Agenda

• 12:00 – 1:00 P.M.

  LUNCH & REGISTRATION

• 1:00 – 1:10 P.M.

  WELCOME & OPENING REMARKS : A Pivotal Time for Antitrust Risk, Strategy, and Enforcement

  Speaker: Christian Horstkotte (Partner, Mayer Brown, Düsseldorf and Brussels)
• 1:10 – 1:50 P.M.

  KEYNOTE CONVERSATION: MAKING SENSE OF CHANGE AT THE CMA

  There has been a seismic shift in the CMA’s approach and objectives in the past year. With the Penrose report on CMA reform as a touchstone, this session will bring together former senior CMA officials and leading policy voices to assess what changes mean in practice and where UK competition enforcement is heading next.
  
  Speakers: John Penrose (former Competition Advisor to Rishi Sunak, Honorary Professor at Kings College, London), Stuart Hudson (Global Co-Lead Regulatory Practice, Brunswick) and Robert Ryan (Partner, Oxera Economics). Chaired by Daniel Vowden (Partner, Mayer Brown, London).
• 1:50 – 2:30 P.M.

  PANEL 1: MERGER CONTROL IN EUROPE — ENFORCEMENT TRENDS, INDUSTRIAL POLICY AND THE GREY ZONES

  Merger control enforcement in Europe has shifted markedly, creating fresh opportunities and challenges for dealmakers. This panel will explore current EU and UK enforcement trends, the growing influence of industrial policy and competitiveness considerations, including the evolving role of efficiencies. Panellists will discuss what these developments and the most recent cases concerning non controlling minority shareholdings, mean for transaction planning.

  Speakers: Christian Horstkotte (Partner, Mayer Brown, Düsseldorf and Brussels), Nathalie Jalabert-Doury (Partner, Mayer Brown, Paris and Brussels), Daniel Vowden (Partner, Mayer Brown, London) and Rebecca Bothamley (Partner, Mayer Brown, London)

• 2:30 – 2:40 P.M.

  NETWORKING BREAK

• 2:40 – 3:20 P.M.

  PANEL 2: OPEN MARKETS, NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE EVOLVING BOUNDARIES OF ANTITRUST

  While the underlying objectives of FDI screening, merger control and the EU foreign subsidy regimes differ, we are seeing increasing similarities and overlaps in practice. This is raising fundamental questions about whether economic security considerations risk distorting competition assessments and, in turn, whether competition tools are being repurposed to serve industrial policy goals. Drawing on developments across Europe, the panel will explore the tensions between open markets and national security priorities, offer practical guidance on navigating these intersecting regimes and getting deals done.
  
  Speakers: Professor Ioannis Kokkoris (Member of the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, Chair in Competition Law and Economics, Queen Mary University, London), Jean-Maxime Blutel (Partner, Mayer Brown, Paris) and Mark Hills (Partner, Mayer Brown, London).
• 3:20 – 4:00 P.M.

  PANEL 3: PRIVATE LITIGATION AND THE UPSURGE OF LITIGATION FUNDING

  Third-party litigation funding is reshaping private antitrust enforcement. Better-capitalised funders are enabling larger, cross-border and multi-jurisdictional claims, raising the stakes for defendants and transforming settlement dynamics. This panel will examine how funding is influencing case strategy, leverage and risk exposure, and consider the regulatory outlook for litigation funding in Europe.

  Speakers: Britt Miller (Partner, Mayer Brown, Chicago), Jan Henning Buschfeld (Partner, Mayer Brown, Düsseldorf) and Airlie Goodman (Partner, Mayer Brown, London).

• 4:00 – 4:10 P.M.

  NETWORKING BREAK

• 4:10 – 4:50 P.M.

  PANEL 4: PRACTICAL PERSPECTIVES ON HORIZONTAL COOPERATION

  As regulators continue to refine their approach to collaboration between competitors, businesses face both new opportunities and heightened scrutiny. The boundaries of permissible cooperation are being tested and redefined. Topics for discussion will include joint ventures, information sharing, and sustainability collaborations. We will examine the latest enforcement trends, regulatory guidance, best practice and practical strategies for structuring compliant collaboration.

  Speakers: Christopher Duff (Senior Legal Counsel and Executive Director, Credit Agricole CIB), Alessandro Turati (VP International Legal, Global Antitrust and Government Affairs, Hasbro) and Johannes Weichbrodt (Partner, Mayer Brown, Düsseldorf).

• 4:50 – 5:00 P.M.

  CLOSING REMARKS

• 5:00 – 6:45 P.M.

  NETWORKING RECEPTION