'We're keen on M&As in the $50-500 mn range'
Paul A. Hawkinson, MD of the $8.4-billion BMO Financial Group’s investment banking arm BMO Capital Markets, spoke about developing opportunities between India and N. America. Excerpts:
What kind of M&A activities are happening in India over the last one year?
The mega deals that we saw over the last 2-3 years have dried up. Post general elections, though, market sentiment is slowly picking up.
What is the average deal size you are looking at?
Presently, the focus is on mid-market deals in the range of $50-500 million. It is important to find synergies between two companies and pricing of the deal.
What are the sectors that you are targeting?
We have identified sectors like oil & gas, auto, IT, pharma, food and education. Meeting growing consumers’ demand is one of the key challenges for Indian companies.
CEO watch
One of the unintended benefits of fighting a high pitch, no-holds-barred, out-in-the-open battle is that you get assured media coverage. The leading CEO for the month, Anil Ambani of ADA Group, was quoted most over the feud with his brother Mukesh.
The younger Ambani persistently used the media platform to “question the Petroleum Ministry’s stance in the gas supply deal between NTPC and Reliance Industries”.
