Expert-led webinar series

Exiting with excellence: the foundations of a successful business sale

Are you considering an exit in the near future? Our webinar recordings will help you navigate the process with ease and ensure a successful business sale.

Starting early is crucial for a successful exit; give yourself the best chance by building the right team to lead the business and shape it to maximize value. PETER GRAY, CHAIRMAN, OAKLINS

Join Peter Gray as moderator and fixed speaker Jürg Stucker, along with a rotating panel, for short, conversation-based sessions on the fundamentals of exit planning.

YOUR EXIT PLANNING JOURNEY

How to get started

Getting ready for an exit early on can greatly enhance your business value and minimize the stress associated with the process. Discover the different steps required in exit planning, the optimal timeline for initiating preparations, and typical misunderstandings that occur during the initial stages. This knowledge will enable you to make well-informed decisions.

Recording:

The right timing and exit routes

In the second webinar, we explored the best time to sell and why some companies are not always sold at the optimal moment. Learn about the various exit options available and when is the best stage to choose your exit route and whether different routes can be pursued in parallel.

Recording:

How to maximize price

Here we focused on how to maximize the price of your business, the key factors that impact price, ways to boost your company’s EBITDA for a more favorable valuation and strategies for achieving a higher multiple.

Discover the key takeaways: 

An important part of any business exit is the investor narrative and repositioning your business into a higher-valued sector for the maximum EBITDA multiple. JÜRG STUCKER, PARTNER, OAKLINS SWITZERLAND

Avoiding mistakes, or five things you need to know

In the video below, we will explore the most common mistakes made in business transactions and the reasons behind them. You will learn why using advisors can help avoid these errors and the measures to take to mitigate the risk of a deal not happening. Additionally, we highlight the five most important elements to get right to achieve an optimal transaction, and provide you with valuable insights to help ensure a smooth and successful exit.

Recording:

Speakers' bios

Alejandro Dillon is the current president of Oaklins International and is a founding partner at Columbus Zuma Investment Banking, Oaklins’ member firm in Argentina. With more than 30 years of investment banking experience, Alejandro has been involved in over 150 transactions and has worked actively with the Argentine Securities and Exchange Commission and the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange. He has advised public and private clients as well as private equity funds in a variety of industries, including financial services, consumer & retail and agriculture. Recent clients he has advised include Virtual Software LLC, MABE Mexico S.A. de C.V., ROFEX S.A., BGH S.A. and The Rohatyn Group (Forestry Funds 7 and 8, LP).

Don Wiggins is the CEO of Oaklins Heritage in Jacksonville and Savannah. He also leads Oaklins’ logistics and distribution teams, providing strategic consulting, exit advice, and sell-side and buy-side transaction services to logistics clients, including distribution, storage, trucking, moving, rail service providers, local delivery and logistics technology. He has completed significant transactions for a wide variety of logistics companies with both strategic acquirors and private equity buyers. In addition, he has provided strategic advice, valuation and related services to more than 200 logistics companies over more than 30 years. Some of his clients include Drummac Inc., Atlantic Quality Parts and CWF. Recent transactions include the sale of Cd’A Metals to Norfolk Iron & Metal, the partnership of Coastal Insurance Underwriters and Constellation, and the sale of Maner Builders Supply to US LBM.

Doug Kravet is a principal at Oaklins Heritage in Jacksonville and Savannah, and leads Oaklins’ agriculture and organic & sustainable agriculture teams. He also currently serves on Oaklins International’s executive committee as treasurer. Doug has over 20 years of experience and has successfully led and been involved in transactions in many industries, including agriculture, food & beverage, business services, healthcare, distribution and logistics, and manufacturing. He also has performed more than 300 valuations. Recent transactions include the sale of Cd’A Metals to Norfolk Iron & Metal, the partnership of Coastal Insurance Underwriters and Constellation, and the sale of Maginnis Orthodontics to Smile Doctors.

Florian von Alten is a managing partner at Oaklins Germany, and served as president and chairman of Oaklins International between 2016 and 2019. He joined the firm as an M&A consultant in 1994 and became a partner in 1998. Florian has advised on over 120 M&A transactions, many of them cross-border, mainly in the industrial space. Most of his clients are privately-owned Middelstand companies, but also include larger conglomerates and private equity firms. He has particular expertise in industrial manufacturing, machinery, engineering, industrial automation, precision metal processing, tool manufacturing, injection molding, electronics, food & beverage and construction and facility management. Notable clients he has recently advised include Langley Holdings, SLF Spindel- und Lagerungstechnik Fraureuth, AWAX, USK Karl Utz Sondermaschinenbau, Vebego, Leadec and Gimborn Petfood. He also has close contacts with private equity companies, such as Avedon, Afinum, Bregal, Deutsche Beteiligungs AG, GIMV, H.I.G., IndustrieKapital, NORD Holding, Paragon, Triton, VR Equity Partner and VTC.

Jan Hatje is a managing partner at Oaklins Germany. He leads Oaklins’ internet of things team as well as the technology team in Germany. With more than 15 years of M&A experience behind him, Jan has particular expertise in the TMT and staffing sectors. A key transaction in staffing was advising the shareholders of Timecraft Group on its sale to Actief Group. Notable TMT deals Jan has advised on are the sale of Garz & Fricke to the private equity investor Afinum, the sale of Höft & Wessel to Droege and the sale of Acutronic to Vyaire, backed by Apax. After working as a researcher and analyst, Jan joined Oaklins Germany in 2003.

Juan Pablo Bayter is a partner and co-founder of Axia, Oaklins’ member firm in Colombia. He also serves on Oaklins’ executive committee as vice president of the organization in Latin America. With over 25 years of investment banking experience in Latin America and Europe, he has led and executed M&A, capital raising, corporate finance and project finance transactions worth more than US$26 billion. He has broad industry experience, with particular expertise in the energy, agriculture, food & beverage, mining and real estate sectors. Notable transactions he has completed include the sale of a substantial shareholding in two of the leading shopping centers in Colombia; the sale of one of the largest staffing and outsourcing companies in the country; the sale of a substantial shareholding in Alqueria, one of the largest Colombian dairy companies; the sale of a significant stake in Loto del Sur, a premium natural cosmetics brand, to Puig; the sale of Termoflores, a 450MW CCGT power plant; the acquisition of Hemco, a gold mine in Nicaragua, by Mineros; and structuring the US$5 billion Oleoducto al Pacífico oil pipeline project. Key clients he has recently advised include Fundación WWB, the majority shareholder of Banco W; Advent, a global private equity fund; and PSP, one of the largest Canadian pension funds.

Jürg Stucker is a partner at Oaklins Switzerland. He also serves on Oaklins International’s executive committee as vice president of marketing & strategy. With extensive experience in M&A and corporate finance, he has a particular focus on industrial machinery & components, TMT and business support services. Blue-chip clients he has advised include ABB, Axpo, BASF, Breitling, Bühler, ETH, Givaudan, Holcim, Migros, MSC, Novartis, NZZ, Oerlikon, SMG, Sonova, Stäubli, Straumann, Swiss and Swisscom.

Joanna Stone Herman is a partner at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips in New York and co-leads Oaklins’ TMT and legaltech teams. She has worked in the broader media and technology industry for over 20 years, and has been involved in dozens of transactions on both the sell-side and buy-side. Notable transactions include representing Panjiva in its sale to S&P, representing Workman Publishing in its sale to Hachette and supporting the acquisition of Netmaster Holdings Limited (CaseLines) by Thomson Reuters Corporation.

Kristin J. Bratengen is a director at Oaklins Norway. With more than 15 years’ experience in M&A and corporate finance, she has closed transactions in food and beverage, retail, e-commerce, construction and business support services. Kristin is also responsible for coordinating collaborative projects with Oaklins’ offices around the world and serves on Oaklins’ membership committee. She has extensive experience in providing financial and strategic advice for mergers, acquisitions and valuations. She has recently advised clients such as TES AS, Nortura SA and Jotunfjell Partners as well as private shareholders in retail and food & beverage. 

Maarten Wolleswinkel is the founder and executive chairman of Oaklins Netherlands. He has acted as lead advisor on over 100 international transactions and, together with his team, he has completed over 400 transactions in the last 20 years. His key areas of expertise are in agritech, horticulture, tech-enabled services, SaaS software, healthtech, and testing and inspection businesses. Due to his own entrepreneurial career and network, Maarten has always gained huge satisfaction from working with company founders.

Peter Gray is the current chairman of Oaklins International and a partner at Oaklins Cavendish, one of Oaklins’ member firms in the UK. Since joining the firm in 1994, Peter has been involved in the sale of over 70 companies, including many in the financial services sector. He is a frequent lecturer on the subject of mergers and acquisitions and has written a book on the subject, entitled “The Definitive Guide to Selling Your Business”.

Priscila Rosas is a partner at Fortezza Partners, one of Oaklins’ member firms in Brazil. She has over 13 years’ experience in mergers and acquisitions and equity private placements. Priscila has led domestic and cross-border transactions in several sectors, such as healthcare, services, consumer, retail, real estate, financial and technology. Some notable transactions include the sale of a majority stake in Topico, the largest Brazilian player in the flexible infrastructure segment for storage and coverage, to Southern Cross Group; the sale of Centro Serviços, a facility service provider and leader in hospital cleaning in Brazil, to the French group Onet; the sale of UHHS, one of the most important blood bank and transfusion companies in Brazil, to Vitapart, a Crescera Capital portfolio company; and the sale of a minority stake in Brilia, a leading Brazilian LED lighting solutions provider, to Cartesian Capital Group.

Reed Phillips is a managing partner at Oaklins DeSilva+Phillips in New York, which he co-founded in 1996. He also leads Oaklins’ events team. Reed specializes in sell-side M&A in a number of industry sectors, including digital media and advertising, market research, consulting, print media, events, information, social media and subscriptions. His recent transactions include the sale of Purpose, a social impact agency, to Capgemini; the sale of TechMedia, a conference business, to RLJ Equity Partners; and the sale of three divisions of Bonnier Corporation—two magazine divisions and the leading advisory business in DE&I for the Fortune 100. Reed has been an investment banker for 31 years and has completed over 200 M&A transactions.

At the end of 2021, his book "QuickValue: Discover Your Value and Empower Your Business in Three Easy Steps" was published by McGraw Hill. The book provides a new valuation methodology for midsize companies.

Valērija Lieģe is a partner at Oaklins Baltics in Riga and leads Oaklins’ glass processing & finishing team. . She also serves on Oaklins International’s executive committee as vice president of quality & integration. With more than 15 years’ experience in corporate finance and change management, Valērija has led top Baltic companies through complex turnarounds, implementing operational and financial restructurings, and has managed various M&A and capital raising projects and advised top regional banks and private equity houses. Key clients she has advised include manufacturing companies GroGlass and Sakret; two of Latvia’s largest retail chains Elvi and Rimi; Lattelecom, the biggest telecoms operator; and Lido, the most significant HoReCa player in Latvia. Recent transactions include the acquisition of Telia Latvia from Telia Company by Tet, the sale of Domenikss to Veho and the sale of FlyCap-backed Bio2You to INVL Baltic Sea Growth Fund.