We welcomed M&A directors and senior executives from across our portfolio to our London office for the latest Inflexion M&A Exchange, a half-day event focused on current market conditions, international expansion and practical lessons from successful buy-and-build strategies.
Ed Taylor, Managing Director, Portfolio at Inflexion, opened the event with an update on Inflexion and the portfolio. Travers Smith partners Tom Hartwright, Jaryd Davidson and Ingrid Hodgskiss shared their perspectives on current M&A and legal trends. Ben Meyer, Partner and Head of North America at Inflexion, discussed key lessons from portfolio company acquisitions across North America, as well as Inflexion's own experience building its presence in the region.
We also heard directly from portfolio companies. Hugo St John, Head of M&A at Axiom GRC, and Chris Afors, Head of Strategy at DSS+, shared insights from their M&A journeys, covering everything from sourcing opportunities to integration. Andrew Neville, Partner at Inflexion, closed the session with a discussion on practical AI applications across the M&A lifecycle.
Key takeaways from the day:
- In today's market, creative deal structures are increasingly important in helping buyers and sellers bridge valuation expectations and bring transactions to a successful close
- Regulatory considerations, including merger control and foreign investment approvals, should be assessed early in any cross-border deal process to avoid delays later
- Expanding into the US requires focus, preparation and local expertise. Companies that invest in understanding the market and building the right local network are best positioned to succeed
- The strongest off-market opportunities often come from long-term relationship building rather than short-term outreach, helping companies become the buyer of choice when opportunities arise
- Successful integration starts before a deal completes. Defining the operating model and integration plan during diligence helps ensure value creation opportunities are realised after a deal closes
- AI is increasingly helping M&A teams work more efficiently, from identifying opportunities and screening targets to analysing large volumes of diligence information, allowing teams to focus more time on judgement and decision-making
