Merger Talks Podcast

In episode 11 of the Merger Talks Podcast, we spoke to Robert Young, the founder of Avero Advisory. Robert launched the business at the end of 2025 after being a Managing Director in Alantra's Technology M&A team. In the episode we talk about: Current trends in the Technology sector and the impacts of AI What it has been like setting up a new M&A boutique and how he is looking to do t...

In Episode 10, we spoke with Martim Villas-Boas, founder of Pairwire, an AI powered due diligence platform for the Investment Banking market. We talk about AI; what is it and how it can be used to make the deal making process more efficient Why 70% of M&A deals fail during due diligence and how can AI improve that number?  We break down what AI products are available today  The dangers of AI a...

Episode 9 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We spoke with William D. Cohan , the award-winning financial journalist and bestselling author of The Last Tycoons. A former Investment Banker himself, he’s known for combining insider access with clear, engaging storytelling that makes complex financial worlds understandable; and fascinating. In the episode, we talk about: The history of Wall Str...

Episode 8 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with Vitoria Okuyama , who went from playing professional tennis, and being ranked 118th in the world, to working as an Investment Banking Analyst at Citi .  After 3 months of consecutive 4am finishes, Vitoria experienced burnout which eventually led to her leaving Wall Street.  In this episode we talk about burnout; how it manifests i...

Episode 7 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with Tom Lindsay , CEO of Spayne Lindsay . Tom co-founded the firm, a Consumer focused M&A boutique, in 2004 alongside his business partner, John Spayne . Prior to setting up the firm they had both been Consumer bankers at Lehman Brothers .  We covered a variety of topics including:  The differences between the Investment Banking b...

Episode 6 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with James West , Managing Director at Bourne Partners and former Managing Director at Lincoln International . James has worked in Investment Banking for 15 years after completing a degree in Pharmacy. He specialises in advising clients in the Life Sciences and Pharma Services industry.  We covered a variety of topics including:  - The...

Episode 5 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with Yusuf Subzposh, Vice President of Arcesium , a hedge fund backed FinTech. Prior to joining his latest role in Corporate Development, he worked at various Investment Banks including Jefferies , Pharus and Nomura . We covered a variety of topics including:  - How does PE and Corporate Development compare to Investment Banking? - Wil...

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 4 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with Michel Lowy, co-founder of SC Lowy , a $1.3bn Hong Kong based Private Credit fund. We covered a variety of topics including: Why M&A and IPO market slowdowns are fuelling private credit deals? How he set up his own credit fund and the challenges he faced. Investor mindset. What is it and what does good look like? The differenc...

Episode 3 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with John Farrugia , the co-CEO of Cavendish , the mid-market Investment Bank.  We covered a variety of topics including: How to stem the flow of U.K. businesses leaving the country What it takes to get to CEO and what a typical week looks like Spending to accumulate when it comes to networking Why being made redundant isn't the e...

𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝟐 of the Merger Talks Podcast is now live! We sat down with Jan Skarbek , former Head of UK M&A at Citi and now Partner at Europa Partners.  We covered a variety of topics including the current state of the U.K. public markets, how to stand out in the competitive world of advisory, and how to build long-term relationships that result in closing billion dollar deals.  We hope you enjoy...

In episode number 1 of the Merger Talks Podcast, we sat down with Jean-Philippe Verdier, the founder of Verdier & Co. and former Head of French Investment Banking at Jefferies. We covered a variety of topics including the current state of the market, how AI is being used to transform Investment Banking day to day, and the big question, is there such a thing as work-life balance in Investment B...