Meet our experts: Mo Merali

Tuesday, August 09, 2011 | Posted by: Grant Thornton
Categories: Interviews | Tags: business, finance, Grant Thornton, insight, due diligence, interview, corporate finance, staff, people, private equity, IPO, Meet our experts, profile, transactions, Mo Merali, Q&A

As our Head of Private Equity, Mo Merali has led teams on all aspects of Transaction Advisory Services work, including a number of multi-million-pound cross-border assignments. Here we ask him about his toughest deals, pivotal career moments and what companies should be focusing on right now.

What is your job title?
Head of Private Equity and Corporate Finance Partner, based in London, covering UK and cross-border transactions.

What does your job involve?
We work closely with financial buyers and corporates to execute transactions – whether they are buying, selling or raising new finance. Our primary focus is due diligence and bid support. We have significant experience in private equity transactions and IPOs, and strong credentials in media, healthcare, business services and financial services. For example, we worked with Perform Group, a global sports media/technology business, on their recent London IPO valued at £586 million. During that IPO process, Perform also acquired Goal.com, a business based in the US, where we undertook the due diligence and supported Perform to execute the transaction.

What is a typical day for you?
I’m an early riser each day so that I can deal with overnight emails and any reading I need to do for the day. A couple of days a week I do the school run and then head to town for a mixture of conference calls, internal meetings and client meetings.

Lunch is usually a few snatched minutes with a quick salad and the newspaper. I’m out most evenings meeting clients or contacts, but home by 9pm for a ‘must-have’ cup of tea with my wife to catch-up on the family day. Golf is usually a feature in spring/summer – depending on the weather.

What have been some of the more challenging transactions you have worked on?
We were involved in a very high-profile disposal of an iconic English retail business bought by a foreign buyer. Our involvement started 12 months prior to the conclusion of the transaction. It was highly confidential so we had to implement an even stricter regime to ensure the awareness was limited only to a handful of people.

The transaction was full of twists and turns, as well as numerous stop/go points during the transaction. The highlight was a transatlantic completion meeting/call involving lawyers from Bermuda, US, UK and Switzerland, where at one point someone had to go looking for a critical person in Bermuda, who had finished for the day. Amazing what people do after work in Bermuda…

Which part of business do you enjoy most?
I get the biggest buzz when a client says, “Thank you – your involvement/presence made a difference in getting the deal done.”

What was a pivotal career moment?
I did a secondment a few years to work with our leadership board and that gave me a great insight into Grant Thornton – it was then I knew I wanted to be a partner and be part responsible for running my own business.

What should companies be thinking about right now?
For the stable corporate buyer, a healthy balance sheet. Take advantage of the market opportunity to achieve strategic progress by acquiring at sensible valuations. Now is the time when other potential buyers may be off the pace given current economic conditions and limited sources of debt finance.

Any final thoughts or ambitions?
We have some great examples of seeing businesses develop from their first day of existence into strong successful and profitable organisations, having successfully advised the business and the people around that business. So, yes – we want to be seen by our clients, contacts and potential clients as their advisers of choice for any of their needs, be it transactional, tax, audit, personal matters or general business advice.

To find out more about the full range of Grant Thornton’s corporate finance services, please visit our Corporate Finance Private Equity page. If you would like to talk to Mo Merali directly, call +44 (0)20 7728 2501 or email Mo.Merali@uk.gt.com

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