Shield's international reach

International team

Our M&A professionals have lived and worked (with blue chip international investment banks) in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy and South Africa. Our mandates frequently involve sellers in continental Europe and in the US as well as the UK. Our buyer searches almost always have an important international dimension.

We work in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, preferring mother tongue communication with clients and counterparts whenever possible.

Shield has offices in London, Poole and New York; and representatives in Beijing, Singapore, San Diego and Johannesburg.

International partners

In 2003 Shield announced a strategic alliance with two of Asia's leading financial institutions: Tianyi Securities (China) and Softbank Investment Corporation (Japan). The alliance sees the three firms referring clients to one another for advice on M&A transactions and corporate strategy in their respective markets.

Tianyi Securities, headquartered in Shanghai, is China's fourth-largest securities firm by net earnings. It is a member of both the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges, and provides a range of investment banking services, including corporate finance advice, securities underwriting and online trading.

Softbank Investment Corporation is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and manages venture capital funds worth ¥;;;;;150 billion (£810 million). Its portfolio comprises 444 companies, located both in Japan and overseas.

International network

In addition to our Far Eastern partnership arrangements, we maintain good relations with a network of M&A advisory firms across Europe and in the US, to supplement our strong research capabilities in buyer identification if appropriate.