Bristol-based specialist financial services group Computershare has helped seal a highly complex mega-merger in the global investment management market – proof, it says, that no deal is too big or too complicated to succeed.
Described as a ‘merger of equals’, the tie-up between Janus and Henderson has created a worldwide business with a market value of around £5bn. 
The newly formed Janus Henderson has delisted from the London Stock Exchange – although still headquartered in London – and now has a direct share listing in the US, a secondary listing in Australia and a depositary interest facility in the UK, following the consolidation and merger transactions under Computershare’s management.
The move – which sent shockwaves through the global investment market – has created a business with around $331bn (£257bn) in assets under management. It is expected to deliver $110m in cost savings.
Computershare, which employs around 1,500 people at its UK headquarters at Bedminster Down, handled the share consolidation and reorganisation of the new company’s listings and undertook a wide range of additional services across Jersey, the UK, the US and Australia.
These included shareholder voting and meeting services, migration of shareholder records, consideration calculations, distribution of equity and fractional payments, provision of new and ongoing registry, transfer and exchange agent, depositary interest and company sponsored nominee services together with ongoing cross-border repositioning.
Computershare Investor Services managing director Kevin Firth said: “The Janus Henderson work involved a complex series of corporate actions and registry services across multiple transactions, but this proved no obstacle to its success.
“As industries evolve, regulatory and legal landscapes continue to change, international barriers break down and technology advances, this kind of intricate transaction is likely to become more common.
“Such complexity is no barrier to the success of these deals – nor to the strategic decisions considered by leadership teams.
“Computershare’s unrivalled global reach and experience enabled our global capital markets team to work closely with Janus Henderson and their advisory teams to provide a tailored and efficient registry solution that both meets their legal listing requirements and which benefits both retail and institutional investors alike.”
Janus Henderson global head of investor relations John Groneman added: “The formation of Janus Henderson offers compelling value creation to our investors but there’s no doubt that the merger was complex.
“By partnering with Computershare, we were able to plan and execute all the necessary legal and regulatory steps precisely and effectively, meeting the needs of shareholders in all jurisdictions.”
Australian-owned Computershare was founded in 1978 and is a world leader in high integrity data management, high volume transaction processing and reconciliations, payments and stakeholder engagement. Many of the world’s leading organisations use it to streamline and maximise the value of relationships with their investors, employees, creditors and customers.
It employs more than 16,000 people worldwide.
