A person shall not be appointed as an independent professional adviser if the person is a related company to the offeror or offeree or who has, or had, a significant connection, financial or otherwise, with either the offeror or the offeree company, or the controlling shareholder(s) of either of them, of a kind likely to create, or to create the perception of, a conflict of interest, or reasonably likely to affect the objectivity of his advice.