Experience and expertise from the Corporate Finance Team at Mercer & Hole has long been recognised within the business sector.
The team, headed up by Director, Tania Phillips, has undergone some significant changes recently, including the arrival of Tania into the role less than a year ago. The team predominantly works with companies looking to expand through acquisition or those preparing for sale, expertly guiding them through what can be a complex and detailed process.
“Our role is to work with companies looking to acquire or sell a business, often small owner-managed businesses, where it’s important that we’re there to guide them through the process,”
said Tania.
“It’s a very big deal for many companies, especially if you’re selling a business that has been in the family for generations, when it can be very emotional. Getting the right advice and support is invaluable.”
As well as leading acquisitions and disposals, the Corporate Finance Team meets the requirements of businesses with a range of services including assistance in raising debt or equity investment, restructuring, business valuations and financial modelling.
The Corporate Finance Team comprises:
- Tania Phillips, Corporate Finance Director, whose particular area of expertise is financial due diligence and company valuations for SMEs and owner-managed businesses. She has worked with businesses in a range of industries including software, media, automotive, real estate, leisure, manufacturing and distribution. She enjoys the fact that every project she works on is different, with clients whose needs, businesses and challenges she must get to grips with, to support them through their transaction so they can achieve their
goals.
- Phil Fenn, Audit and Business Advisory Partner, works with the Corporate Finance Team. Combining hands-on experience with excellent technical knowledge, Phil’s commercial insight is particularly valued on business expansion and exit strategies, where his corporate finance expertise includes structuring Management Buyout (MBOs), business valuations, financial due diligence assignments and the acquisition and disposal of companies.
- Vaishali Pattni, Corporate Finance Manager, focuses on buy-side due diligence and valuations, working across a wide range of sectors, providing valuable insights that help clients achieve their goals.
- Ross Lane, Audit and Business Advisory Partner, has strong corporate finance experience and handles M&A deals, financial due diligence and valuations.
- Kelvin Olysanya, a Corporate Finance Assistant Manager, supports the team in working on financial due diligence projects, business valuations and deal advisory.
- Jacqui Gudgion, Corporate and Business Tax Partner, works alongside the Corporate Finance team providing an advisory and solution based approach. Jacqui has experience in tax planning for reconstructions and reorganisations, profit extraction, Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Inheritance Tax and Enterprise Management Incentives (EMI). Jacqui also works closely with the Corporate Finance Team providing tax input on acquisitions (due diligence and structuring work) and disposals advice for corporates and individual shareholders.
The team can also draw on a wide range of experience and expertise from colleagues across the firm’s offices in London, St Albans, Milton Keynes and Rickmansworth to provide clients with the support they need, whatever the type and size of assignment.
Tania said:
“Many of our clients are already with Mercer & Hole for their accountancy and tax services and we step in to guide them through the challenges that transactions can bring. It can be overwhelming, even if you have your own finance team and, typically, there is a need for more in-depth specialist help to relieve some of the pressure that comes with going through a major deal.
“We’re also there to help with the decision making. It may be that it’s simply not the right time to buy or sell a business and we can evaluate an offer for sale or assess the value of what is being purchased. Investigating the robustness of the financial results is a key part of our work”.
The Corporate Finance Team works closely with Jacqui Gudgion to provide specialist tax advice tailored to the individual’s circumstances. Jacqui said:
“I work alongside Tania and her team, overlaying their work with an assessment of the tax position. In a sale, that would be looking at the quality of a business’s tax compliance and identifying any risks so that they can be addressed before the sale process starts. Without this approach, issues may arise that could stop the transaction in its tracks, although often they are points that
impact the valuation as they can be resolved post-acquisition.“There is always some risk when acquiring a business, issues may arise that are totally unexpected and that’s why expert advice
is so important.“Finally, we advise vendors to help them to they understand their obligations under the array of legal undertakings required as part of the sale process and we also provide advice about their own tax position if the business is sold, particularly with regard to their personal tax, and any actions they can take pre-sale to maximise the tax reliefs they are entitled to.
“Tax is an increasingly complex area and a sale is frequently a one-off experience for those involved, so having expert advice is invaluable.”
Find out more about the work of the Corporate Finance team at Mercer & Hole at www.mercerhole.co.uk or call 01908 605552 to speak to a member of the team.
