September 2020 - The IFT

DLA Piper: What next for distressed companies and their stakeholders?

Due to the unforeseen circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, several government support measures have been provided to aid businesses in the UK. As we navigate the pandemic it is inevitable that these measures will end at some point.

The attached article created by DLA Piper explore the key dates which all boards and financial stakeholders must be cognisant of. It also identifies some of the tools which are available to address overburdened balance sheets.

Please use this link to access the article: COVID-19- What next for distressed companies and their stakeholders

Macfarlanes: COVID-19: the Game Changer in Distressed M&A

September 24, 2020

Webinar 5:30 – 7:00 pm (CEST time)

Responses of the European governments to the COVID-19 pandemic and the liquidity crunch (and economic crisis that ensued) have differed: from full lock down to no-lock down; from massive recourse to the state-guaranteed loans to other forms of subsidies. We will look into the recent regulatory measures implemented in five major European countries to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and their pros and cons, and the foreseeable consequences on deal making and investment opportunities in the various industry sectors in these countries. Finally, we will take a quick look at how bankruptcy laws in home jurisdictions respond to the need of ensuring a safe legal framework for distressed acquisitions.

The panel will be moderated by Rose B. Sorensen, Snell & Wilmer L.L.P., Los Angeles (USA).

Panelists:

  • Simon Beale, Macfarlanes LLP – London
  • Tommaso Foco, Portolano Cavallo – Milan
  • Anna Palmérus, Vinge – Göteborg
  • Dorothee Prosteder, Noerr LLP – Munich
  • Anker Sorensen, De Gaulle Fleurance & Associés – Paris

The webinar will be held in English.

To register for this webinar please follow this link:  Macfarlanes: COVID-19: the Game Changer in Distressed M&A

IFT SWIFT – SEPTEMBER 2020

In the September edition of Swift, The IFT’s quarterly magazine, you can read about our upcoming IFT events and articles, our National Conference that was held in July 2020, the candidates up for election at this years Annual General Meeting, as well as articles written by members and corporate partners.

To view and download the latest edition of Swift CLICK HERE

If you are interested in contributing to the next edition of Swift please email RDAVIES@THE-IFT.COM

Interim Assignments in a Pandemic – A view from FRP

On Wednesday 2nd September at 18:00 IFT Corporate Members FRP will be hosting a national webinar focused on The Role of the Interim Post Lockdown

This session will cover the following:

  1. An overview of interim assignments during Lockdown
  2. What post Lockdown will look like for interims
  3. Challenges in the lending markets and how this might impact on introductions for interims

The session and Q&A will be hosted by the Midlands Region Chairman –  Robert Griffiths and the speakers will be:

Raj Mittal – FRP Midlands Restructuring Partner

Susan Moor – Director FRP Transition

There will also be opportunity for Q&A after the presentation. Please feel free to send questions in advance to tduffield@the-ift.com

To register for this event please follow this link: Interim Assignments in a Pandemic – A view from FRP

Please do not register below as this will result in you not receiving the Webinar Link

COVID-19 LOCKDOWN RECOVERY PINCH POINTS: A TURNAROUND ROADMAP FOR SMEs

Many businesses have faced financial difficulty as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, with SMEs being hit particularly hard. We have created a roadmap with IFT corporate partners Playfair Partnerships Ltd, which shows the critical points ahead for SMEs as we enter this new post-lockdown period. You can download the infographic in PDF format here.

Webinar Replay: Insolvency and Governance Bill – Key changes and implications for turnaround

The IFT Webinar Replay: Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill – Key changes and implications for turnaround  is now available.

This webinar featured a panel of Richard Obank (Chair) – Brown Rudnick, Rob Lewis – PwC, Duncan Parkes – Independent IFT Fellow and Stuart Tait – Gateley. The panel discussed the key points of the Bill and the implications the panel believe this will have on the turnaround market.

To access this webinar replay please contact: tduffield@the-ift.com

IFT Webinar replay: Insurance as an Asset: Maximising Business Interruption Recoveries arising from the Covid-19 Crisis

The replay of the IFT Webinar: Insurance as an Asset: Maximising Business Interruption Recoveries arising from the Covid-19 Crisis Is now available.

The session was hosted by Richard Obank – Brown Rudnick and was followed by an in depth look at business interruption recoveries in the wake of COVID-19 by Ravi Nayer and Tom McDonnell. The profiles of all of our speakers and a full agenda for the session can be seen below.
To access this webinar replay please contact: tduffield@the-ift.com

 

Webinar Agenda & Speakers
Webinar Agenda
  1. Introduction
  2. What is business interruption insurance?
  3. The key questions in notifying and establishing a valid claim
  4. The duties insurers owe to insured companies
  5. Levers available to resolve a BI claim
  6. An update on the FCA’s intervention in the High Court
  7. How multi-party claims work in the UK and how to get one going
  8. Claims against brokers
  9. Third Parties (Rights Against Insurers) Act 2010
  10. An update on the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill

Richard Obank, Partner, Brown Rudnick

Richard is a partner in the Restructuring & Insolvency team at Brown Rudnick. He has over 30 years of experience acting for corporates, private equity investors, funds and financial institutions and regularly advises turnaround professionals, chief restructuring officers and accountants involved in rescue and restructuring work for a broad range of stakeholders. Richard has extensive experience acting for boards of directors in financially distressed situations, often with a cross-border element, and has hands-on experience acting as a board director and charity trustee in overseeing a 3 year operational turnaround.

In 2019, Richard featured in The Lawyer magazine’s Hot 100 list, was awarded the accolade of Partner of the Year at the Yorkshire Legal Awards and was named Corporate Restructuring Lawyer of the Year at the Turnaround, Restructuring and Insolvency Awards.

Ravi Nayer, Partner – Brown Rudnick 

Ravi Nayer’s practice focuses on commercial (often group) litigation, acting on behalf of some of the UK’s largest companies in innovative litigation.

He has spent the majority of his career involved in representing insureds, insurers and brokers in respect of professional indemnity defence work, risk mitigation tools, insurance coverage disputes and commercial litigation involving a wide array of actors in the insurance and investment chain and beyond.  He is presently representing the British Dental Association and the dentist profession in relation to business interruption claims.

Tom McDonnell, Associate – Brown Rudnick

Tom McDonnell is an Associate in Brown Rudnick’s Litigation group in the London office.  Tom’s practice is focused on resolving commercial and regulatory disputes through litigation, arbitration and all forms of alternative dispute resolution.  He has broad final hearing experience, having represented institutional clients in the English courts, the Dubai International Financial Centre court and the Qatar International Court as well as in both domestic and international arbitration.

Webinar Replay: Outlook for Automotive Retail during and after COVID-19

The IFT webinar replay: ‘Outlook for Automotive Retail during and after COVID-19’ is now available.

The Chairman of ASE Global, Mike Jones, discussed the impact of Covid-19 on the UK Automotive industry and what this means for businesses as we work towards coming out of lockdown. Mike will also cover some other aspects that are likely to effect the automotive industry over the course of the next year.

Mike is one of the industry’s leading experts on dealer profitability and heads up ASE’s work to analyse retail performance across a range of key markets.  Mike speaks regularly at events around the world on the industry landscape and the opportunities and challenges for dealers.  As well as profitability, he is an expert on digital dealership models, and how these are set to disrupt the automotive retail landscape.

Andrew Beckett of Kroll, a division of Duff & Phelps specialising in Risk management, gave an insight into the Cyber issues threatening the sector and the impacts this can have on businesses.

This session was then be concluded by a Q&A session hosted by Paul Smith including both of our previous presenters.

To access this replay please contact: tduffield@the-ift.com

Webinar replay: The impact of COVID-19 on supply chain management

The replay of the IFT Breakfast Webinar: The impact of COVID-19 on supply chain management is now available.

This webinar had both a short term and medium term focus looking at the immediate impacts of coming out of a lockdown scenario on supply chains and the effects this will have on the business models of companies.

These topics were discussed through a panel consisting of Ian Parker – Independent member, Kelly Jones – Kingsgate and Ian Morgan – PwC. There was also a focus on the financial health of supply chains, the impacts of the varying access to skilled workers during social distancing, as well as other topics.

To access this webinar please contact: tduffield@the-ift.com

Webinar Replay: Managing Cash during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

On Thursday 30th April at 8am the IFT hosted a Breakfast Webinar around.Managing Cash during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A replay of this even is now available and be accessed by clicking the button at the bottom.

In this webinar independent IFT member, experienced NED and listed company CFO David Tilston gave an insight into liquidity and cash management, specifically the importance of a 13 week cash flow forecast. This was followed by a discussion on cash management during the current lockdown with David Grier & Chris Coley of Duff & Phelps. The discussion looked at how the core principles of cash management can be applied in the high stress situation that is the current pandemic. It also looked at how assurance and confidence can be provided to key stakeholders through the use of core turnaround skills.

The replay of this session would be particularly valuable for operationally focused members who are working with organisations and boards to create greater visibility during these unprecedented times.

To access this webinar please contact: tduffield@the-ift.com