
Logan Hufkie, PSG Capital
Logan Hufkie, Executive

Logan Hufkie, Executive

Arun Varughese heads up advisory for the financial sponsor team at Rand Merchant Bank. Watch his story here.

Julian Garratt is a Director at Perella Weinberg Partners in New York. He heads up the Industrials team that manages projects in everything from paper and packaging, to aerospace and defence. Julian is an Australian Investment Banker.

Leigh Golombick, Director of Transactions at Sydney-based boutique advisory firm Morgan Shaw Advisory, shares her outlook on Australian mid-market M&A in 2026 — from the structural drivers bringing founder-led businesses to market, to the sectors commanding buyer attention. She explores why search funds are emerging as a compelling exit pathway, how technology enablement is reshaping acquisition strategy, and why the empathy women bring to the advisory table is a genuine dealmaking advantage.

Neetu Ranka, Managing Director of ECM Corporate Finance at Nuvama Investment Banking in Mumbai, has watched India's capital markets evolve from a foreign-investor-dependent ecosystem into one of the world's most active primary markets. In this profile, she charts the structural forces reshaping Indian equity — from surging SIP inflows and rapid digitisation to government-led manufacturing investment and the rise of hybrid instruments. She also reflects on two decades of navigating a male-dominated industry, and why she believes the next frontier is not just female representation, but female decision-making power over capital allocation.

Malte Abrams, Managing Director and Head of IT Services for Europe at Houlihan Lokey, explains why "crisis-resilient" business models are commanding extraordinary valuations, why the market is becoming increasingly polarised, and how the race for international scale is defining M&A strategy in 2026.

CFOs focused on creating value can’t afford to have deals bogged down in admin-heavy processes and the reworking of critical documents. Rather than wasting M&A advisory time, they should be prepared to leverage expertise where it’s needed most. That means maximising readiness and avoiding chaos at every stage.

Fundraising slows when information is scattered and ownership is unclear. Disorganisation creates delays, friction, and lost momentum with investors. Ansarada's data rooms bring structure, control, and clarity to the table — so decisions become faster and stronger, leading to more confident deal outcomes.

Sergio Donadio, Senior Banker at BPER Corporate & Investment Banking, explains why Italy's M&A market is pivoting from headline-grabbing mega-mergers to a higher volume of mid-market transactions in 2026 - and where industrial strength, family office capital, and creative earn-out structures are creating opportunity across the country's flagship sectors.

Key M&A trends and tech focus for 2026

Associates running multiple deals understand the pressure of supervising analysts while carrying client accountability. This M&A playbook helps you stay in control by reducing errors and burnout through oversight, standardised routines, and a single source of truth.