Edward Bridges, Global Head of M&A and Activism, FTI Consulting
FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE: FCN) has announced the appointment of Edward Bridges as Global Head of M&A and Activism within the Strategic Communications segment, further signifying the firm's continued commitment to expanding its presence in this market.
Edward Bridges, a Senior Managing Director based in London, has spent almost three decades at FTI Consulting overseeing the growth of the firm's transactions, financial communications and special situations capabilities. Earlier in 2023, Edward was recognized by MergerLinks as EMEA's top public relations consultant in mergers and acquisitions through his involvement in deals in 2022 equating to a total value of £28.6 billion.
In his role, Edward will focus on driving collaboration with leaders and sector experts globally to further strengthen the segment's holistic M&A and activism communications advisory capabilities. He will partner with Strategic Communications colleagues Pat Tucker, a Senior Managing Director and Head of M&A and Activism in the Americas, and Alex Le May, who as Managing Director will take on a new role as Head of M&A and Activism in the UK, as well as with experts throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East to enhance collaboration to support clients.
Commenting on his appointment, Edward said, "As the M&A landscape becomes increasingly complex, the need for close collaboration with advisors to inform, counsel, communicate and optimize the true value of a deal across stakeholders becomes even more important. That's where FTI Consulting has always shown its key strengths — empathy, deep resources and sector expertise combined with a multi-jurisdictional presence. Together with Pat and Alex, I am excited to partner with my colleagues across the globe to grow our capability in this space and provide our clients with the integrated counsel they need to successfully manage these critical moments for businesses."
FTI Consulting's Financial Communications team is one of the leading cross-border M&A and Activism communications advisory practices in the space, working on some of the biggest mandates in recent years including advising Royal DSM on the 41 billion euros merger with Firmenich SA, Software AG on the contested 2.2 billion euros acquisition by SilverLake, AVEVA Group plc through the £10 billion acquisition by Schneider Electric, Change Healthcare's $13 billion acquisition by UnitedHealth Group, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation's engagement with Land & Buildings and AGL Energy's defense against Grok Ventures.
"Ed is not only an accomplished leader in our field, but his insight and demeanor are the embodiment of what makes FTI Consulting successful in this space," Pat Tucker said. "Corporates are navigating a new world order in today's era of M&A and activism, with a range of stakeholders exerting influence at every turn. The ability of FTI Consulting to bring an integrated set of perspectives to the table from political to financial in a way that really aligns to client success is a true differentiator for our firm. It is a thrill to partner with Ed, Alex, and the full FTI Consulting platform to bring the next generation of support to our clients."
The integrated transaction communications offering is built to support clients in realizing deal success by delivering investor support and approval, mitigating political risk for regulatory clearance and setting up for integration success. The team taps into global multidisciplinary expertise across FTI Consulting's leading capabilities in corporate reputation, investor relations, public affairs, people and transformation and digital strategy. This work is complemented by FTI Consulting's broader M&A advisory services including merger integration, business transformation and strategic advisory work for the chief financial officer.
In activism defense, the team supports clients in navigating engagements with dedicated economic activist shareholders, increasingly vocal institutional investors and ESG funds. The cross-functional team brings practical insight to media relations, proxy advisory recommendations, investor engagement and ESG strategy to realize positive outcomes for clients.
SOURCE: FTI Consulting
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