Market Standards Trend Report

Claudia Gizejewski

Solicitor
Lexis+® Corporate

Jenisa Altink-Thumbadoo

Head of Market Insights
Lexis+® UK Practical Guidance

Aaliyah Syed

Market Trend Analyst
Lexis+® UK Practical Guidance

James Ashton

Chief Executive, The Quoted Companies Alliance

James Ashton is Chief Executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance, the members’ organisation that champions small and mid-sized companies whose shares are publicly traded. James was City Editor and Executive Editor of the Evening Standard and Independent titles and before that City Editor of the Sunday Times. He is the author of several business books and chairs Oscar’s Book Prize, the annual search for the UK’s best picture book. James is also a non-executive director of Finsbury Growth & Income, the FTSE 250 investment trust.

Simon Bullock

Partner, Ashurst LLP

Simon Bullock heads up the Ashurst equity capital markets practice in London. His practice has a particular focus on advising underwriters, issuers and investment funds on a range of equity capital markets transactions including IPOs, rights issues and equity placings. Simon is recognised in Chambers UK and Legal 500 UK as a leading UK ECM lawyer.

Tom Coulter

Partner, Travers Smith

Tom is a partner in our Corporate M&A and ECM Group at Travers Smith. He specialises in advising clients on IPOs, equity fundraisings, public and private mergers, acquisitions and disposals, corporate joint ventures and general corporate advice. Tom regularly advises UK and overseas quoted and private companies, institutional investors and several financial intermediaries. He is also ranked by the Legal 500 for his ECM expertise.

Nina Driver

Practice Development Lawyer, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP

Nina is part of the Squire Patton Boggs UK Equity Capital Markets Practice and has over 15 years of experience advising AIM-quoted and main market listed clients on a broad range of transactions including IPOs, fundraisings, takeovers and public M&A. Nina also advises clients on corporate governance matters and non-financial reporting obligations. Nina leads the team’s knowledge management and is responsible for updates of market trends, legal and regulatory developments, legal training and advisory sessions to clients.

Nicholas Holmes

Partner, Ashurst LLP

Nicholas Holmes is a senior consultant in Ashurst's equity capital markets practice in London. He has considerable experience advising both corporate clients and investment banks on the full spectrum of ECM matters as well as M&A and corporate finance. Nicholas is recognised in the Hall of Fame for ECM in Legal 500 UK and is ranked Band 2 in ECM Chambers UK where he is described as “first rate in how he represents issuers and banks.” Nicholas is a member of the City of London Law Society Company Law Committee and leads its Listing Rules/Prospectus Rules Working Group.

Clive Hopewell

Partner, Bird & Bird LLP

Clive heads up the International Capital Markets Practice across the firm. His securities practice involves acting for institutions and issuers in respect of listings in London and elsewhere. He has extensive experience advising clients in a variety of sectors, with a particular emphasis on energy and utilities and technology and communications. Clive has broad experience and a significant track record in advising corporates and investment banks on equity capital markets transactions in London and internationally. He was admitted to practice as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1994 and during his 30 year career as a corporate lawyer, he has also experienced life as a regulator, having spent two years as an adviser in the equity markets group of the London Stock Exchange. In addition to his expertise in equity capital markets, Clive works on private financings and mergers & acquisitions. He also advises entrepreneurs, family offices and high net worth individuals on corporate transactions in a variety of jurisdictions. Clive is recognised in the Hall of Fame for Capital Markets in Legal 500 and also as a leading lawyer for M&A (lower mid-market deals) and for mining in Legal 500 and as a leading lawyer in Capital Markets and in mining in Chambers & Partners.

Alexander Keepin

Partner, Simmons & Simmons LLP

Alexander is a Partner in the Simmons & Simmons Public Markets Group within its UK Corporate practice and specialises in transactions involving listed issuers on both the Main Market and AIM. Alexander acts for both issuers and underwriters/ sponsors on a range of ECM transactions including equity offerings, listings and transactions on the London markets, almost exclusively on transactions involving natural resources companies. Alexander is recognised in the Hall of Fame for mining in the Legal 500 and is recognised as a Leading Individual for both Mining and Capital Markets: AIM by Chambers and Partners.

Hannah Kendrick

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP

Hannah co-leads the Squire Patton Boggs UK Equity Capital Markets Practice and has a wide range of experience advising both public and private companies on mergers and acquisitions, fundraisings, takeovers, restructurings and reorganisations. She also leads the Food and Drink Sector group for EMEA. Her work varies between UK and cross border and she works closely with executives, in-house legal teams and general counsel both in the UK and globally. Hannah also leads the team focusing on the “G” of ESG and is a member of the Regional Advisory Group of the London Stock Exchange plc for the North East.

Marianna Kennedy

Senior Associate, Ashurst LLP

Marianna Kennedy is a senior associate in Ashurst’s corporate practice in London. Marianna specialises in advising corporates and investment banks on a range of equity capital markets matters including IPOs, rights issues and capital raisings. Marianna also works closely with Nicholas Holmes in his role leading the Listing Rules/Prospectus Rules Working Group of the City of London Law Society Company Law Committee.

Jayson Marks

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs (UK) LLP

Jayson is a corporate Partner based in the London office, specialising in capital markets transactions for corporate and investment banking clients. He has 20+ years of experience advising on IPOs, secondary fundraisings and other equity capital markets transactions on AIM and the Main Market, as well as public and private M&A, equity investments and joint ventures. Jayson advises on complex cross-border transactions across various jurisdictions and industries, including natural resources, financial services and commodities.

Alasdair Steele

Partner, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang LLP

Alasdair Steele is a Corporate Partner and Head of Equity Capital Markets at CMS in London specialising in UK and cross-border corporate finance, including IPOs and secondary equity issues, public and private M&A, and strategic investments as well as regularly advising on consortia and corporate joint venture arrangements. He regularly advises quoted companies and financial intermediaries on the UKLA Listing Rules and Disclosure Rules, the Prospectus Rules, the AIM Rules, the Takeover Code and general company law.

Marcus Stuttard

Head of UK Primary Markets & AIM, London Stock Exchange plc

Marcus Stuttard is Head of AIM and has responsibility for Primary Markets in the UK across both AIM and the Main Market. He is responsible for the management and development of AIM, London Stock Exchange’s international growth market for small and medium sized enterprises. Marcus has a particular focus on boosting access to finance for ambitious growth companies. He is a regular speaker on growth and business funding issues and sits on a number of industry and policy advisory bodies including the ScaleUp Institute’s Access to Finance and Growth Capital Committee and the IoD’s Centre for Corporate Governance Advisory Board. He has played a leading role in key capital market developments such as the launch of the High Growth Segment and policy changes such as making AIM shares eligible for inclusion in ISAs and the abolition of stamp duty on the trading of shares admitted to Recognised Growth Markets such as AIM.

Ariel White-Tsimikalis

Partner, Goodwin Procter (UK) LLP

Ariel White-Tsimikalis is a Partner in the firm’s Technology and Life Sciences group and leads the UK Equity Capital Markets & Public Company practice in London.  She specialises in advising growth companies, underwriting banks and private equity and venture capital investors on equity capital markets transactions (including IPOs, secondary offerings and private placements) and general public company advisory matters.  She is also Co-Chair of the firm’s ESG & Impact practice and regularly advises listed companies and regulated entities on their ESG obligations, particularly on governance matters.  Outside Goodwin, Ariel is a member of the Parker Review set up by the UK Government’s Department for Business & Trade focused on increasing ethnic minority representation on UK boards.

Ben Wright

Co-Head of UK Investment Banking, Berenberg

Ben is the Co-Head of the UK Investment Banking team at Berenberg having joined the Bank in November 2015 to help build its UK investment banking business. He was previously a Director in Corporate Finance & Corporate Broking at N+1 Singer and Brewin Dolphin. Ben has over 18 years of experience advising international and domestic companies across a range of transactions including IPOs, pre-IPOs and fundraisings on the London markets, and with private and project equity financing. He has also led public company M&A transactions and worked on the disposal of a number of private renewable energy assets. Ben qualified as a Barrister from the Inns Court School of Law.