Download What Happens When Brands Change Hands?
From headline deals like Vodafone-Three or home builder, Barratt buying rival, Redrow, corporate mergers and takeovers are on the rise. Evan Davis and guests take a fresh look at what happens when companies combine. They discuss why deal-making is growing, why execs turn to M&A, what can go wrong and whether mergers deliver growth or simply disguise deeper problems.
Guests:
Vittorio Colao, CEO at Vodafone Group 2008-2018, and now Vice Chairman, EMEA, General Atlantic
Pip Hulbert, CCO for International Markets at VML
Farshid Azadegan, Director of BEC Distribution
Production team:
Presenter: Evan Davis
Producer: Sally Abrahams
Production Co-ordinator: Katie Morrison
Sound engineers: Russell Newlove and Andy Garratt
Editor: Matt Willis
The Bottom Line is produced in partnership with The Open University
Published on Thursday, 29th January 2026.
Available Podcasts from The Bottom Line
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