Member Article

BDO invests in corporate finance expertise in East Midlands

BDO LLP, the accountancy and business advisory firm, has expanded its corporate finance offering in the East Midlands.

Corporate finance assistant director Vinny Patel joins the team to help service the increased demand from local companies that have set their sights on acquisitive growth and related M&A activity in 2014.

Working across the three BDO offices in the East Midlands – Nottingham, Leicester and Lincoln - Vinny will work closely with partners Chris Bond, a specialist in M&A tax, and Rick Wilson, who as relationship partner has been involved in a number of large deals for his audit clients including the £200m disposal of TDX to Equifax and the IPO of Benchmark Holdings plc.

Vinny Patel, assistant director at BDO, said: “As the market picks up and businesses become more confident of a future worth investing in, there are an increasing number of local companies targeting acquisitive growth. Our pipeline proves that the demand for deals is coming from regional companies, with London’s dominance reducing and accounting for just 23% of transactions compared to 42% the year previous.

“Equally overseas companies are also honing in on the region as they too see the opportunity to secure good quality assets and gain market share. A mixture of renewed optimism, the relaxation of funding lines and opportunistic buyers should fuel mergers & acquisitions in 2014.”

Rick Wilson, partner at BDO, said: “There is a growing demand for corporate finance expertise from our client base, as they looking to capitalise on a more buoyant economy. Local companies need quality advisers that understand their business and have the expertise to guide them through this next stage of growth in both domestic and international markets. Vinny brings exactly that and we’re delighted to have him on board.”

Vinny has significant experience in acquisition/vendor due diligence and reporting accountant work to the corporate, private equity and banking community. He has advised on more than 50 transactions across a range of industry sectors during the last seven years; the most recent of which being the AIM IPO of Benchmark Holdings plc.

BDO’s international network has more than 1200 offices across 144 countries. Vinny and the team will utilise this global reach to ensure local businesses with international ambitions get access to opportunities from around the world.

BDO Corporate Finance in the Midlands was rated the most active financial adviser in 2013 by Experian Corpfin having been involved in 26 transactions in 2013.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by BDO LLP .