From Motor Sports to M&A: Martin Petsch drives DZ Bank forward

Martin Petch: Maximising the DZ Bank cooperative structure difference

As the central institution for around 800 cooperative banks in Germany, DZ Bank operates within a cooperative structure. This means it works closely with these local banks to provide comprehensive financial services, including M&A advisory, to their clients. Its M&A activities are often centred on German midmarket companies.

Martin Petsch is Managing Director and Head of Industrials & Automotive at DZ Bank, overseeing M&A mandates in these sectors. 

Having led over 80 buy-side and sell-side projects in Germany and abroad, Martin spearheads the strategic development of the department's services and is an active member of ADVIOR International. He’s also a keen traveller, and is passionate about startups, literature, and vintage cars, among other things.

“I'm a big supporter of motor sports,” says Martin. “I think motor sports is an excellent example of how technology comes into play, and how data can be used… Similar to an M&A deal, you do a lot of preparation and use a lot of data. So, a lot of similarities, but also a lot of fun.”
 

Extensive network, specialised focus

As one of the largest M&A teams in the German-speaking region, DZ Bank's M&A team has a unique network and a specialised sector focus.

“We have a unique network, giving us access to all key decision-makers in Germany, says Martin. “We have a very specialised sector focus, and we have a track record of roughly 250 transactions in the last decade. Our clients can rely on us as a trusted partner.” 

“Through our international network, we also enlarge our geographical reach to North America, European countries, and selected Asian countries. Basically, our clients can consider us a global M&A service provider with roots in the region,” he says. “That's why a lot of mid-cap clients rely on our services.”
 

Driving efficiency with advanced deal tools

With such a large network and customer base, DZ Bank needed to reduce manual and time-consuming processes of handling sensitive information.

DZ Bank were among the first Ansarada Data Room users in Germany. As Ansarada developed advanced features over time, DZ Bank integrated these into their workflows, enhancing efficiency and collaboration. AI Bulk Redaction is one feature that has saved them significant time and effort.

“I remember there was this topic of blackening out all the sensitive information. We tried to use the features that were provided to be more efficient, save time, and increase quality. At the beginning, we started using Ansarada as a data room provider,” says Martin.

“But as Ansarada developed over time with a lot of features, we also included them into our workflows, bringing our clients into the workflow, and bringing other advisors into the workflow. Basically, we followed the journey of Ansarada and tried to include as much as we can into our workflow.”