Governance & Compliance 13: Employment Rights Act reshapes risk and governance

The Employment Rights Act 2025 is the most transformative shift in UK employment law in a generation. For boards of organisations with UK employees, there’s a lot to get to grips with. In this episode, host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleagues Crowley Woodford and Ruth Buchanan to unpack wha…

Ahead of the Deal: Emma Rapaport, Street Talk

In this episode, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan are joined by special guest Emma Rapaport, Co-Editor of the Australian Financial Review's famed (and feared) Street Talk column. Emma reflects on Street Talk's reputation and influence in the Australian market, the unique role it plays, and the respon…

Governance & Compliance 12: Why the numbers must stack up behind your net zero plans

Setting (and delivering) a climate transition plan is about more than regulatory box-ticking or PR spin. Credible plans are fast becoming a key facilitator for any company seeking to raise capital. In this episode, we discuss what investors want and where companies could be falling short. In this …

Companies braced for rising geopolitical risk exposure

Businesses around the globe are facing heightened risk exposure and cost pressures as geopolitical disruption and price volatility continues to rise. In this episode, we pinpoint what to watch out for and we suggest ways to minimise exposure and mitigate the impact of potential disputes. The curre…

Governance & Compliance 11: Geopolitical risk and supply chains. Is your Board ready?

Supply chain risk is nothing new for boards. What’s changed is the sheer speed and scale of this risk – and the board’s elevated accountability for it. In this episode, we look at why geopolitical scenario modelling is now core business planning. Host Will Chalk is joined by Ashurst colleagues Nis…

World@Work: Whistleblowers, Investigations & the Boardroom - A Multi-Jurisdictional Lens

Ashurst’s Employment partner Jennie Mansfield (Australia) is joined by Employment partner colleagues Clarence Ding (Singapore), Muriel Pariente (France), and Dan Ornstein (United Kingdom) to examine the implications for boards when allegations of misconduct are made against C-suite leaders. As wel…

Ahead of the Deal: Boards and Takeovers

In this episode, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan talk with John O'Sullivan (affectionately known in the market as "JO’S"), a well-known M&A practitioner, chairman and company director with decades of deal experience. JO'S shares his insights on takeover approaches: how to navigate those critical fir…

Takeover Talks: Everything Must Go

Six targets initiated either a private sale process, formal sale process or strategic review in the first quarter. We also saw shareholders pushing back on recommended deals. In the latest podcast, Harry, Maria and Jade unpick the reasons behind the uptick in target-led sale processes and the incre…

Ahead of the Deal: Pre-bid exclusivity

In this episode, Australian M&A partners Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan discuss pre-bid exclusivity and what target boards should be thinking about when granting exclusivity to a prospective bidder at the pre-bid stage. They discuss the differences between 'hard' and 'soft' exclusivity, look at the…

Ahead of the Deal: The new ACCC merger regime

In this episode, Tony Damian and Amelia Morgan meet with Alyssa Philips, Partner in the Ashurst Competition Team, to discuss how the new Australian merger clearance regime is functioning in practice. What's been catching people out, how is the ACCC managing the volume of applications, and what cha…