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Corporate Financier

Analysis and insight from the Corporate Finance Faculty

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October 2026

A year of fires, floods and droughts has wreaked havoc on traditional agriculture, with forecasts for worse to come. Time to invest in agritech? We also look at the top 10 trade acquirers in the UK mid-market, manufacturing's role in domestic security and Fargo's acquisition of Ixolution.

Corporate Financier cover image: farming robot

Top of the crops

Rising food prices and extreme weather events have pushed food security up the agenda, prompting unprecedented innovation in agritech. David Prosser explores a sector full of opportunity and flush with funding.
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Views

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Brief encounter: Breaking bread?

Whitbread's uninspiring results came with a fiveyear plan to focus on core operations - but one key shareholder called for a sale regardless. Can the board keep investors on side and recover profit?

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Henry Whorwood
Column: Boom or bust?

As the ground shifts beneath us, with technology and employment laws and taxes in flux, how should we measure the health of UK start-ups, asks Henry Whorwood

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Editor's letter: Not made to measure

Shein flirted with London - and London more than flirted back, says Marc Mullen.

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Faculty news

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Faculty news: October 2026

Dates for your diary, plus submissions and responses.

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Trends

Trendwatch: Bringing it home

Threatened by geopolitical turbulence, governments are holding manufacturers close. Jo Russell reports on how M&A fits in.
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Insider dealing: Boxing clever

August Equity-backed Fargo Group's acquisition of transport management software specialist lxolution shines a spotlight on intermodal freight logistics. Is the sector going places? Jo Russell reports
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Analysis

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Insight: Busy in deals

PE-backed consolidators, particularly in financial services, dominate UK mid-market M&A. Jason Sinclair gets the lowdown on 2026's most acquisitive businesses.
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Future advisory professionals

Tania Phillips
Career path: World of opportunity

Training as a chartered accountant opens doors - to varied careers and flexible working - says Mercer & Hole director Tania Phillips

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Declan Ramsey headshot
On my CV: Minority report

Collaboration and communication are key to getting optimal value from investment stories, says Grant Thornton's Declan Ramsey

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Tania Phillips
Profile: Nuturing the future

She was at Apax Partners in the nineties, ran her own advisory firm in the naughties, then moved into garden centres, space technology and nuclear energy. Antonia Jenkinson tells Marc Mullen why she's now back in VC

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molecule blue bubbles ICAEW Corporate Financier Connections

Connections

Who's on the move in the world of corporate finance, private equity and corporate law
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The archives

Browse Corporate Financier content from September 2026 and earlier.

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