Andrew Paddon
My background includes M&A, strategic consulting, equity and debt capital market transactions, technical and operational consulting as well as venture capital investing.
I joined Pottinger in 2008 because it was truly different from other corporate advisory firms - a single integrated team that simultaneously offered the skills of M&A bankers and strategy consultants with the analytic rigor of a data scientists in an environment with no conflicts of interest and an award winning culture.
Previously, I had worked in a variety of technical engineering and strategic consulting roles within the Australian and global IT services, telecoms and digital media industries, including for companies such as Nokia.
Since joining Pottinger, I have broadened my telecoms experience to include providing strategic, financial and government policy advice in relation to other forms of infrastructure and utilities. I am expert in the specialist valuation techniques that need to be applied to price regulated assets, and the approach to transactions taken by private equity firms as well as how to navigate the conflicted interests often found in PPP consortia. I additionally gained experience in advising listed trusts on and other companies on how to respond to unsolicited approaches from third parties and 'hostile' minority activist shareholders. Outside these sectors I provide specialist advice to clients on the long term impacts that rapidly emerging technologies will have on their businesses, including work in the logistics, retail and banking sectors.
Unlike many M&A bankers, I come from a non-traditional background, originally working as a laboratory technician at CSR and software developer in dot com era start-ups. Immediately prior to Pottinger I helped start-ups commercialise their technologies, develop strategic plans, do business with large corporations and finance their operations as a consultant at technology ventures firm Capital Technic. In this role I worked in the TMT, energy and resources, biotechnology, travel and general industrial sectors.
Prior to that I was a Senior Applications Architect in Nokia Networks' Mobile Software Integration division, where in the year 2000 I was responsible for designing, acquiring, integrating and launching the services and content that transformed the mobile phones of the 1990s into the smartphones we take for granted today. In this role I provided strategic advice on 3G services to carriers around the Asia-Pacific region as well as working with numerous 'app' developers and content providers to bring their products to market.
I hold a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Laws degree with Honours in Constitutional Law from Macquarie University, an MBA specialising in financial management from MGSM, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Laws (Corporations, Securities and Finance Laws) from Sydney University. I was also an adjunct lecturer in Accounting, Banking and Finance at MGSM and am a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australia.
I am also particularly passionate about long term thinking that disregards the false securities of "It's always been done this way" especially when applied to deliver a social outcome for government. This is something that naturally drew me to politics as well as to provide policy advice to government. As a result I am now a core member of the Pottinger team appointed to the financial, strategic, commercial advisory panels for Federal Treasury, Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport, Victorian Treasury, NSW Treasury and NSW Department of Transport and WA Department of Finance.
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Advising a State Owned Entity on a possible privitisation in the infrastructure & utilities sector
Advised the Federal Department of Infrastructure and Transport on the feasibility, optimum financing and risk management strategies for large scale transport infrastructure plans
Advised a consortium of bidders on the planned acquisition of the $2bn Optus satellites business
Advised the “mystery foreign bidder” on the $477m acquisition of ASX-listed IT services business, CSG Ltd
Advised one of Australia's largest media companies on its long term strategic growth options
Advised an Internet Service Provider on the design of a loyalty scheme
Advised Tata Consultancy Services on forming global joint ventures and partnerships with Australian technology companies and research institutions
Advised a global IT services and case management company on its inorganic growth options in Australia
Advised Fujitsu on opportunities for inorganic growth in Australia
Provided a fifth global IT services business with a long term organic and inorganic growth option plan and assessment of M&A targets
Advised an Australian Private Equity firm on the proposed acquisition of a large Australian internet service provider
Provided strategic and capital advice to TransACT, one of Australia's larger fibre network operators
Advised Suncorp on the economic profit generated within a pool of mortgages
Advised a large Australian bank on the planned divestment of its wealth and funds management business
Advised Australia Post on strategic growth options including the review of multiple planned M&A transactions in a number of segments including logistics, financial services, retail and telecommunications
Advised a $5bn ASX listed investment vehicle on capital structure arbitrage, valuation, growth opportunities and tactics for responding to activist shareholders
Advised Telstra and Alcatel on establishing a $200m cooperative research centre
Advised on the acquisition of digital services and media content for Optus, Telstra, M1, Starhub, Vodafone, AIS, Globe and Telkomsel
Advised Optus on launching a mobile micropayments business including technical feasibility, ADI bank license requirements and business strategy
Advised Seeing Machines’ shareholders on its AIM listing
Advised Powergrid Cables Tomago on a JV with Tomago Aluminum smelter
Advised SkyCool on a JV with Lend Lease and completed VC fund raising
Advised Bayer on the spin-off and ASX listing of C-Qentec Diagnosics
Advised Onemail on its sale to E-Mitch
Completed venture capital investments in Phee! Phoo!
Andrew’s Perspectives
