PLG Autumn Event 2026
Location:London
Date:10th Sep 2026
Price:£FREE(Non-Members: £50.00)
Location:LondonDate:10th Sep 2026Price:£FREE(Non-Members: £50.00)Our third quarterly PLG member event of 2026 will be hosted by Ropes & Gray on Thursday 10 September 2026.
We are delighted to welcome Richard Girling, Partner at Centreview Partners, to deliver his perspective on what's driving current deal trends and market activity.
We'll then take a look at both ends of the deal lifecycle, starting with how biotech/medtech start-ups can manage risks to maximise deal value. David Dowling and Nitish Upadhyaya from Ropes & Gray will share real-world data and experiences to highlight where, and why, deals succeed and others fail.
We finish with the all important post-deal integration and alliance management, with insight from GSK.
Members can register for free using the button above, small fee for non-members.
Speakers
Richard Girling is one of Europe’s leading healthcare investment bankers with over 30 years of experience and has advised on many of the largest healthcare transactions in Europe, the US and Asia.
Mr. Girling established the European business of Centerview Partners in 2009 and co-founded the Life Sciences practice. Prior to this he was Global Co-Head of Healthcare investment banking at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Girling joined Merrill Lynch from Salomon Brothers where he was Head of the European Healthcare team.
Mr. Girling is an Honorary Fellow of St Anne‘s College, University of Oxford and a member of the Executive Advisory Board for the Centre for Personalised Medicine at the University of Oxford. Mr. Girling holds a B.A. and M.A. degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford.
David Dowling has a broad range of experience advising clients on M&A and venture capital transactions. David has a particular expertise in life sciences, medtech, pharma, biotech and healthcare. David also advises on other IP-rich and regulation-heavy industries, such as artificial intelligence, defence and insurance.
David advises many of the leading corporate venture corporations and financial investors, as well as start-ups (including university spin-outs). David has significant experience of acting for growth and private equity investors and their portfolio companies on a range of issues, including acquisitions, equity investments, disposals, management incentivization and corporate restructurings.
David is a guest teacher on the legal aspects of private equity and venture capital on the LLM at the London School of Economics. Prior to this, David taught for five years as a course leader and lecturer on the law of international private equity finance on the LLM at King’s College London.
In 2022 David spent 9 months on secondment to Johnson & Johnson, where he acted on a range of matters including for Johnson & Johnson Innovation and JJDC as well as advising on licensing transactions.
Nitish Upadhyaya is Director of Behavioral Insights at Ropes & Gray's Insights Lab which combines world-class legal services with expertise in analytics and behavioral science.
Nitish specializes in distilling insights from cutting edge fields, ranging from behavioral science to human-centered design, into actionable strategies for clients. With a Masters in Behavioral Science, coupled with a background as a litigator specializing in multi-jurisdictional investigations and complex financial services cases, Nitish is uniquely positioned to co-design with clients an entirely new approach to legal and compliance matters.
Prior to joining Ropes & Gray, Nitish led a multi-disciplinary innovation team at another global law firm. In this role, he designed and developed new products and services and worked with emerging legal technologies. Nitish began his career as a litigator at the same firm, living and working in a range of locations including New York and Hong Kong.
| 4.30pm | Registration Networking tea and coffee |
| 5.15pm | Welcome & Introduction |
| 5.20pm | M&A Deal Trends RICHARD GIRLING Partner, Centreview Partners |
| 5.40pm | How can biotech/medtech start-ups manage risks prior to an investment and exit? DAVID DOWLING, Counsel & NITISH UPADHYATA, Director - Behavioral Insights, Ropes & Gray |
| 6.20pm | Alliance management |
| 6.40pm | Summary |
| 6.45pm | Networking Drinks Reception |
| 8.30pm | Finish |
Location:LondonDate:10th Sep 2026Price:£FREE(Non-Members: £50.00)