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Corporate finance

Advice from one of the UK's most active dealmakers

Supporting business owners, investors and management teams with business sales, acquisitions, fundraising and valuation advice

We’ll put our experience to work on your deal. You’ll have senior advisers involved throughout – asking the right questions, helping you navigate potential sticking points and making sure you’re well prepared before you proceed. That practical, hands-on support is one of the reasons so many of our clients’ deals succeed.

We can support every stage of your transaction. Whether you’re selling, buying, investing, raising debt finance, carrying out due diligence or looking for transaction tax advice, our experts can help you plan your next move.

Contact our advisers

Get expert support with buying, selling, funding or due diligence. Talk to our corporate finance specialists in confidence – your initial chat is free.

Is now the right time to seek advice?

We regularly help business owners who are:

  • Considering selling their business

  • Exploring acquisition opportunities

  • Looking for growth or acquisition funding

  • Planning succession arrangements

  • Unsure how much their business is worth

  • Preparing for discussions with investors

It’s never too soon to get advice. Even if you’re at an early stage, a conversation today could help you avoid costly mistakes later.

A truly personal approach

“PKF Francis Clark were instrumental in getting this deal over the line. They understood our concerns and priorities and what really shone through was their ability to help us take the emotion out of an emotive subject, providing a voice of reason to help us understand issues from all points of view and ultimately reach positions that were acceptable to both sides.” Andrew Piper, MD, DP Seals
“PKF Francis Clark were instrumental in making this transformational deal happen for us. We enjoyed working collaboratively, from the initial exploration of our options through to completion. Their proactive support throughout the whole process was invaluable.” Harry Hodgkin, CEO and Co-founder, The Barrister Group
“We are all very glad that we appointed PKF Francis Clark to guide us through this process and consider ourselves fortunate to have had Tom and his team on our side. They have dealt with us personably throughout and their hard work, patience and professionalism were instrumental in bringing the deal to a successful conclusion.” Neil Richardson, MD, Microwave Amps
“PKF Francis Clark took the time to understand our work and our objectives. Their collaboration from the initial exploration of options to the closing stages of the deal, and their active support, and wealth of knowledge and experience, proved invaluable throughout the process. Their outstanding service is spot on and demonstrated in constant communication and ongoing quality.” Stan Bond, Founder, Principal Doorsets

How we help

From planning and preparation through to negotiation and completion, our corporate finance team provides practical, hands-on support at every stage of your deal.

Business sales and acquisitions

Achieve the best outcome with expert guidance on valuation, buyer identification, negotiation and deal execution.

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Debt and equity finance raising

Secure debt or equity funding to support growth, acquisitions or succession plans.

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Business valuations

Understand what your business is worth today – and why – and how to enhance value for the future.

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Due diligence

Identify opportunities, manage risk and complete transactions with confidence.

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Meet our corporate finance experts

Meet the team

A glimpse into who we are and what drives us. Our corporate finance leaders discuss the team’s recent growth, the dynamic market, and the added value they bring to their clients.

Andy: The corporate finance team at PKF Francis Clark has got over 50 people in it now, and we have continued to grow across a range of sectors and a range of specialisms. So whilst the current year has been challenging, we’ve continued to grow the team in terms of the people we’ve got and the range of transactions we’ve worked on.

So in terms of staffing, we’ve recruited across all grades in the current year, we’ve taken people from big four, from mid-tier, but it’s been fantastic news that we’ve had three internal promotions, to partnership across a range of specialisms in terms of our due diligence, transaction support and in terms of our M&A.

I think one of the differentiators we have as a team here is that the individuals really care about what they do. They like building a great relationship with the clients and helping them to achieve what they’re really wanting to do.

That’s a very different approach to people who just see it as a job and as a result of that, the relationship we build with our clients often results in not just one transaction, but if we’ve been involved in assisting them, they recommend us to others or if they’re undertaking something else again, we have a great repeat track record.

Matt: There’s been quite a few standout transactions and outcomes for clients this year, but I think there’s one that stands out in my mind, and that was where a client had been approached by a private equity group and they’d had an indicative offer on the table.

We got involved, looked at the business’s underlying performance, and it was a growing business so we could project out the increase in performance and profitability and really demonstrate to the buyer that it was worth more than their offer, and we were able to negotiate the deal up by about 50%. So huge added value to a client from our involvement.

Nick: So corporate finance market is quite exciting at the moment, it has been a challenging market, but actually what does that mean? There’s a lot of latent transactions. There’s a lot of shareholders and business owners that are interested in looking at transactions and opportunities. There’s sort of a lot of activity in the market, a lot of funding available, big shifts in terms of the private equity involvement in the market.

We’re seeing that continually grow and then obviously technology coming into unlocking sort of how we’re working with businesses, how we’re finding buyers. People you know, being able to demonstrate more in terms of data is sort of making the market shift and the dynamics within that are changing.

Paul: There’s so many more options for clients to unlock wealth or investment. And so our sort of toolset has to be much bigger. And as a result, we’ve got more people around us with specialisms. And being able to unlock that for our clients is really exciting.

Andy: And that’s why I’m very grateful for the team’s expertise, the advice we’ve given to clients, making this the fifth year in a row that we’ve had a record performance.

Considering a transaction?

Start the conversation early and give yourself more options when the time is right. Whether you’re considering a sale, acquisition, fundraising exercise or valuation, our award-winning corporate finance team can help you understand your next steps.

FAQ's Corporate finance

When should I speak to a corporate finance adviser?
Ideally before you’re ready to go to market. Early advice can help you understand your options, prepare properly and avoid issues later. We’d recommend an initial conversation months or years before you want to kick off the formal process .

Is the first conversation confidential?
Yes. You can speak to us in confidence about your plans, challenges and options before deciding on next steps. There’s no pressure or obligation — just a confidential conversation to help you understand what might be right for you.

How long does a business sale or acquisition take?
Timings vary depending on the business, market conditions, buyer interest and complexity of the deal, but early preparation helps the process run more smoothly.

We regularly advise owner-managed businesses, shareholders, management teams and investors across a wide range of sectors, so we can provide advice based on your own goals and circumstances. See our recent deals for some examples.

Can you help me understand what my business is worth?
Yes. We can provide valuation advice to help you understand current value, key value drivers and potential steps to improve value before a transaction.

Can you help raise finance for growth or acquisitions?
Yes. We can help assess your funding options and approach suitable lenders or investors based on your objectives.