Alain Sitbon Partner, DDA & Co Alexandre Odin Partner, DDA & Co lenders, PE fund, management team and founders. It is the financial advisor’s role to coordinate this closing process, stay focused and keep the momentum so that the deal closes without missing anything. What outcomes do you expect your work will have for Castor & Pollux, Omnes and the wider consulting space in France? We are very proud that we made this MBO possible. In our first meetings, this option was initially not considered either by the founders or by the management team. The reason was a lack of knowledge of this kind of operation and a strong fear of any operation that would involve a private equity partner. We provided guidance and education so as to mitigate the fears of both the founders and the management team towards this kind of deal. That was our first success, but only the beginning of the transaction journey. We then had to look for the right partner, not only in connection with the financial structure of the deal, but especially to fit with the team’s DNA. We hope this operation can serve as a testament to illustrate how founders in consulting firms, communication agencies and any other people business can work in order to organise the transmission of their company to their employees. They need to understand that such transactions do not adversely affect the value of their company and can also guarantee its sustainability. Did you encounter any significant challenges during your work on this operation? If so, how were they overcome? Every operation has its specific challenges. There is no simple operation and this one was no exception. I will not give specific examples, but as a financial advisor I can say that the more you prepare such an operation at the beginning, and the more you talk with all parties involved 84 LAWYER MONTHLY APRIL 2023
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz