Dublin law firm ByrneWallace has hosted a seminar to encourage growing enterprises to consider a stock market listing.

Gerry Beausang, Head of Capital Markets at ByrneWallace, commented: “The purpose of this event was to dispel the common misconceptions around a company going public. It is more achievable than most companies might appreciate.

“Over the years, ByrneWallace has advised a number of clients, across various sectors, in relation to IPOs. As it is a process companies will only live through once, the management team may have limited knowledge of what the process entails, as well as the potential benefits of listing on the stock market and the pitfalls to avoid when carrying out an IPO. We aimed at this event to clarify some of those issues.”

Guests heard from two panels of speakers – one representing companies which have successfully floated, and the other comprising key players from the investor community who have backed IPOs.

Issues discussed included how listing on a public market can lead to more sources of capital; what investors typically look for in an IPO candidate; and  the key steps companies need to take  in order to prepare for an IPO.

In Association with

Panellists included Feargal Mooney of Hostelworld, Brian Caulfield of Draper Esprit, David Kennedy of  Datalex, Eimear Moloney of Zurich Life, James Brennan of ISIF, John Mattimoe of Appian Asset Management, Orla O’Gorman of the Irish Stock Exchange and Linda Hickey and John Flynn from Goodbody.

“It’s a great time for Irish companies to think about going public,” said Hickey. “The IPO market is open and there’s been a number of successful Irish IPOs so far this year. Irish companies are in the spotlight for a lot of international investors, given strong economic growth and continued strong performances from Irish companies that are already listed.”

Photo (l-r): John Flynn, Goodbody; Orla O’Gorman, Irish Stock Exchange; Gerry Beausang, ByrneWallace; and Linda Hickey, Goodbody. (Pic: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography)