behavioural patterns change in times of a crisis. After the financial crisis in 2008, observable levels of fraud had increased by more than 70 percent. In this episode we are exploring if we can expect something similar, given the nature of the current crisis and specifically what types of fraud corporates are exposed to.

• How do fraudulent behavioural patterns change in times of a crisis?
• What are the top tips for corporates in order to reduce the impact of fraud?
• What are the regulatory expectations from authorities in regards to the current crisis and pandemic?

"It's important to say that colleagues must remember that fraud does not disappear. Fraud simply migrates and that's what we're seeing with the COVID-19 crisis. For the world, it's a pandemic. But for the fraudsters, it's simply an opportunity to migrate their tactics."

Three levels of fraud |Financial misstatement | Consumer fraud| Misuse of governmental support | Association of Corporate Investigators | Segregation of roles and responsibilities

Speaker: Steve Young (CEO of the Association of the Corporate Investigators; Head of Fraud and Investigation at Lombard Odier)

Moderator: Matt Lock

For more information, visit our website: https://www2.deloitte.com/ch/en/pages/mergers-and-acquisitions/articles/inside-corporates-podcast.html

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• How do companies motivate their employees in this new normal?
• What needs to happen in an organisation for people to feel safe, engaged, informed, and useful?
• What are the positives and negatives of working in this new environment?

Leadership is key in current unprecedented time. No business as usual can seamlessly be continued if employees check out and do not feel supported by their organisations. Without positive-minded and still motivated employees, business as usual in not feasible. Find out how to best motivate your employees and to keep the spirit.

“So before we were talking sceptically about working from home, are you really working when you have a home office or are you just doing your laundry and painting your nails? That conversation is hopefully going to become obsolete.”

HR | Chief People Officer | Motivation | Trust | Working from home

Speaker: Liza Engel (Chief People Officer for Deloitte Switzerland and member of the Executive team)

Moderator: Matt Lock

For more information, visit our website: https://www2.deloitte.com/ch/en/pages/mergers-and-acquisitions/articles/inside-corporates-podcast.html

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Speaker: Igor Heinzer (Head of Valuation Services, Director, Deloitte Switzerland)

Moderator: Matt Lock 

• How and where should corporates allocate capital most effectively?
• How is the current situation affecting decisions that businesses are making?
• What's keeping CFOs and CEOs awake at night?

For businesses aiming to succeed after the pandemic, explore the pitfalls, like focus on short-term cost savings, and listen in to hear options for sustainable long-term capital allocation.

“I believe that the pandemic will maybe force companies to be more disciplined around capital allocation. What does that mean? It means that boards and senior management are going to ask some very tough questions around future investments and where to place the next dollar. I think that now there will be a period of self-reflection.”

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• Will the M&A market this year be in the same way as in previous years?
• What will happen in 2020 to already-planned transactions?
• Has M&A activity been put on hold for now?

2018 saw the biggest increase in mid-market M&A activity in Switzerland. This was followed in 2019 by a reasonable volume of transactions, but activity has now been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out the views of our experts about future trends.

“Many of the M&As that we've seen over the past few years have gained market share by making use of technology. If you think about the retail sector, for example, or even the banking sector, successful M&As become much more digitalised than their competitors, and they are going to be the winners of the future.”

Mergers & Acquisitions | Mid-Cap Study | EBITDA multiples | Swiss Small & Mid-sized companies

Speaker: Jean-Francois Lagasse (Lead Financial Services and Managing Partner, Deloitte Switzerland)

Moderator: Matt Lock

For more information, visit our websites:

• Study: Deloitte 2020 survey on M&A activity in the Swiss SME sector
• Podcast Website: Connecting the dots with the “Inside Corporates Podcast”

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• What are the impacts and consequences for corporates?
• Are the authorities supporting the "right" businesses?
• How will the corporate landscape change?

The potential consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for corporates are discussed here with our experts. Tune in to hear where we can try, on an individual level, to benefit while being stuck in “lock down” mode.

“We in the West largely ignored SARS unless we were exporting to Asia. We certainly ignored the Middle Eastern version MERS. Now we've got one that has affected all of us. Hey, what a surprise! We've all woken up.”

Impact on businesses | Bank provisions | Loan schemes | Zoom | Opera

Speaker: Haig Simonian (Former Financial Times and The Economist Journalist; Upcoming CNN Money Switzerland Moderator)

Moderator: Matt Lock

For more information, visit our website: https://www2.deloitte.com/ch/en/pages/mergers-and-acquisitions/articles/inside-corporates-podcast.html

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We're living in unprecedented times, from takeovers to risk management. The Podcast Inside Corporates brings you the big business and financial stories of the moment with leading thinkers from all around the world.