finance Another successful year for deals
HMT saw a busy end to last year and plenty of deal flow in the first part of the new year meaning that 2016 has once again been a fantastic year for completing deals for our clients, writes Ian Barton
Our team has advised on 36 completed deals since January 2016 with an aggregate value in excess of £225 million and we have this year again demonstrated ourselves as the largest and the most active corporate finance team in the Thames Valley.
HMT advised on some of the most significant deals in the region including the fundraising and acquisition of PDF by The EPI Group, the investment in video community Channel Mum by NVM Private Equity, the MBO of Marlow-based software company CIPHR backed by LDC, and the disposal of QTR Transport to logistics giant Palletforce.
Our due diligence team have completed a number of high-profile assignments
since January 2016 including the acquisition of Take 2 by Procam, the investments in Thread and My 1st Years by Beringea, the MBOs of Dalepak and Indigo Telecom and the investment in MPB by Mobeus Equity Partners.
We have also seen an excellent first full calendar year for our debt advisory team with six deals completed and over £50m of debt arranged, including a £20m debt raise to support the acquisition of Whittlebury Hotel and Spa resort.
On the back of our active deal flow, HMT has been busy on the recruitment front for both our London and Henley-on- Thames offices. The past 12 months has seen us continue to grow our corporate finance
Leading the way
Jonathan Walton, director at Whitley Stimpson, one of the largest independent accountancy firms in the area, explains how leadership of the firm is changing to meet the future needs of the business
2016 was a busy year for Whitley Stimpson following its merger with Witney-based Morgan Harris Group, which followed the firm’s previous strategic shift with a merger trail of accountancy practices in Bicester and High Wycombe. This created a network of four regional offices providing vast opportunities for growth across a wider geographical area, and that of services offered to existing and potential clients.
For the past 86 years Whitley Stimpson has been managed by its directors through a consensus of democracy, with each director having a vote on all aspects of the business, and it will continue to do so. As the business grows, so too does the number of directors and with 14 directors,
this can mean considerable debate which needs strong leadership recognising the needs of everyone and the culture of the firm.
In April 2017, I take over as the de-facto managing director of Whitley Stimpson succeeding Malcolm Higgs, who has successfully steered the firm for many years, and now takes up the position of chairman. Having studied politics, philosophy and economics at university, and having run a very successful office for a number of years, I’m quite good at recognising issues as they arise: that coupled with my MBA from Reading University, and my MA in Leadership Studies from Exeter University, should hopefully help the business as we move
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – MARCH 2017
practice with the recruitment of five members of staff at senior level in both our lead advisory and transaction support teams.
In the past year, HMT has been recognised with several awards, winning ‘Corporate Finance Team of the Year’ and ‘Dealmaker of the Year’ at the 2016 Thames Valley Deals Awards. In addition, deals that we initiated and led secured success in both of the ‘Deal of the Year’ categories – the MBO of Whistl (over £25m) and the MBO of BOFA (under £25m).
Recognised by our clients and our peers as the leading adviser to entrepreneurial business in the Thames Valley during 2016 we have a strong pipeline for 2017 with several deals due to complete in the coming weeks across each of our lead and
debt advisory services lines together with over 10 active transaction support mandates.
Our success is deep rooted in the Thames Valley and South of England though and 2017 sees HMT celebrating its 25th anniversary of advising ambitious entrepreneurs, making us the longest established independent advisory practice in the Thames Valley. We look forward to continuing success in completing deals and celebrating this milestone with our clients and peers.
01491 579740
ibarton@hmtllp.com hmtllp.com
into the next phase of our life- cycle. Having graduated from Oxford University, which boasts it has been educating leaders for 800 years, I know I picked up valuable leadership lessons along the way.
I will be supported by director Martin Anson, who takes the role of finance director, and we will reshape the business putting our people at the forefront, recognising that they are our future. Our focus will be to continue to attract new talent, nurturing them through their professional examinations and anticipating their future development needs, so that they stay with us.
We are also bringing our network of four offices under the single brand name Whitley Stimpson, consistently ranked in the top 100 accountancy list. Last year we were recognised as one of the top 10 accountancy employers in the country by Accountancy Age, the leading publication in the accountancy world.
Above all, as we continue to grow, we want to maintain and deliver excellence and consistency throughout, specifically better organised to deliver value to our clients, as well as creating a great place for our people to work.
whitleystimpson.co.uk
businessmag.co.uk
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