Gareth Magee
Position: Corporate finance partner Qualifications: CA Career history: 20 years’ experience in corporate finance. Specialist experience in angel and syndicate investment; larger equity fund investment; high-growth start-ups; acquisitions and disposals. Recent deals: Angel investments; UK-wide VCT mergers; six of the 10 Scottish college mergers; RBS-backed MBI.
Kay Thomson
Position: Corporate finance director Qualifications: CA Career history: Trained with Scott-Moncrieff; more than 15 years’ experience in corporate finance specialising in business plans, IBRs, due diligence investigations, feasibility studies etc. Recent deals: Successful fundraising for clients; various due diligence assignments; reporting accountant for several VCT mergers; numerous business valuations; options appraisals on behalf of various funders; advising on shareholder disputes.
Wilson Partners Corporate Finance is the award-winning specialist corporate finance advisory division of Wilson Partners, an independent firm of chartered accountants. From a base in the heart of the Thames Valley, we work with shareholders and entrepreneurial management teams of owner-managed businesses, usually with a turnover of £2m to £100m. Our corporate finance team provides advice across M&A, transaction support, tax structuring, valuation and financial modelling.
Adam Wardle
Position: Director Age: 44 Qualifications: Australian CA; affiliate member of ICAS Career history: KPMG Brisbane and Grant Thornton in Sydney before establishing GE Commercial Finance’s corporate division in the UK followed by co-founding Centric Commercial Finance, Park Capital and WP Ventures LLP.
Chris Wilson
Position: Corporate finance manager Qualifications: FCCA Career history: More than seven years’ experience in corporate finance specialising in fundraising, valuations, due diligence, acquisitions, disposals and other matters, including corporate recovery. Recent deals: College mergers, options appraisals on behalf of funders; various early-stage fundraising assignments; advising on renewable energy projects; numerous valuations of companies and share-option schemes.
Position: Director Age: 40 Qualifications: CA Career history: Qualified with Williams Allan before joining EY’s transaction advisory team in London. Co-founder of Wilson Partners in 2008 Recent team deals: Sale of cloud software business Jupix Ltd to LDC-backed The Property Services Group; sale of Lane Packaging to listed packaging business MacFarlane Group plc; MBO of AVR International; preacquisition due diligence assignments and fundraisings (debt and equity) across a range of owner-managed businesses including the iconic Coronet Cinema in Notting Hill, London.
THOMSON COOPER ACCOUNTANTS
WYLIE & BISSET LLP
James Fennessey
3 Castle Court, Carnegie Campus, Dunfermline, Fife KY11 8PB Telephone: 01383 628800 Fax: 01383 628900 22 Stafford Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7BD Telephone: 0131 226 2233 Email: info@thomsoncooper.com Website: www.thomsoncooper.com Office locations: Dunfermline, Edinburgh Deal types undertaken: Early stage/start-up; acquisition/disposal; MBO/MBI/ BIMBO; refinancing; development finance; PFI/project finance; corporate recovery/ reconstruction. This leading independent accountancy practice delivers a comprehensive range of accounting and business advisory services including accountancy and audit; business start-ups; corporate and financial planning; insolvency; risk management; strategic planning; corporate and personal taxation and IT and marketing consultancy. Since the firm’s creation in 1949, we have an impressive and diverse range of clients from a crosssection of society. Our ability to provide services to such a broad spectrum of clientele is mainly due to the breadth of experience within the firm. We cemented our reputation as an industry leader as multiple category winners in the British Accountancy Awards (2012) and the Scottish Accountancy Awards (2013, 2010 and 2008).
Andrew Croxford
Position: Partner Age: 53 Qualifications: BA, CA, FCCA Career history: Audit manager for PwC before joining Thomson Cooper. Partner with firm since 1990. Specialist in audit compliance, corporate finance and reconstruction. Recent deals: Extensive experience in advising SME clients on a wide range of transactions, particularly fundraising, acquisitions, disposals and restructuring, across various industry sectors.
Ross Oliphant
Position: Partner Age: 32 Qualifications: FCCA, CTA Career history: Joined Thomson Cooper in 2003 and qualified in 2006. Significant experience advising on a wide range of transactions involving SME clients. Recent deals: Full range of mid-market acquisitions, disposals, debt and equity fundraisings and refinancing deals. Also various business restructuring, due diligence and share valuation assignments for a number of businesses across various industry sectors.
ACCOUNTANTS
19
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
168 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 4TP Telephone: 0141 566 7000 Fax: 0141 566 7001 Email: info@wyliebisset.com Website: www.wyliebisset.com Office locations: Glasgow, Oban Deal types undertaken: Early stage/start-up; acquisition/disposal; MBO/MBI/BIMBO; refinancing; development finance; corporate recovery/reconstruction. Wylie & Bisset LLP is a leading 10-partner chartered accountancy and business advisory firm providing services primarily to Scottish SMEs. We rank within the top 20 accountants in Scotland and we are also one of Scotland’s longest-established independent firms. We have a large and varied client portfolio covering a wide range of activities, including audit and assurance, tax planning, corporate finance, business support services, corporate services, financial services, insolvency, debt recovery and IT. Specialist sectors include further education, charities and not-for- profit organisations, healthcare and housing associations.
Allister Gray
Position: Partner Age: 53 Qualifications: CA Career history: CA in public practice for 31 years, advising various sectors. Recent deals: Extensive experience of due diligence exercises in the SME, education and other sectors.
Lorna Wyllie
Position: Partner Age: 39 Qualifications: CA Career history: CA in public practice for 15 years. Heads corporate services department, specialising in management information, business plans, funding and consultancy exercises. Recent deals: MBO transaction; various funding projects; due diligence and consultancy exercises for SME clients, banks and public sector.
Yvonne Kemp
Position: Manager, corporate services department Age: 35 Qualifications: CA Career history: Public practice for 13 years. Specialises in management information, business plans, funding and consultancy exercises. Recent deals: Various funding projects and consultancy exercises for SME clients, banks and public sector.
Harro Leusink
WILSON PARTNERS CORPORATE FINANCE
5a Frascati Way, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 4UY Telephone: 01628 770770 Fax: 01628 878360 Email: adam.wardle@wilson-partners.co.uk Website: www.wilson-partners.co.uk Office location: Maidenhead, Berkshire Deal types undertaken: Early stage/start-up; business sale; acquisition/MBO/MBI/ BIMBO; refinancing; development finance.
Position: Corporate finance manager Age: 36 Career history: In public practice for 13 years, specialised in corporate finance for the last two years with significant experience in preparing businesses for sale; sale and purchase processes including review of sale/purchase agreements, due diligence and valuation; analysis/ preparation of key financial and operational information. Recent deals: Disposal, acquisition, vendor and purchaser due diligence exercises and wider corporate finance projects in the SME sector.
DECEMBER 2014 CA MAGAZINE