Risk, Reward, and Responsibility in Mergers & Acquisitions
10/01/24 • 47 min
Today on the podcast, you’ll hear from EHS experts in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand discuss financial markets and mergers and acquisitions. We hear from Matt Bell, M&A Practice Lead at Antea Group USA, Eeda Wallbank, Sector Leader at ESC Singapore and Graham Duffield, Practice Director - Transactions Support at Antea Group UK. The group discusses the importance and impact of EHS and ESG considerations in business deals. You’ll also hear comments from Lean Phuah, Discipline Director Environmental at Tonkin + Taylor New Zealand, who is Inogen Alliance’s Mergers and Acquisitions Working Group Lead.
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Guest Quotes
"How is environmental and social risk identified and managed? How is pollution control managed? Labor rights for staff working on the sites? And then, looking at the larger area, biodiversity, cultural heritage, indigenous peoples? So, for me, it's a two step screening process, local regulatory environment, and then the global standards that we're comparing to for this particular investment or acquisition, and that can change depending on who the stakeholders are.” - Eeda
“It absolutely requires the full spectrum of due diligence items that aren't driven by the regulators here in the US, they're driven by customer demands, right? So that's one of them. What we're seeing here in the US is they're only doing what they need to meet anticipated regulations coming down the road, like the SEC rulings and that sort of thing.” - Matt
“The emergence of ESG, through regulation, et cetera, has become a much bigger part of our M&A approach. I think the complexity is at the minute or the challenge really, is that the legislation and the interpretation of that is very complex and also that the legislation is changing. So the challenge is for not only us as advisors to keep on top of those changes, but for our clients to do the same as well.” - Graham
“Every M&A transaction in the corporate finance and investment world comes with some potential risks. It not only encompasses business-related or financial risks, but areas like environmental and health and safety. As M&A environmental practitioners, we have seen the focus shifted considerably towards a multidisciplinary approach involving topics such as social human rights, and governance. More and more companies are recognizing the value of doing the right thing and being responsible, good corporate citizens, not only complying with regulations.” - Lean
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Time Stamps
(00:00) EHS Implications in solar projects
(04:09) Drivers of current trends in financial deals
(10:07) Key challenges in environmental due diligence
(31:56) Potential impacts of upcoming elections
(40:56) The future of EHS
(44:08) Key takeaways from Lean
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Sponsor copy
Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.
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Links
Today on the podcast, you’ll hear from EHS experts in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand discuss financial markets and mergers and acquisitions. We hear from Matt Bell, M&A Practice Lead at Antea Group USA, Eeda Wallbank, Sector Leader at ESC Singapore and Graham Duffield, Practice Director - Transactions Support at Antea Group UK. The group discusses the importance and impact of EHS and ESG considerations in business deals. You’ll also hear comments from Lean Phuah, Discipline Director Environmental at Tonkin + Taylor New Zealand, who is Inogen Alliance’s Mergers and Acquisitions Working Group Lead.
---------
Guest Quotes
"How is environmental and social risk identified and managed? How is pollution control managed? Labor rights for staff working on the sites? And then, looking at the larger area, biodiversity, cultural heritage, indigenous peoples? So, for me, it's a two step screening process, local regulatory environment, and then the global standards that we're comparing to for this particular investment or acquisition, and that can change depending on who the stakeholders are.” - Eeda
“It absolutely requires the full spectrum of due diligence items that aren't driven by the regulators here in the US, they're driven by customer demands, right? So that's one of them. What we're seeing here in the US is they're only doing what they need to meet anticipated regulations coming down the road, like the SEC rulings and that sort of thing.” - Matt
“The emergence of ESG, through regulation, et cetera, has become a much bigger part of our M&A approach. I think the complexity is at the minute or the challenge really, is that the legislation and the interpretation of that is very complex and also that the legislation is changing. So the challenge is for not only us as advisors to keep on top of those changes, but for our clients to do the same as well.” - Graham
“Every M&A transaction in the corporate finance and investment world comes with some potential risks. It not only encompasses business-related or financial risks, but areas like environmental and health and safety. As M&A environmental practitioners, we have seen the focus shifted considerably towards a multidisciplinary approach involving topics such as social human rights, and governance. More and more companies are recognizing the value of doing the right thing and being responsible, good corporate citizens, not only complying with regulations.” - Lean
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Time Stamps
(00:00) EHS Implications in solar projects
(04:09) Drivers of current trends in financial deals
(10:07) Key challenges in environmental due diligence
(31:56) Potential impacts of upcoming elections
(40:56) The future of EHS
(44:08) Key takeaways from Lean
---------
Sponsor copy
Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.
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Links
Previous Episode
Perspectives on Social and Environmental Justice
In this episode, we dive into the importance and meaning of environmental and social justice across different regions. We hear from Social and Environmental Justice experts Erica Olesson, Sustainability Leader, Tonkin + Taylor in New Zealand, Scott Recker, Environmental Remediation Practice Leader at Antea Group USA, and Valentina Vieri, a Sustainability Specialist for HPC Italy. The group discusses strategies for achieving sustainable development, emphasizing the need for community engagement, regulatory compliance, and addressing vulnerable groups.
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Guest Quotes
“That term, environmental and social justice, is not one that we use very commonly in Australia and New Zealand where I've worked. We talk more about social license to operate, so it's a similar concept, perhaps a bit reversed. It's more about what the company needs to do for, what the organization needs to do for the community to be happy that they're there and to be making sure that they're responding to those community needs.” - Erica Olesson
“So the term environmental justice has been in use in the U.S. for probably at least 40 years. And it's really been indoctrinated into legislation and regulation in the last 3 or 4 years. So, it has a very specific definition in the U.S. and what that really means is equal treatment of community, regardless of your race, color, national origin, your income, where you live, all of those things need to be treated equally. If we go to different parts of the world, and I work with my Inogen associates all over the planet, it means different things in different places.” - Scott Recker
“Sustainability is, I think, a global vision of different topics, of different perspectives. And what we try to do is to integrate these perspectives together, these different points of view, and try to find a common solution that can bring values, not just for a company, a person, but for the environment, the people and the planet. So for everybody, this is what we try to do.” - Valentina Vieri
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Time Stamps
00:00 Te Ara Oteata, or the Mount Messenger Bypass, case study
(02:03) Roundtable conversation
(02:22) Valentina's perspective on environmental and social justice
(06:29) Scott's insights on environmental justice in the U.S.
(10:55) Erica's view on social license to operate
(14:17) Challenges and trends in environmental and social justice
(31:47) Measuring impact and benefits
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Sponsor copy
Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.
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Links
Next Episode
The Critical Role of Water Stewardship in a Changing Climate
In this episode, we explore the significance and practices of water stewardship, examining its global impact. We hear from experts Mariarosaria Gagliotti, Senior Consultant and Partner at Baden Consulting, Beatrice Bizzaro, Sustainability Consultant at HPC Italy and Water Working Group Leader with Inogen Alliance, C. Rajadurai, Senior Manager at Cholamandalam MS Risk Services, and Joseph Gui, Senior Partner at Anew Global Consulting. The discussion emphasizes the importance of community engagement, innovative technologies, and collective action for achieving water security and resilience.
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Guest Quotes
“Water stewardship is not an exact science...So what does it mean that the water stewardship is not an exact science? It means that we cannot fix water. Water needs continual care and attention.” - Mariarosaria
“The cost of doing nothing is always far greater than the cost of doing. So start your journey, learn, and improve along the way. Learn from others. That really is the power of sharing.” - Beatrice
“The important piece that you should be able to achieve with the society is building trust and a relationship with the community... which is crucial for gaining the community support and also ensuring the stewardship efforts are well received by the community.” - Raja
“Community engagement can empower local stakeholders to take part in the water management, fostering more effective solutions.” - Joseph
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Time Stamps
(00:00) Intro to the Alliance for Water Stewardship
(02:53) Defining water stewardship
(08:44) Experiences as AWS-certified professionals
(18:22) Importance of collaboration in water stewardship
(20:04) Regulatory impacts and global perspectives
(43:19) Future of water stewardship
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Sponsor copy
Rethinking EHS is brought to you by the Inogen Alliance. Inogen Alliance is a global network of environment, health, safety, sustainability and ESG consulting companies working together to provide one point of contact to guide multinational organizations to meet their global commitments locally. Visit http://www.inogenalliance.com/ to learn more.
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Links
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