Corporate Finance Lunch 2020

Adrian specialises in UK TMT activities with a particular focus on software and tech-enabled services. He sits on the GCA Global Software Sector Team along with the GCA Global Industrials Team. Adrian has 18 years’ M&A experience across all forms of private and public deals and has advised on 80+ transactions.

Recent deals include the sale of Fuelspricing to US trade buyer PDI; lead advisory and NOMAD on the IPO of Team17; Sale of ResDiary to Accor Hotels; Livingbridge investment in Giacom; sale of stake in Mobysoft to Livingbridge; sale of Mitrefinch to LDC; and sale of Guestline to Riverside.

Adrian joined GCA Altium in 2000.

Jodi Birkett is a partner in Deloitte’s Financial Advisory practice. Jodi leads the Transaction Services team in the North West and works across privately owned businesses, private equity houses and their portfolios and listed businesses. Jodi focuses on the Telecoms, Media and Telecoms industries as well as Consumer, including retail, travel and professional services.

Jodi is the Clients and Industries lead for Financial Advisory in the UK and across North South Europe and also leads our TMT sector in the Regions and a member of the UK TMT Exec.

Jonathan joined KPMG in 1988 and has been a Corporate Finance advisor for 27 years having trained as an ACA with KPMG. Since then he has advised a variety of clients including both private and public companies in respect of company disposals, acquisitions and private equity work.

During his career, Jonathan has won a number of awards including the North West Insider Magazine Deal Maker of the year award for 2012 having previously received the same award in 2009. Jonathan was also awarded the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales Corporate Finance Faculty’s Corporate Financier of the Year Award for 2011.

During his career at KPMG he has advised hundreds of families, business owners, management teams and private equity investors on Strategy and Corporate Finance transactions. Most of his deals have involved helping Clients sell their businesses. Deal sizes have ranged from £1 to £600 million.

Having joined Zeus in 2010, Tremayne has over 20 years of experience in advising both private companies and private equity investors and was previously a Partner at EY. Tremayne has advised on a wide range of transactions including IPO’s, company disposals, mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings, debt restructuring and public to privates.

Lisa Bardsley is an Assistant Director in Transaction Advisory Services in EY. Lisa joined EY in June 2016 after joining Grant Thornton as a graduate. She has gained financial due diligence experience across a number of sectors on acquisitions, disposals, and reporting accountant engagements

Jess Jackson is an investment manager at Praetura Ventures and is responsible for identifying and managing investment opportunities for our EIS Growth Fund and the GMC Life Sciences Fund By Praetura. Jess boasts a wealth of experience working with startups across multiple sectors, including businesses with a social impact focus and is a well-known figure in the North’s investment scene. She is a founding member of Fund Her North – a collective which champions investment opportunities for women – and regularly gives talks around this subject and the early-stage investment market. Prior to joining Praetura Ventures, Jess managed fund deployment at GC Angels and HNWI Capital.

James is Head of Origination at NorthEdge having spent seven years in Corporate Finance at Clearwater International where he was a Director responsible for generating mid-market opportunities and managing the Deal Origination team.

James has experience across a number of sectors meeting with management teams to understand their plans and has joined NorthEdge to identify new investment opportunities via growth and development capital, management buy-outs, equity release and buy-and-build opportunities.

Xavier is a Partner at Livingbridge who leads the Manchester office.  He works with entrepreneurs who strive for innovation and change, having worked on investments such as Frank Recruitment Group, Broadstone and Enterprise Finance. Prior to Livingbridge, he spent 13 years as a corporate finance advisor with Société Generale and KPMG.  Before this, his education at Oxford University and training as an accountant supported his move into private equity and have proved a solid foundation from which to launch a successful career in investment.

Lizzy is a principal associate in Eversheds Sutherland’s corporate group, specialising in private equity and M&A transactions.

Private equity experience includes: advising Phoenix Private Equity on its first acquisition in the childcare sector, H2 Equity Partners on its investments into NRS Healthcare (and on its subsequent sale), Search Recruitment, Cadogan Tate and Aquilant, Sovereign Capital on its investments into Utility Bidder and Premier Park, NorthEdge on its take private of Catalis, Maplin Electronics and its management team on its £86million disposal, Elysian Capital on its investment into Brand Additions, Livingbridge on its MBO of Nationwide Hire and the University of Manchester on its portfolio of early stage investments.

M&A experience includes: advising Wm Morrison on the disposal of its M-Local convenience store business, the Co-Operative Bank on its £157million disposal of a subsidiary property holding company, Fairpoint Group on its acquisitions of law firms Simpson Millar, Colemans-CTTS, Abney Garsden and Lamport Bassitt, Epwin Group on its acquisitions of Stormking Plastics, Vannplastic and Specialist Plastic Distribution, Moneypenny on its acquisition of Made Simple Group and Urban Splash on its joint venture with Sekisui House and Homes England.

Lizzy was awarded the title of ‘Associate of the Year’ at the Manchester Law Society Legal Awards in 2016, was included within Legal Week’s 2019 article entitled ‘40 Under 40: The Rising Stars in Private Equity’ and was listed as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in the 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 editions of Chambers and Partners and as a ‘Next Generation Lawyer’ in the 2018/2019 edition of Legal 500.

Daniel leads the North West Corporate Finance team in PwC.  He has over 14 years professional experience and works with both private and private equity backed companies across the region.  He has advised on acquisitions, disposals and fundraisings across many sectors.