Why accountancy?
I studied for an accounting and finance degree at Newcastle University. I was good at maths, so thought I’d be good at accountancy – even though that doesn’t necessarily follow. After graduating, I was keen to go back to Edinburgh, which is where I am from. I was pleased to be offered a position at Chiene + Tait, a well-respected accountancy firm in the city, with a good training record. As a decent-sized regional firm, it has many types of clients, including charities, housing associations and pension funds. It was a great place to train and I was given a good level of autonomy.
How challenging were the exams?
I found it a huge step up from university. The firm was supportive and I was given blocks of time off, but ultimately I had to fit them in around the day job, which was quite challenging. I got some exemptions because of my degree, but there was still a vast amount of technical information to take in over a short period of time. I vividly remember the day I passed – it was a massive relief.
The qualification has been incredibly useful for my career development. For example, the last part of the exam is a case study where different elements, be it audit or tax modules, are all brought in and put into practice. I have to do that on a daily basis – think about all the different elements and the impact each one has.
Why did you move into corporate finance?
I wanted to do something more advisory and more involved with strategic decision-making in business. Corporate finance seemed the way to go, but Chiene + Tait didn’t have a corporate finance department at that time. I’d audited some of Scott-Moncrieff’s clients and had been to its offices in Glasgow – it seemed like a similar firm. Glasgow is culturally quite different from Edinburgh and I wanted to have a different experience while still learning. I moved in 2016 and was immediately involved in quite wide-ranging work: M&A advisory, diligence, financial modelling, financial reviews for Highlands and Islands Enterprise development agency and working with start-ups and early-stage companies on business plans.
After three years at Scott-Moncrieff, I was contacted by a partner at Panoramic. I wasn’t looking to move, but I was looking to move to private equity in the future, so I decided that it was the right time. Panoramic is a small entrepreneurial firm, so I knew I would get great experience. I joined in September 2019.
And your current role?
I’m involved with both deal origination and portfolio management. Our deal pipeline takes up quite a lot of time. We invest in around three to five businesses a year, but as a team we look at north of 400 a year. I’m a board observer on two of the businesses that were in the portfolios when I joined. Both are around the £6m-£10m turnover mark. One is Precision Engineering Solutions, which works across motorsports, aerospace defence, oil and gas. Working with a partner, I helped it with the acquisition of Portsmouth-based Langstone Engineering last year and we’re now in the integration phase. We can be hands on and help with the day-to-day business if needs be, or we can be more of a sounding board. We help in the hiring of new people, additional fundraising or expansion into new countries or markets.
What is your most memorable deal?
We’re coming to the end of our second fund, so we’ve had some recent exits. One was Plumbworld, a bathroom e-commerce retailer. For me, that was a great example of private equity working well. It was originally a management buy-out from Grafton Group. It had a really strong management team and that made it attractive to trade buyers. The business was bolted on to Highbourne, which is backed by HIG Capital. After three years, it was a natural exit point for us. The management team has done very well and the business continues to be a success as part of Highbourne.
What are your future plans?
We’re in the process of raising our next fund, which will hopefully come online in the next few months. Once that happens, there should be a flurry of activity and I’m sure we’ll see Panoramic grow further.
My goal for the next five years is to take the career opportunities and grow with the firm.