Grant Thornton invests in M&A team after strong year

Grant Thornton has invested in its mergers and acquisitions team with a number of promotions and new hires after a strong year across its Bristol and Cardiff offices.

Jamie Roberts has been promoted to partner, with Adam Hughes, James Smart and Tom Bew also being recently promoted.

Furthermore, the firm has recruited an assistant manager who is set to start in April this year.

Stand-out deals during 2023 include LDC’s investment in tech-enabled legal services provider The Barrister Group and the sale of specialist infrastructure services provider Hornbill Engineering to OCU Group backed by Triton Partners.

Roberts said: “There is no doubt that the global M&A market has slowed significantly in comparison to its peak levels in 2021 and early 2022. Seemingly constantly shifting political and economic challenges have contributed to the stretching of deal timetables though there remain significant levels of liquidity in the market and domestic and overseas acquirers / investors continue to demonstrate their appetite for strategically important acquisitions that increase their capabilities, efficiencies, and market access.

“The promotions and appointments within the team emphasise the continued importance of the South West and Wales to Grant Thornton’s national Corporate Finance practice and underlines our ability to add value for our clients in conjunction with our well invested sector teams and significant international network.”

Nick Jones, director, added: “The number and range of transactions we’ve completed during 2023, despite the challenging economic environment, is testament to the quality of our team and our continued commitment to the South West and Wales markets. This is supplemented by a deep-rooted sector focus in key areas including healthcare, technology and tech-enabled services, and infrastructure support services.”

The UK Grant Thornton member firm is led by over 200 partners and employs over 5500 staff.