ACG Atlanta: Tomorrow's Deal Dynamics - An M&A Update to Prepare You for 2022

Panelist Robert E. Benson, Jr. represents clients in significant corporate transactions, including domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, spin-offs, divestitures, joint ventures, special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) transactions, complex commercial agreements and strategic investments.  As a Partner in King & Spalding’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity practices, Robert advises public and private companies, private equity funds, boards of directors and special committees in a variety of M&A, corporate governance and general corporate and securities matters.

Robert has extensive deal experience across many industry sectors, including significant depth in consumer products, media, tech, fin-tech and life science industries. Robert has served as counsel to leading companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, Oxford Industries, Molson Coors, Pentair Inc., MasterCraft Boat Company, Roark Capital Group, Roper Technologies, SunTrust Banks, White Mountains Insurance Group, and Bass Pro, Inc., in a broad variety of merger and acquisition transactions and in a variety of general corporate and securities matters. Robert has also represented distressed corporate entities in restructuring transactions and has advised municipalities with respect to Chapter 9 bankruptcies.

Robert was recognized as a New York Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2016 and 2015 and a Georgia Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2018.

Panelist Dave Dase is head of the Investment Banking Division's Southeast Region and has primary responsibility for clients in the Southeast as well as the Technology, Media and Telecom sectors. He has served as co-head of Client Coverage for the Technology, Media and Telecom Group and as a member of the Firmwide Commitments Committee. Dave relocated to Atlanta in 2017 and has worked in the New York, Menlo Park, San Francisco and Los Angeles offices.  

Dave serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Board of Engage Ventures, the Woodruff Arts Center Board of Trustees, the Board of New York City Outward Bound and the Taskforce to Restore Georgia's Economy. He is also a member of the Cornell University Council and has served as an adjunct professor at Cornell. Dave earned a BA in Economics from Cornell University, where he played varsity football and baseball, and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Panelist Barbara (Babette) Henagan has more than thirty years of direct equity investing experience. Before co-founding Linx, she was a Senior Managing Director of Bradford Ventures Ltd., a private equity fund focused on investing in middle-market manufacturing and distribution companies. She received her MBA from Columbia and her AB from Princeton. She was also a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2012.

Babette is currently Chairman of the Board of Northeastern Bus Rebuilders and Gullett & Associates and is a member of the Board of Carolina Precision Technologies, Sagent, Transglobal Services, and Transpro Burgener. Babette is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Atlanta Speech School and a member of the Committee of 200. She serves on the Board of Councilors of the Carter Center. Babette is a Lifetime Trustee of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and serves as Trustee of several other nonprofit organizations.

Babette previously served as Chairman of the Board of several private companies including Metaltech Service Center, Stafford Logistics, and Snowden Pencer. She has served as Chairman or Director of over 30 private and public companies.

When not working with Linx portfolio companies, Babette enjoys gardening, fly fishing and traveling with her husband, Bill.

Panelist Jason von Holstein brings more than a decade of experience in management consulting and financial leadership roles, including performance improvement, shared services design and implementation, financial assessment and transformation, human capital management, organizational design, and pre- and post-close integration planning and execution. He has experience designing and implementing global operating models that leverage shared services and outsourced business processes to drive value and scalability for clients across a variety of industries.

Jason uses his depth of leadership experience to assist public and private organizations across major industries including consumer products, manufacturing, professional services, telecom, and government services. He began his career with Protiviti, and served as a director focusing on business performance improvement.

Education and Certifications

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, University of Oklahoma

After beginning his professional service career at Price Waterhouse, Bob became the first professional employee of Frazier & Deeter, shortly after the firm was founded in 1981. In 1985, Bob became a Partner, and over the next 18 years, he served the firm as head of the Audit and Strategic Consulting Services Departments.

In 2000, Bob founded iLumen, Inc., the CPA profession’s leading business intelligence and analytical platform which is today used by leading CPA firms and financial institutions across the country. Bob served as CEO of iLumen through 2010 and is currently an active board member and advisor to the company.

In 2010, Bob lead the creation of the FD Alliance, a strategic collaborative of non-merged CPA firms located in several metropolitan areas.

In 2011, Bob returned to Frazier & Deeter where he  now serves as the National Practice leader  the firm’s private equity practice, which includes the firm’s fund administration business (FD Fund Administration) and the firm’s Transaction Advisory Practice.  In addition, Bob directs the firm’s marketing and growth strategies on both a national and local level.

Bob has been involved in numerous private company board positions and assists clients in developing and optimizing strategies that impact their business in the spectrum of the entrepreneurial life cycle, including capital formation and exit strategies.

Read more about Bob’s work with entrepreneurs and his inclusion in the book “Finish Big,” in our entrepreneur blog.

Listen to Bob interview industry experts in the Private Equity 360 Podcast on the following platforms: iTunes, Google Play Music and Spotify