Sarah Burke

With the UK elections underway, Baringa’s Economic Analysis team have recently undertaken original research to understand how we can most effectively shape the future of the British economy, via 5 policy initiatives to raise the UK’s growth prospects. One thing is clear from their findings: productivity is stagnant across UK labour market. Productivity levels across public services are a particular example of this and have been shown to be lagging behind the private sector. Since the pandemic, the private sector has seen a 1.3% uplift in productivity, but public services are currently 5.7% less productive. There is increasing pressure to deliver immediate turnarounds in productivity – but such pressure doesn’t always lead to sustained operational improvements. Government departments will face tight funding settlements for the foreseeable future, against rising demand for public services. At Baringa, we help our clients think more broadly about how to achieve more productive public services. One of the most effective ways we have achieved this is by connecting people to purpose Our government clients have unlocked sustained productivity improvements when we have worked together on what it truly means to be efficient and effective, starting with connecting people to purpose. https://lnkd.in/enbzJeBk

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Anyone following the work of the Competition and Markets Authority should read today's speech by Sarah Cardell at Chatham House, which was also previewed in a Financial Times interview published this morning: https://lnkd.in/exEcDWPr   The CMA has faced accusations that its approach to merger control runs counter to the government’s growth mission. Today its CEO set out her response and a couple of things stood out for me: -First, she rightly gave a reminder that in the vast majority of situations there is no conflict whatsoever between competition and growth. Indeed, greater competition is likely to be good for growth and investment and it has a vital role to play in the new Labour government's industrial strategy. So today's announcement hardly reflects a reversal of CMA policy, and nor should it. -However, in those mergers where the CMA does find competition concerns, it is suggesting a greater openness to accepting behavioural remedies to address them, and a review of the CMA's approach to remedies will begin in the new year. This follows the earlier news that the CMA may accept a legally binding investment remedy in the Vodafone/3 merger.   Today's announcement is likely to be welcomed by the government and by the CMA's critics who worried that its current approach to remedies makes the UK an outlier internationally, or that it has sent an unintended broader signal to overseas investors that the UK is a particularly interventionist regulatory environment.   Others may be concerned that the change reflects an unwarranted concession to political pressure. I think this is wrong. If you look back to the creation of the first independent economic regulators there was an acceptance that ministers should be able to set broad guidance to avoid conflict between an unelected regulator and government policy. But over the years the ministerial guidance has often been missing or cack-handed (e.g. strategic steers that are long on abstract nouns and conflicting priorities but short on actionable guidance), making it more likely that ministers get pressed to intervene in individual cases, which is the worst of all worlds.   If ministers think that the CMA's review should conclude with them being more open to behavioural remedies, I can find nothing in the Enterprise Act that should stop them saying so in the strategic steer, or that should stop the CMA taking this into account. A democratically elected government has the right to give broad policy guidance to an unelected regulator - and this should be good for predictability. But having set out its guidance transparently, it must then ensure the regulator is able to take its case decisions independently, free from lobbying and political interference. #CMA #SarahCardell #mergers #remedies #ChathamHouse #strategicsteer https://lnkd.in/eG3yWDpJ

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PwC UK recently gathered 100 investors, corporates and public sector representatives in London to look at how we can create pathways for private capital in the Energy Transition. Despite the appetite and means of private capital, investing into energy transition is complex and there is a mismatch between what the private capital market is offering, and what we need for decarbonisation. If we are to fully harness its potential, we need to think creatively. Our event, "Bridging the Gap," brought together key perspectives on these issues, and generated new ideas for how private capital investors, big companies and governments can collaborate moving forward. For more insights, watch PwC's clip of the day and our insights paper will follow shortly. #Deals #Energy #PrivateCapital Matthew Alabaster I Naz Klendjian I Anna McGinley I Ajay Amin I Clara Cutajar I Elina Roine I Ricky Sandhu I Ram Ramachander I Jennifer Brake

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With the election next week, some timely insights into the economic growth levers that government can pull, from Baringa colleagues Nick Forrest and Sarah Ashley: 🤖 Increase the deployment of capital and automation technologies 🖥 Increase technology adoption and diffusion 👩‍🏭 Increase the size and efficiency of the labour market of our tier 2 cities 🏡 Lower housing costs by building affordable homes near good jobs 💷 Increasing trade openness post Brexit and leaning on our service trade strength

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With the Jefferies Healthcare conference taking place in London last week, the potential of the most exciting innovations and tackling the most pressing industry challenges were top of mind for many. GLP1s, AI, growing investor confidence in the healthcare / biotech market…all leaning towards greater optimism for the life sciences sector in 2025. Sharing Jefferies Temperature Check - check out the summary of key stats if you have only a couple of minutes to scroll….but the full report is definitely worth a read too- both to better understand the opportunities but also to reflect on what problems still need solving for. #strategicpositioning #lifesciences #pharma #biotech #leadership #strategiccommunications

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We are on a roll, exciting! If you're a business owner looking to exit or looking to scale your business utilising the hidden power of the capital markets like the big conglomerates get in touch with us ASAP. We're becoming more and more picky with deals now that we're in demand - we want to ensure the greatest quality of growth #exitplanning #businessstrategy #growthstrategy #retirementplanning #privateinvestment #sellmybusiness #investing #equity #valueinvesting

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Interesting listen for those in this sector and those investing in this sector.

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My 2024 mid-year update has been published in Life Science Leader. Despite a sluggish IPO market, M&A activity has increased and is expected to remain robust as we head into the second half of the year. Life Science Leader / CREO

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In last of our series focused on the business implications of the Autumn Budget, we consider the perspectives of private equity firms and lenders, as they continue to assess the impacts of the announcement and respond to the financial pressures placed upon their portfolios: https://lnkd.in/gmavZzWC

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I'm pleased to share the results of CIL’s Investment 360 Index 2024. This year, we’ve seen a notable shift in business sentiment, with optimism around the short-term economic outlook in the UK now significantly higher than this time last year. Through conversations with business leaders and investors, it’s clear that while private equity is increasingly focused on stability, interest rates remain a critical concern. The Index dives deep into the forces driving M&A activity and shaping economic confidence across the UK. It’s an important read for Education & Training businesses, to navigate the complexities of the investment landscape over the next year. Take a look at the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eEwxtguY #Investment360 #EconomicOutlook #PrivateEquity #MergersAndAcquisitions #CILInsights

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#Hargreaves_Lansdown Hargreaves Lansdown backed the £5.4 billion bid for the FTSE 100 fund manager today from a private equity consortium, a deal that will end its time as a listed company. The Bristol-based finance firm has been listed in London since 2007. It said today that the final offer valued its shares at 1140p in cash and would include a 30p per share dividend for the financial year which ended on 30 June. Compared to the Hargreaves Lansdown share price before the approach was first made in April, the price is at a premium of over 54%. The consortium is made up of CVC, Nordic Capital and ADIA. Hargreaves Lansdown is named after its founders – Peter Hargreaves and Stephen Lansdown – who set it up as an investment tip sheet. It now runs a state-of-the-art trading platform from which clients can run their own portfolios and pensions. https://lnkd.in/dKpizupy

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Bain financial services partners Nishma Gosrani and Carsten Baumgartner spoke to The Banker for its cover feature on how changing generational attitudes are transforming the talent landscape in wholesale and investment banks – issues explored in Bain’s recent study of key developments in wholesale banking.

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TMT sector has had significant investment by Private Equity over the last couple of decades with the global tech sector attracting $675 billion from private equity (PE) in 2022 alone, up from $100 billion in 2012 according to McKinsey research. Nathan Reay and I are joined by Richard Shaw from Growth Capital Partners, Katya Hawrylak from Vespa Capital and Henry Alty from MML Capital Partners and discuss why TMT is so attractive to Private Equity firms. Tune in to the full episode to learn about the subsectors they focus on and how they make their respective investment and value-creation strategies. This is Part 1 of 2, and in Part 2 we will be discussing the future trends in the TMT sector, the use of AI and and why TMT remains a core investment pillar for Private Equity. Listen to the full episode here: Private equity in TMT: https://okt.to/Ws80i3 #privateequity #TMT #grantthornton Grant Thornton UK LLP

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Discover insights from Emilio Domingo, Head of Private Equity in the UK, as he discusses the outlook for private equity in 2024 in our latest webinar recording: Global Private Equity Report: UK and Europe deep dive.

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5 things you ought to know about our merger with J GADD ASSOCIATES LIMITED: ⭐ We are inspired by a strong belief in Employee Ownership’s (EO) potential to create successful, sustainable organisations ⭐ Our knowledge, insights & practical experience are based on supporting over 100 UK businesses – of all sizes – to identify, enable, transition and embed the benefits of being employee-owned ⭐ Our deep understanding of EO and the EO sector is informed by 25 years of supporting and advising businesses to create sustainable success for you, your business and your team. ⭐ We understand the leadership, cultural, commercial and governance challenges of transitioning and unlocking the benefits of successful EO. ⭐ We know that there’s no ‘one size fits all’ in EO, that’s why we actively listen to owners, leaders, boards, teams and their representative bodies to design solutions that are client-led and bespoke. To find out how we can help you unlock the benefits of EO - whatever your sector, challenge, opportunity or change - click here: https://lnkd.in/e_Tbvq4D ... or come and see us at the eoa conference #strongertogether #eoaAnnualConference

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Exciting times ahead for Private Equity Practice Area at INVERTO | A BCG Company! This week senior PE leadership at INVERTO got together in our London office to plan for supporting our PE clients as the sector braces for a deal 'spike'. The challenges that the PE assets face are deeper than before and our #thoughtleadership on identifying & delivering tangible Procurement Value is stronger than ever before! #privateequity #thoughtleadership #procurement #valuedelivery

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Trouble Ahead for Private Equity? Simon Borrows from 3i Group notes that PE firms that made high-valuation acquisitions during the 2021 boom could face difficulties today. PE colleagues, how are you handling these older deals in the current market? Any strategies to share?

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The UK elections have been called. Economic growth will be central to this year’s manifestos; but what might upcoming policies look like? See Nick Forrest's report on the 5 levers of economic growth for Baringa's view. At Baringa, we are just as passionate about the complexities of policy and strategy as we are about supporting our clients in mobilising their teams to meet their strategic priorities. We believe that the gap widens when strategies lose sight of the end user; a topic we have explored further in our article on policy intent and delivery. By distilling policy into a purpose that stands the test of time, designing for people, not process, and using data and technology to drive outcomes, our tried and tested approach places them at the heart of policy and strategy creation. Have a read, and please reach out if you’re interested in hearing more about our thoughts about the challenges facing government, and how we can best translate them into long-term, sustained change! https://lnkd.in/e_RrHsi2 Nick Forrest Sarah Ashley Graeme Swan Adam Brocklesby Matt Jones Maria Lawson Chris Walker Robin Cooper John Thompson Tom Schneider Hannah Klein #Baringa #Economics #Policyandstrategyexecution

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As our next cohort of participants for PwC's award winning Leaders Solving for Tomorrow programme start to come together over the next month - I'm really pleased to share this short Q&A article from strategy+business with insights from four leaders who have taken part in previous programmes - to hear first hand their stories on the unique challenges of leading transformation in the context of a world in flux. Leading in today's world is harder than ever - with the world economy undergoing a profound reconfiguration in the face of climate change, disruptive technology, and shifting geopolitics, among other forces. Yet day-to-day pressures make it hard to fully consider the implications for the reinvention their organisation needs—or for the capabilities they need to develop as individuals to lead at this extraordinary moment. And so through the programme - we bring together a diverse range of thinkers to make sense of the profound changes that are shaping the world today - with participants emerging with a renewed sense of their role as leaders– and of themselves as leaders. Hear this in their own words in the article that Susannah Anfield, Anthony Abbatiello and I have co-authored and please drop any questions below on the programme or how to take part in future cohorts. Thanks to Susanne Gellner, CFO of E.On Sweden, Joseph Kamara (PhD) from World Vision East Africa, Andy Mitchell Deputy Director of the Royal Navy and Dr Manoj Patel at Southern Cross Healthcare for their reflections on what it takes to drive transformational change in healthcare, humanitarian aid, energy services, and the military. https://lnkd.in/eMPmgF-k

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