The Archive (2020-2023)

In our third and final podcast in our Autumn series of M&A Perspective, David Watkins, Alex Dustan and Kerry O’Connell explore trends behind the headline M&A statistics in Europe and look at how companies are navigating increased regulation in order to get deals done.

In the second podcast of our M&A Perspective Autumn series. David Watkins, a corporate partner at Slaughter and May join Laura Turano and Krishna Veeraraghavan at Paul Weiss to discuss the record deal activity in the US, the drivers behind the growth, and also share their views on recent changes at the DOJ and FTC and the subsequent impact on competition law. 

In the Autumn series of M&A Perspective, we take an in depth look at some of the key trends influencing M&A across three regions. In the first of the series, David Watkins, Natalie Yeung and Chris McGaffin examine differences and similarities in deal activity across Asia. They discuss geopolitical pressure, pivotal shifts in Chinese policy and then take a broader view of deal activity and dynamics in South East Asia.

As employers put into place their return to office strategy, leases are now being reviewed with an ‘ESG’ lens. In this podcast, our Real Estate team discusses the increasing importance of ESG considerations for corporate occupiers. Graham Rounce, Samantha Brady, Mark Gulliford and Ben Redding share some insight on what we are seeing from clients in this space and answer questions on government-led initiatives to improve the sustainability of workplaces and corporate HQ’s, while also touching on the importance of lenders in this process. Listen to the full podcast below.

In this podcast, our lawyers give some practical pointers on what businesses can do to build operational resilience and be prepared for future challenging periods.

The pandemic affected large swathes of the economy, but with temporary COVID-related restrictions easing and vaccination programme bedded down, the economy is open for business. However, businesses are facing a number of headwinds, including supply chain disruption, raw material price increases, gas price increases and labour shortages. With the backdrop of government support starting to wind down and temporary protections being withdrawn, in this podcast, Ian Johnson, Andrew Jolly and Megan Sparber discuss how businesses facing a possible restructuring can prepare for all eventualities in order to achieve the best outcome.

Climate change and sustainability currently has a strong focus not only within ESG circles but also in the broader business and investment community. As part of our 'Path to COP26' series, this podcast features partners Harry Hecht, Jan Putnis and Lisa Wright in conversation about how in-house lawyers can join the conversation on climate change, covering topics such as TCFD disclosures, climate reporting and sustainability standards and what challenges and opportunities they expect to come in light of COP26. 

An increasing number of companies and treasury teams have been considering issuing green and ESG bonds. Earlier this year our financing team worked with Chris Vaughan, GC at Whitbread on the issuance of a dual-tranche Green Bond. In this podcast, Chris gives us an issuer’s perspective on green and ESG bonds, and discusses the attraction, advantages and practicalities for these bonds with Matthew Tobin and Jennifer Sadek.

As businesses reshape their working patterns, Standard Chartered Bank was already ahead with their ‘Future Workplace, Now’ project. We sat down with Nicola Doran, Head of Employment Law Europe, Americas & AME at Standard Chartered, to discuss the challenges and opportunities of hybrid working models across the world. 

From employee surveys and office space design to diversity and inclusion and future generations, partners Phil Linnard and Caroline Phillips explore with Nicola how we can reinvent the 9 to 5 and what role legal teams can play.

As businesses reshape their working patterns, social cohesion appears at the heart of the discussion around the future of work. In this podcast, partners Jan Putnis, Jeff Twentyman, Phil Linnard and Natalie Cook discuss how we can define social cohesion, how it has been impacted (and could be re-invented) by the pandemic and why it matters to in-house legal functions.

In the final podcast in this series, Ben Kingsley, Natalie Donovan and Emily Bradley turn to consider the promise presented by quantum technologies, and discuss how businesses can start to leverage the opportunities they present. They catch up with Alexei Kondratyev, Managing Director and Head of Data Science and Innovation at Standard Chartered Bank, to hear more about the work that Slaughter and May’s clients are already doing in this space.