Ben McNulty

Regional Director - Transaction Services @WPP

Lead a team of five, responsible for financial and commercial due diligence on acquisitions, investments and divestments for WPP, reporting directly into the Group COO- A wide strategic remit has also included ad-hoc FP & A, corporate strategy, development, and restructuring assignments, including the creation of agency margin improvement plans, financial three-statement modelling and sensitivity assessments, internal and external business plan preparation, and finance transformation initiatives- Project manage complex workstreams, engaging with senior internal and external stakeholders, and frequently working to very tight timeframes. Work directly with C-suite at WPP, its agencies, and external parties on a daily basis- Proven track record of successful diligence and material performance improvement- Due diligence focus on media, technology, commerce, and PR companies with exposure to both developed and emerging markets. Performed 60+ due diligence assignments on companies spanning 23 countries. Significant emerging market specific-knowledge from investments across LATAM, Pakistan, and Turkey- Determined valuation, transaction price and have a wealth of experience with completion mechanisms. Role includes establishing the working capital requirements of the business, negotiating key deal terms and performing contract reviews- Instrumental role acting as internal sell-side advisor to WPP C-Suite for the $1.7bn sale of FGS to KKR in 2024, focusing on value preservation during Deloitte\'s buy-side diligence. Also performed sell-side work on the $4bn+ sale of Kantar to Bain Capital in 2019- Range of companies reviewed, including start-ups, SMEs and larger, providing a broad understanding of commercial and operating models across the marketplace- Post deal integration planning and monitoring a key part of the role, ensuring maximum deal value is achieved- Used Spanish language skills to facilitate deals in Latin America.