Profession mergers and acquisitions analyst

Mergers and acquisitions analysts oversee the execution of transactions for the purchase, sale, merger or takeover of companies. They negotiate and complete the deal on the client's behalf, by working closely with lawyers and accountants. Mergers and acquisitions analysts conduct operational and legal risk assessments of a company, assess comparable companies in the market and help with the post-merger integration.

Personality Type

• Conventional / Enterprising
• Conventional / Investigative
• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• Modern portfolio theory

  The theory of finance that attempts to either maximise the profit of an investment equivalent to the risk taken or to reduce the risk for the expected profit of an investment by judiciously choosing the right combination of financial products.

• Mergers and acquisitions

  The process of joining together separate companies and relatively equal in size, and the purchase of a smaller company by a bigger one. The financial deals, the legal implications, and the consolidation of financial records and statements at the end of the fiscal year.

• Actuarial science

  The rules of applying mathematical and statistical techniques to determine potential or existing risks in various industries, such as finance or insurance.

Skills

• Analyse market financial trends

  Monitor and forecast the tendencies of a financial market to move in a particular direction over time.

• Budget for financial needs

  Observe the status and availability of funds for the smooth running of projects or operations in order to foresee and estimate the quantity of future financial resources.

• Provide support in financial calculation

  Provide colleagues, clients or other parties with financial support for complex files or calculations.

• Manage contracts

  Negotiate the terms, conditions, costs and other specifications of a contract while making sure they comply with legal requirements and are legally enforceable. Oversee the execution of the contract, agree on and document any changes.

• Analyse financial performance of a company

  Based on accounts, records, financial statements and external information of the market, analyse the performance of the company in financial matters in order to identify improvement actions that could increase profit.

• Analyse financial risk

  Identify and analyse risks that could impact an organisation or individual financially, such as credit and market risks, and propose solutions to cover against those risks.

• Analyse business plans

  Analyse the formal statements from businesses which outline their business goals and the strategies they set in place to meet them, in order to assess the feasibility of the plan and verify the business' ability to meet external requirements such as the repayment of a loan or return of investments.

• Review investment portfolios

  Meet with clients to review or update an investment portfolio and provide financial advice on investments.

• Assess financial viability

  Revise and analyse financial information and requirements of projects such as their budget appraisal, expected turnover, and risk assessment for determining the benefits and costs of the project. Assess if the agreement or project will redeem its investment, and whether the potential profit is worth the financial risk.

• Apply technical communication skills

  Explain technical details to non-technical customers, stakeholders, or any other interested parties in a clear and concise manner.

• Make strategic business decisions

  Analyse business information and consult directors for decision making purposes in a varied array of aspects affecting the prospect, productivity and sustainable operation of a company. Consider the options and alternatives to a challenge and make sound rational decisions based on analysis and experience.

• Develop investment portfolio

  Create an investment portfolio for a customer that includes an insurance policy or multiple policies to cover specific risks, such as financial risks, assistance, reinsurance, industrial risks or natural and technical disasters.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB