Accountancy and business advisory firm BDO has grown the headcount of its northern M&A practice by 40% in the past year as the team announces the latest hire, Mike Clarke.
Mike, 31, is returning to BDO following two years at BGF, the UK’s most active growth capital investor. He rejoins BDO as a Director to provide hands-on support to businesses looking for development capital up to £10m from private equity, VCT funds or traditional debt.
At BGF, Mike made investments into ambitious mid-market companies across the region. He worked with businesses in a range of sectors, and has particular experience in the leisure industry, including high-profile deals such as restaurant and deli chain Filmore & Union and Coppergreen Developments, the owner and operator of Woodland Lakes Lodges and the Piperdam Resort and Spa.
His role was to lead on the investment process and to attend board meetings post-deal, adding value gained from his M&A and financial experience to the owners of portfolio companies to reach their goals.
Prior to this, Mike was at BDO in Leeds for more than eight years in which time he advised on the sale of La Tasca to Casual Dining Group. Commenting on his return to the firm, Mike said: “The BDO northern M&A team is going from strength-to-strength, growing headcount by 40 per cent last year and completing a consistent flow of quality deals.
“Our region is home to a lot of great management teams who can take advantage of the abundance of capital in the market currently looking for a home. It is a great time to be raising equity investment, whether it is to de-risk, fund working capital or make acquisitions. My appointment brings a re-energised focus on development capital deals and reinforces BDO’s commitment to mid-sized businesses.”
Joining BDO’s M&A team at the same time is Chris Cumber and Andrew Kopciowski. Chris joins the Manchester office as a Senior Manager from Brabners where he was a Corporate Finance Senior Executive in its Liverpool office. Andrew, who joins the team as Corporate Finance Executive, was previously working in the audit team at BDO.
Jason Whitworth, partner at BDO said: “The M&A team has had a stand-out year and our continued investment and success is testament to our entrepreneurial and ambitious clients across the north. We will continue to look to increase our capabilities across our Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool offices to cover the northern region.
“We are very pleased to welcome Mike back and it is great to see our people develop. We continue to provide an environment in which they can carve out successful careers.”
