IMAP dealmakers reunite in Portugal for the first physical conference in two years

Hosted by IMAP’s exclusive partner in Portugal, Invest Corporate Finance, over 60 IMAP M&A partners from around the world came to listen to José Manuel Durão Barroso speak on ESG, conduct bilaterals in the sunshine in the gardens and grounds of a former palace in Lisbon, and enjoy an evening program of Fado and local Portuguese fare.

The conference sessions were live-streamed to allow as many IMAP partners and teams possible - many still in lockdown - to join virtually.

Gonçalo Vaz Botelho, Managing Partner of Invest Corporate Finance, and his team led a program that included presentations about host country Portugal, led by Luís Filipe de Castro Henriques, Chair of Portugal’s International Trade & Investment Agency. 

Former Portuguese Prime Minister and former President of the European Commission (EC), José Manuel Durão Barroso, joined via live-streaming from Miami to kick-off IMAP’s ESG initiative. ESG investing is a wave that is already a major factor with debt providers and private equity funds, and its influence on mid-cap transactions is just ahead, so an ESG panel of IMAP experts followed with a discussion about the impact of ESG regulations and opportunities in M&A.

Speaking about the Lisbon conference and the need to refresh old bonds, create new ones and begin repairs on the ‘network’ infrastructure, IMAP Chairman, Jurgis V. Oniunas commented:

“In the past 18 months we have been on hundreds of Zoom and Teams calls, virtual panels and sector sessions, but nothing can replace the network building and repairing that takes place up-close and personal. The importance of this first in-person conference since we last met two years ago in Marrakech cannot be overstated.” 

Work will continue next spring in Paris, where IMAP's next scheduled conference will be held.