Transcript: Investor readiness - Rob Boulding

Transcript

Rob Boulding:

The buyers have changed. The question is whether your equity story has changed with them.

In our latest M&A market outlook, we explore why specialist buyers are increasingly prepared to pay a premium for the businesses they believe are best positioned for the future. We're seeing buyers develop much deeper expertise by sector and sub-sector, alongside a stronger understanding of the global trends and AI evolution are reshaping those markets.

At the same time well, capitalised Corporates are becoming increasingly strategic in their acquisitions, not simply adding scale, but to transform their businesses in response to those trends. This means the bar for attracting capital at a premium has risen.

Strong financial performance is now simply just a starting point. Increasingly, strategic investors want answers to three questions:

1. Why your business?
2. Why now?
3. And why will this business continue to succeed as its market changes.

The strongest businesses that achieve what we refer to as the Concentration Premium - combine strategic clarity, differentiated capabilities, executable value creation, and future relevance.

So the question isn't simply: "What is our business worth?"

It's: "Would today's specialist buyers believe it deserves a premium?"

Because the bar has moved.