Global M&A 

Dr. Michael Hirt is a leading expert and independent consultant on Corporate Finance and Corporate Development topics. He is President & CEO of HIRT&FRIENDS, an independent management consultancy and Director of the Austrian Institute for Management Innovation. He has published widely on Management and Corporate Finance Topics and has served as a visiting faculty member of major universities. Prior to his career as an independent consultant, speaker and management author, he worked as an investment banker with HSBC Investment Bank, as a Corporate Finance Expert with the Austrian Privatization Agency/State Holding Company ÖIAG and as a strategy and management consultant with BCG.

Michael received both his MBA from INSEAD and his Doctorate in Law from Vienna University with Distinction and holds an LL.M. from McGill University, Montreal/Canada. He is a CMC - Certified Management Consultant, award with Distinction. The CMC represents evidence of the highest standards of consulting and adherence to the ethical canons of the profession. Less than 1% of all consultants have achieved this globally recognized level of performance.

Dr. Sonja Legtmann is managing director and founder of EXG Consulting GmbH, an independent corporate finance advisory firm for the mid-market with a special focus on technology companies. At EXG Dr. Sonja Legtmann mainly works on M&A advisory projects in the ICT and services industries.

Before starting her own corporate finance advisory activities Dr. Sonja Legtmann was partner of an international venture capital and corporate finance group and member of the board of several portfolio and group companies.

She started her career working for private and investment banks in Vienna, London and Munich advising on numerous financing, M&A, IPO and privatization projects.

Dr. Sonja Legtmann holds a master degree in business administration and a doctorate in economic sciences. Her working languages are German, English, French and Spanish.

Aitor Arteaga is a Corporate Lawyer, with a Degree in Laws by the UPV and Master in Legal and Tax Advisory. He is one of the founding members of BAUM partners, an independent legal and corporate advisory firm, specialized in supporting small and mid-size industrial companies in their legal and financial affairs. Aitor has developed his career in legal firms, conducting projects for family-owned companies, restructuring of family assets and succession planning. He has participated as speaker and accredited financial consultant for public institutions in the Basque Country.

In BAUM, he provides expertise in M&A projects, as well as in debt restructuring and industrial establishments abroad. Aitor is also highly specialized in private and public capital raising, and financial optimization. He is Legal Counsel and Member of the Board in several industrial companies.