Services

Dragoman assists clients by providing political and commercial advice to companies and individuals assessing acquisition opportunities, often in foreign jurisdictions. Areas of advice include:

• If, how and when to invest across borders, taking into account a company’s risk appetite and current level of exposure;
• Communication “in country” about the acquirer and its intentions;
• An assessment of potential joint-venture partners;
• An understanding of the terms on which business is conducted in that country;
• A deep understanding of how politics, public policy and commerce intersect to devise commercially viable and actionable engagement strategies;
• Assistance in the due diligence process relating to the assets in that country; and
• Intelligence on local business practices, practitioners, ethics and government and regulatory authorities;

Dragoman works with clients that are looking to enter foreign geographies, and those that are already invested abroad, to gain competitive advantage by attaining and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of their operating environment. Dragoman leverages the knowledge and experience of its sectoral and geographical experts with a deep understanding of its clients’ objectives and risk appetite to assess issues involving country risk. Dragoman helps its clients understand and manage the following:

• Understanding of local culture and norms;
• Identification of major sources of risk, seeking targeted expert reviews of each area;
• Gathering and analysing market intelligence to provide our clients with competitive advantage;
• Commercial issues that manifest themselves from the politics of the country and region;
• Mitigation strategies that place the client into a strong position across a number of different risk scenarios;
• Develop representation to ensure a robust and mutually beneficial relationship with clients and the country in question; and
• In conjunction with the client, establish a risk matrix defining the likelihood and potential impact of each significant risk that could be faced by the client in that country.
   

Dragoman works hand-in-hand with its clients to provide them with a robust understanding of public policy and to help them shape favourable policy outcomes, including identifying administrative risks,  articulating how government works, providing insight into key players and ensuring clients maintain a practical understanding of the political and policy imperatives of key decision makers and influencers.

• Assistance in identifying and coalescing alliances that support the policy outcomes clients are seeking;
• Advice around engagement with multilateral agencies (including the World Bank, Export Credit Agencies and UN institutions), service companies, political leaders, civil servants and public research institutes, administrative figures, think tanks and the media;
• Stakeholder mapping to help clients understand the formal and informal power structures and priorities of key decision makers and influencers; and 
• Granular insights and analysis around the competitor landscape.

• In conjunction with the client, establishing a risk matrix defining the likelihood and potential impact of each significant risk that could be faced by the client in that country.
• Corruption laws and anti-bribery regimes – ensuring companies have the strongest protocols and appropriate strategies to prevent and deter corruption.
• Working with clients to ensure that they have policies and practices in place to mitigate, identify and address modern slavery concerns in their supply chains.