Cowgills corporate finance deals surpass £160m in 2020

Cowgills has announced it has delivered deals with an enterprise value of over £160m in the last twelve months, marking a year-on-year rise of 48%, with £84.5m transacted in the final quarter of 2020 alone. In light of this growth, its corporate finance team has recruited Brad Seekings as corporate finance manager, who joins the team from Grant Thornton. Further appointments are expected this month. In its latest update, the group also said its debt advisory team raised CBILS and asset-based debt funding of £47.5m to support more than 30 clients through the pandemic. Cowgills also confirmed it launched ten new projects in the final quarter of 2020, with a particular focus on technology, media, healthcare, ecommerce and the supply chain that service these markets. Corporate finance partner Ian Johnson said: “We are consistently winning work from both boutique and the ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms and are in the top ten list of North West financial advisors on the Experian M&A review. “That success is partly down to delivering a highly integrated offering across multiple service lines within the business and also a result of the strength of the long-term relationships we build with both our clients and investors. Now is a great opportunity for Cowgills to invest in the next generation of new talent and we are excited to welcome Brad to the team.” He added: “Last year was an incredibly tough year for everyone in business but it is really encouraging to know that banks and private equity investors have confidence in the market and are continuing to invest in growing and entrepreneurial businesses. “We are seeing particular strength in the technology and healthcare sectors which continue to attract investment and this market alone accounted for £80m of the deals we delivered in 2020.” Sam Davies, who leads the corporate finance team alongside Ian Johnson and managing partner Paul Stringer, said: “Our £250m pipeline of ‘in progress’ deals has tripled in the last twelve months, this has grown on the back of our strong reputation within mid-market private equity and delivering market leading valuations for our clients.” Stringer added: “Sam is the youngest partner in Cowgills, which is down to his dedication to win and deliver deals in a challenging and competitive market. He is supported by an incredibly capable team which is focused on helping businesses to achieve its full growth potential. “As well as delivering a high volume of deals we are providing strategic and financial modelling advice to clients to help them plan for the challenges this year will inevitably bring while we continue to deal with the impact of COVID on the economy. We are looking forward to a positive 2021.”