RSM has promoted Sam Dalziel (1) and Phil Robinson (2) to corporate finance partners in the transactions team.

Dalziel has had an international career. She joined RSM’s Manchester office from EY’s transaction advisory services team in Johannesburg, South Africa. She previously worked for KPMG in Johannesburg and before that in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Manchester. She is originally from Johannesburg and started her career with KPMG there.

Robinson, who is based in London and specialises in valuations, joined RSM seven years ago from BDO, where he started his career.

And Gordon Thomson (3) has been promoted to restructuring advisory partner in London. He joined the firm six years ago from KPMG, having previously worked for Kroll and Deloitte.

EY has appointed five new corporate finance partners: Jeremy Ellis (1), Amit Dewan (2) and Mauro Fiorucci (3) in the energy and infrastructure corporate finance practice; and Jack Dessay (4) and Maurice Harbison (5) in its TMT corporate finance team.

Ellis, who has been an infrastructure sector adviser for 25 years, joins from Investec Bank. His focus will be on M&A in energy transition and digital infrastructure. Dewan, who spent the previous 15 years at UniCredit, will lead EY’s capital and debt advisory practice for the infrastructure sector. He has also worked for Bank of Scotland and ANZ Investment Bank. Fiorucci has more than 20 years’ M&A experience and joins from ABN AMRO, where he developed a European M&A practice in the clean fuels, waste-to-value, hydrogen, and energy service sectors. He previously worked for Blackmoon Capital, Barclays Investment Bank and Lazard.

Dessay moves from Drake Star Partners; he will work with Anna Faelten and Markus Salolainen co-leading the TMT corporate finance team. He previously worked for Macquarie and Citigroup, having started his career as an M&A lawyer at Freshfields. Harbison joins from investment bank Bryan, Garnier & Co. He previously worked in M&A for Orion Capital, Barons Financial Services and ABN Amro.

Internationally, the firm has promoted Konstanze Nardi (6) to global private equity exit readiness leader, and Will Rhode (7) to global private equity ESG leader. Based in London, Nardi has spent 20 years with EY in the US, Germany and the UK. She will focus on effectively integrating exit readiness to the firm’s offering on the value creation life cycle.

Rhode joined EY in 2021, from Boston Consulting Group and has more than 15 years of financial services experience, with a focus on sustainable finance, wholesale banking, private equity, risk and financial technology.

KPMG has recruited Oxana Miroshnichenko (1) as partner in its strategy group, from Natura. She previously held senior roles at Avon, Bain & Co and L’Oréal Group, working in business strategy, value creation, due diligence and M&A. At KPMG, she will focus on business and deal strategy, with a particular focus on the consumer products and retail industry.

The advisory firm has also recruited Donnie MacLeod (2) as managing director in its energy M&A team in London. He will specialise in renewable energy and energy transition. He has joined from Standard Chartered, where he spent five years as a senior energy M&A banker. Prior to that, he worked for Deloitte and before that Brewin Dolphin.

ICON Corporate Finance has recruited Will Cave as associate director, from BDO, where he qualified as an ACA, before moving into corporate finance. He started his career with the London-based accountancy firm SRLV.

Evelyn Partners has acquired Ashcroft Partnership, a Cambridge-based firm with clients mainly in the East of England. It specialises in landed estates, farming and agriculture, real estate, leisure and hospitality, and technology.

Ashcroft has a corporate finance team of partners Tom Gallop (1) and Dominic Anthony (2); senior manager Robert Levett (3); manager David Ball (4); and executive Chris Pell (5).

Gallop has almost 30 years’ experience of the Cambridge market, working for BKL, RSM, Deloitte, Price Bailey and EY prior to Ashcrofts. Anthony has been based in Cambridge for 15 years and also previously worked for BKL.

Buzzacott has recruited David Stears (1) as head of valuations. He has more than 15 years of valuations experience, and most recently led the in-house investment valuations team at the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Prior to that, he worked at BDO and Smith & Williamson (now Evelyn).

He has been joined by senior manager Shriya Dheir (2), moving from Buzzacott’s corporate tax team. She previously worked for Deloitte and then Ecovis, before joining Buzzacott at the start of 2020.

Cortus Advisory has recruited Phil Dean as transaction services director in Nottingham, from PwC, where he spent 15 years in Birmingham and Nottingham and trained as an ACA, before moving into the transaction services team in 2011.

UNW has recruited Nick Broadhead as corporate finance partner, from KPMG in Newcastle, where he spent 12 years.

Louise Durkan has re-joined Deloitte as a partner in its Bristol special situations M&A team, from Quantuma. She worked for Deloitte before joining Quantuma three years ago, and before that KPMG and EY.

PEM Corporate Finance has promoted Sam Reynolds to manager. He joined the firm’s corporate finance team in August 2021 as executive, having trained as an ACA with its audit team.

Mazars has recruited Deniz Nadiri as FTSE 350 development partner, from EY, where she spent 20 years and specialised in providing services, including transformational and strategic programmes, to FTSE 100 clients and high-profile listed companies. The firm has also moved its Edinburgh office from Haymarket to a commercial development at Capital Square.

Waterland Private Equity made an (undisclosed value) investment in Moore Kingston Smith in March, which will be used by the advisory firm to offer additional service lines, says managing partner, Maureen Penfold: “It will allow us to invest further in our own business and M&A strategy.”

In April, Moore Kingston Smith acquired Pilot Financial, a workplace pensions, employee benefits and financial planning consultancy for the education sector. 

Clearwater International has merged with Netherlands-based PhiDelphi Corporate Finance, which was established in 2001. Partners Joris Heerkens (1), Harald Miedema (2) and Willem Daris (3) and 13 professionals have joined Clearwater’s 350-strong team to build its M&A advisory business in the Netherlands. Heerkens has been with PhiDelphi 22 years; Miedema eight years, having previously worked for Booz Allen Hamilton and McKinsey; and Daris five years, having previously worked for ING, Bank of America and KPMG.

Skarbek Associates has appointed Ian Pontefract (1) as chairman. Pontefract had a 35-year career with KPMG, was a founding member of its transaction services business, partner since 1999, and focused on asset management and private equity. He succeeds Sir David Wright (2), who will remain a senior adviser to the firm.

Apex Group has recruited Anthony Alfonso as global head of valuation. Based in Phoenix, he joined from BDO, where he was most recently global valuation leader. He previously worked at Mellon Bank, Arthur Andersen, KPMG and Houlihan Lokey.

Heidrick & Struggles, based in Chicago, has acquired London-based strategy and M&A consultancy, businessfourzero.