Episode 8 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with Vitoria Okuyama, who went from playing professional tennis, and being ranked 118th in the world, to working as an Investment Banking Analyst at Citi.

After 3 months of consecutive 4am finishes, Vitoria experienced burnout which eventually led to her leaving Wall Street.

In this episode we talk about burnout; how it manifests itself, how to recognise it, and also potential solutions to the problem.

Episode 7 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with Tom Lindsay, CEO of Spayne Lindsay. Tom co-founded the firm, a Consumer focused M&A boutique, in 2004 alongside his business partner, John Spayne. Prior to setting up the firm they had both been Consumer bankers at Lehman Brothers.

We covered a variety of topics including:

• The differences between the Investment Banking business model in Europe and the US.
• How to set up an M&A boutique for succession.
• Why Private Equity is less active in the consumer market today.

Episode 6 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with James West, Managing Director at Bourne Partners and former Managing Director at Lincoln International. James has worked in Investment Banking for 15 years after completing a degree in Pharmacy. He specialises in advising clients in the Life Sciences and Pharma Services industry.

We covered a variety of topics including:

- The secret to a successful pitch.
- What is it like working in New York compared to London.
- What is happening in the Pharma Services industry.
- Tips to successfully run 16.5 marathons!

Episode 5 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with Yusuf Subzposh, Vice President of Arcesium, a hedge fund backed FinTech. Prior to joining his latest role in Corporate Development, he worked at various Investment Banks including Jefferies, Pharus and Nomura.

We covered a variety of topics including:

- How does PE and Corporate Development compare to Investment Banking?

- Will AI replace Investment Banking Analysts?

- Does Dubai live up to the hype?

- The most common mistakes made during technical interviews

We hope you enjoy the episode!

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 4 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with Michel Lowy, co-founder of SC Lowy, a $1.3bn Hong Kong based Private Credit fund.

We covered a variety of topics including:

• Why M&A and IPO market slowdowns are fuelling private credit deals?
• How he set up his own credit fund and the challenges he faced.
• Investor mindset. What is it and what does good look like?
• The differences between a career in PE and Private Credit.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Episode 3 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with John Farrugia, the co-CEO of Cavendish, the mid-market Investment Bank.

We covered a variety of topics including:

• How to stem the flow of U.K. businesses leaving the country
• What it takes to get to CEO and what a typical week looks like
• Spending to accumulate when it comes to networking
• Why being made redundant isn't the end of the world
• Anecdotes from his deal making journey

We hope you enjoy the episode!

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live!

We sat down with Jan Skarbek, former Head of UK M&A at Citi and now Partner at Europa Partners.

We covered a variety of topics including the current state of the U.K. public markets, how to stand out in the competitive world of advisory, and how to build long-term relationships that result in closing billion dollar deals.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

In episode number 1 of the Merger Talks Podcast, we sat down with Jean-Philippe Verdier, the founder of Verdier & Co. and former Head of French Investment Banking at Jefferies.

We covered a variety of topics including the current state of the market, how AI is being used to transform Investment Banking day to day, and the big question, is there such a thing as work-life balance in Investment Banking...?

We hope you enjoy the episode!