Conference programme

Experience Milan from an extraordinary perspective with an exclusive rooftop walk above the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. This unique tour takes you high above the city, offering a close-up view of the Galleria’s majestic dome and a breathtaking panorama of Milan’s skyline. After ascending by elevator, you’ll walk along specially designed pathways, admiring iconic landmarks from an entirely new vantage point. The highlight? A spectacular, up-close view of the Duomo, like you’ve never seen before. Along the way, you’ll discover the fascinating history of the Galleria and the distinctive buildings that define Milan’s skyline. The tour begins in Piazza Duomo and concludes with a stroll through Piazza dei Mercanti, a charming medieval corner of the city, offering evocative views and a timeless atmosphere, just a short walk from the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.

To access the Sunday social programme registration

Building on the themes of the keynote speech, this debate will address the challenges and lessons of the past decade from three distinct perspectives: those of an entrepreneur, a CEO, and a private equity leader. The discussion will offer a multifaceted exploration of how businesses can adapt, innovate, and prepare for the future in an ever-evolving landscape.

Family-owned businesses often outperform their public counterparts in areas like long-term resilience and adaptability, but what drives this success? This panel will explore the vital role of governance in fostering superior performance, long-term continuity, and adaptability in the face of challenges. Speakers will share insights on the qualitative and quantitative benefits of strong governance structures, illustrating how they become a critical advantage for family-owned businesses aiming to thrive in competitive markets.

In a fast-changing world where we are experiencing sudden paradigm overturns, we will discuss how closely held companies identify and prioritise challenges, design strategies for keeping up with fast paced market innovation and team up with partners to face risks and uncertainties: new technologies, geopolitical turmoil and generational shifts shape unedited scenarios ahead. How family run businesses combine their toolbox to leverage on heritage strength and venture in pioneering propositions? We will gain valuable insight drawing from our speakers’ experience in the multinational corporate world and in the management of closely held companies.

In the first part of the workshop, delegates will discuss, in round table groups, a selection of the below topics in the context of a transaction involving a closely held company:

1. Material adverse change

2. Due diligence by the purchaser and disclosures by the seller/founders

3. Earnout, escrow and deal security

4. Deferred purchase price

5. Purchase price adjustment

6. Role of founders as the sellers//founders

7. Role of founders as employees post closing

8. Indemnity and limitation of liability for seller/founders

9. WI insurance

10. Event of defaults/termination events-deal certainty

Each group will prepare to negotiate the topic, either from “seller//founder’s” or “purchaser’s” perspective.

In the second part of the workshop, a mock-negotiation will take place

From the rise of corporate venturing by closely held companies and SMEs, and the blurring of geographic lines, to recent trends in the power play dynamic between founders and VCs -- this panel will discuss current developments in the European early-stage investment sector. The discussion will encompass the growing trend of closely held businesses and small and medium size companies to partner with established VC funds, or create their own funds, as a kind of “VC vertical integration” to outsource R&D in a manner that may also result in investment rewards. The panellists will also consider how blurring geographic lines through the entrance into Europe of America's most established firms, as well as the expansion of European VCs into the bay area, has impacted early-stage deal-flow and processes, and consider the implications of the power play dynamic when founders optimize outcomes for themselves rather than venture investors.

Just like cars require regular inspections—whether it’s the MOT in the UK, the revisione in Italy, the TÜV in Germany, or the ITV in Spain—leaders, too, need a periodic check-up. Are your skills, communication, and emotional intelligence ready for the future? Join this session to assess, fine-tune, and future-proof your leadership.

Women Lawyers Committee breakfast and keynote speech. The breakfast is open to all delegates.

Delegates will work in roundtable groups to discuss selected corporate governance and M&A topics which are particularly relevant for small and family-owned businesses, and which will be debated interactively:

1.Cross-Border M&A: Key regulatory hurdles, such as foreign direct investment (FDI) restrictions and national security concerns - cultural and legal due diligence in cross-border M&A deals, how cultural differences, local laws, and business practices can impact the success of a transaction.

2.AI & Technology in M&A transactions: AI-driven due diligence: Risks, opportunities, and future trends; how AI is transforming due diligence, contract analysis, and risk assessment.

3.ESG Integration in M&A Transactions: can integrating ESG criteria into the acquisition strategy enhance long-term value and reduce potential liabilities? how ESG performance impacts deal valuation and integration?

4.Negotiation tactics in M&A deals: Sharing successful strategies and techniques for negotiating favourable terms during M&A transactions.

5.The importance of diversity on corporate boards: Examining how diversity in leadership roles contributes to better governance outcomes.

6.Governance challenges in family businesses: Exploring the unique governance issues faced by family-owned enterprises and strategies for addressing them.

7.Private equity and family-owned businesses: recent trends of private equity firms partnering with family-owned businesses to drive growth, implement succession plans, and prepare for generational transitions and strategies to balance investor influence with the company’s existing structure and values.

8.Corporate governance in crisis management: How companies can prepare and respond to crises with strong governance frameworks.