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Photos from AICA Conference at Miami

Posted by Maja Berge

Below are a couple of photos from our inaugural conference at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, 7-9 May, 2010.

Gerardo Dal Piva, Ignacio Villa, Marco Costamagna, Suresh Iyer, Peter Church

Mercedes and Leopoldo Burillo, Jose Maria Torrens, Rachel Sargent, Tami Almagor

Gary Mathias, Frank Vasilkioti, Peter Wilson, Jose Maria Torrens, Ignacio Villa, Linda Mertz, Michael Carter

A majority of the attendees

Sam Boneh and Charlie Lemmon

Tami Almagor, Sam Boneh, Frank Vasilkioti, Jan Krizansky, Zoran Cicak, Richard Wottrich

New International Alliance Takes Shape

Posted by Mitchell Brown

The below article was published on the Mergers & Acquisitions website - the premier source for breaking M&A news and analysis.

New International Alliance Takes Shape
A band of former IMAP members launches new global coalition
By KEN MacFADYEN
May 7, 2010

As cross-border activity has grown, the various international networks, such as IMAP, Global M&A and M&A International, have made moves to build out their roster of participating firms and better coordinate their branding throughout the networks. A band of IMAP defectors, however, is looking to launch a new a group, one that Mertz Associates' Ward Wickwire, a former IMAP chairman, says is "more about a diversity of services and not as league-table focused" as other the organizations.

The Alliance of International Corporate Advisors (AICA) held its inaugural meeting on Thursday evening in Miami, at ACG's InterGrowth conference. Among the founding members are AFG Venture Group's Peter Church, based in Sydney, Australia; Acquisitions Northwest's Cordell Berge, based in Oregon, and Osprey Partners' Rachel Sargent, based in Bucharest Romania, among others.

The AICA has already lined up 25 member firms dotted around the globe, including members in Mexico, Israel, Italy, Serbia, India, the Czech Republic, France, Brazil, and Canada.

AFG's Church told Mergers & Acquisitions that the alliance expects to have as many as 50 to 60 members within a few months.

Wickwire says the split from IMAP was a "respectful" parting. He added that IMAP "is going in one direction," citing in particular an approach targeting "larger M&A firms."

The three legacy international networks have taken initiatives to build out their brands. Global M&A, last year, installed Allison Dent as its CEO to undertake a mandate to consolidate the network's market position. IMAP, meanwhile, recruited Morgan Joseph to join its network, reflecting the move to larger firms that Wickwire alluded to.

AICA, meanwhile, is looking to differentiate itself a couple of ways. The alliance is aiming to bring on a diversity of services that balances its M&A focus with other capabilities, such as growth equity investments or joint ventures.

Moreover, there won't be an expectation that member firms take on a common brand. The AICA hopes to build market awareness of the alliance, creating added value for its member firms, but the network is not looking for its members to forego their local brands.

"Entrepreneurs want to build their own brand equity," Osprey's Sargent told M&A, noting that in the local markets those brands may resonate more with the business community.

Launch of Peter Church's book: Added Value: The life stories of Indian business leaders

Posted by Mitchell Brown

AICA Chairman Peter Church recently launched a new book entitled Added Value: The life stories of Indian business leaders at a function in Delhi, India. Added Value shares invaluable advice and the remarkable and candid inside stories of thirty Indian business leaders. Through interviews, Peter details the paths they travelled, the obstacles overcome and the lessons learned along the way.

Below are some photos from the launch.

More information on the book is available here.

Inaugural AICA Conference at Miami

Posted by Rachel Sargent

We are excited to announce that the first Alliance of International Corporate Advisors conference will be held at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel, 7-9 May, 2010.

The conference will provide the opportunity for member and prospective member firms from around the world to introduce themselves and engage in positive and productive deal sharing and idea generating activities.

Further details for members and prospective members already in contact with our board are available at our Miami portal page: click here to access it (password required). Non members interested in joining AICA please contact one of the following:

Americas

John Hull, Director
Phone: +1 314 862 8500
Email: jhh@fortunegrp.com

Europe, Middle East and Africa

Rachel Sargent, President
Phone: +40 (0) 21 314 5030
Email: rachel@osprey-partners.com

Asia

Peter Church, Chairman
Phone: +61 2 9258 7878
Email: peter.church@afgventuregroup.com