Advisor

Middle Eastern equity capital markets have captured investors' attention the last 2 years, as the only truly active IPO market in the world throughout 2022 and 2023 - with close to 50 IPOs listing each of those years. To learn more about GCC equity markets, we are joined by Wassim Al Khatib, the CEO of Lazard in MENA. Lazard is an independent financial adviser, advising companies and their owners on all aspects of corporate finance, including organizing the IPO process. Before Lazard, Wassim was the CEO of Citigroup in Saudi Arabia, and before that the Head of Investment Banking at NCB Capital. With Wassim, we explore the reforms and opening of GCC capital markets to foreign investors, the IPO activity and diversification of the stock exchange beyond oil & gas, and the question of listing location for local, innovative companies. If you have feedback, or there are any topics you would like us to cover on the show, please reach out at contact@ipostories.com Disclaimer: this discussion is not financial advice, nor an investment recommendation, nor a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments, or an offer for financial services or any other transaction. The information contained in the recording have no contractual value and are destined for an informational purpose only. Amundsen Investment Management and the participants on this podcast may have holdings in the companies being discussed.

Erik Salz has more than 15 years experience in equity research, most recently as an equity analyst at JP Morgan, where he particularly focused on IPO research and multi-industry coverage. During that time, he has been involved in more than 60 IPO projects. With Erik, we wanted to get a better understanding of how sell-side analysts perform their work in relation to an IPO, how it relates to the coverage post-listing, and the lessons he has learned about how to engage with analysts and investors for a successful transaction. If you have feedback, or there are any topics you would like us to cover on the show, please reach out at contact@ipostories.com Disclaimer: this discussion is not financial advice, nor an investment recommendation, nor a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments, or an offer for financial services or any other transaction. The information contained in the recording have no contractual value and are destined for an informational purpose only. Amundsen Investment Management and the participants on this podcast may have holdings in the companies being discussed.

Laurence Borde is the founder of Mediatree, an agency specializing in accompanying companies in the preparation and implementation of the IPO roadshow. With Laurence, we discuss the human element of the IPO process: how chief executives should prepare the company, and themselves, for an IPO: from the optimal organizational structure to your personal physical preparation to manage your energy throughout the process. If you have feedback, or there are any topics you would like us to cover on the show, please reach out at contact@ipostories.com Disclaimer: this discussion is not financial advice, nor an investment recommendation, nor a sollicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments, or an offer for financial services or any other transaction. The information contained in the recording have no contractual value and are destined for an informational purposes only. Amundsen Investment Management and the participants on this podcast may have holdings in the companies being discussed.

Why is there so little innovation in the IPO process? How has the investor landscape changed over the last decades, and how can companies get institutional investors engaged in their IPOs? Craig Coben was until recently Bank of America's Global Head of Equity Capital Markets, and for many years the bank's Head of EMEA Equity Capital Markets. We draw on his 30 years' experience advising companies on their IPOs, follow-on offerings and rights issues, to try to find some avenues to reform the IPO process. Having a well-functioning IPO market allowing companies to raise capital is important to support economic growth. With Craig, we take a step back to understand the real challenges facing European IPOs lately, and why there has been so little innovation to the IPO product over the last decades. Craig has written several interesting columns in the FT on the topic: Diagnosing London's listing miasma How should we regulate ESG research? Why Silicon Valley has failed (so far) to disrupt the IPO process If you have feedback, or there are any topics you would like us to cover on the show, please reach out at contact@ipostories.com Disclaimer: this discussion is not financial advice, nor an investment recommendation, nor a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments, or an offer for financial services or any other transaction. The information contained in the recording have no contractual value and are destined for an informational purpose only. Amundsen Investment Management and the participants on this podcast may have holdings in the companies being discussed.

ESG investing is becoming increasingly important, both in terms of fund flows and integration in investment decisions. The disclosure requirements for private and public companies are not the same, making the IPO a crucial milestone regarding ESG, in addition to the traditional financial aspects. Marie Freier is Global Co-Head of Sustainable Investment Banking at Barclays, where she provides advisory services for companies on their sustainability journey. She shares with us her views on the evolution of the ESG market and investors' expectations, ESG score providers, ESG-related regulations (SFDR, EU Taxonomy), and the importance of transparency. If you have feedback, or there are any topics you would like us to cover on the show, please reach out at contact@ipostories.com Disclaimer: this discussion is not financial advice, nor an investment recommendation, nor a solicitation to buy or sell any financial instruments, or an offer for financial services or any other transaction. The information contained in the recording have no contractual value and are destined for an informational purpose only. Amundsen Investment Management and the participants on this podcast may have holdings in the companies being discussed.