Oliver Stephens, associate director at Headpoint Advisors, is firmly focused on delivering market-leading international M&A advice to mid-market companies across the UK.
When did you first become interested in corporate finance?
The 2008 financial crisis brought the world of finance on to my radar. Investment bankers and hedge fund managers were in the news daily. Despite the nature of some of the news, it sounded fascinating, with a variety of interesting career paths. This led to me pursuing a finance degree, with an internship at a proprietary commodity trader, but ultimately I decided to pursue a career in corporate finance. Immediately after graduation, I started an extended internship with Orbis Partners (now Clairfield). I was mainly involved with research, deal origination and writing monthly market reports. It confirmed that corporate finance was the career for me.
Why did you choose to do the ACA?
I wanted to develop the skill set ACA training would give me, as well as the qualification and experience of working for a larger organisation early in my career. I joined PwC in September 2016, as an audit associate. It was a slight risk moving away from corporate finance to something I enjoyed less, but it gave me exposure to the Big Four way of working and taught me skills that would benefit me in the long run when working on deals.
My day’s work is focused on the most important element of any of the transactions I’m working on
What was your next move?
I spent most of my time at PwC in the banking and capital markets team. I had the chance to work on some of the largest financial service audits globally and in the UK. Despite enjoying that, after three-and-a-half years of audit, it was time to get back into corporate finance. I had the opportunity to join Headpoint in February 2021 working alongside Mark Wilson, founder of Headpoint, and Emmet Keating, cutting my teeth on all aspects of the deal, learning the ins and outs of dealmaking from their 40-plus years of experience. As well as learning how to deliver great transaction outcomes for clients, I’ve learned how a corporate finance house can develop and build itself into a client-focused business. In my time at Headpoint, the team has grown year on year, and there is plenty of opportunity for us to grow a lot further.
What is your role now?
As associate director, my role is managing transactions for our clients and pushing these forward each day. The Headpoint mantra is to prioritise clients’ critical actions ahead of anything else, so my day’s work is focused on the most important element of any of the transactions I’m working on. That can range from research on a particular market, drafting an information memorandum or building a financial model, negotiating value points with an interested party, or providing reassurance to a client selling a business they might have founded 30 years ago. I am continuously encouraged by the partners to take on more and more responsibility for the delivery of projects. I also manage and mentor our associates: Henry Baker, Joe Lowe and Ben Skym.
What has been a notable deal for you?
I have managed projects selling companies both to trade buyers – such as Besblock’s sale to Aggregate Industries – and to private equity, such as Oxford Online Pharmacy’s recent growth finance investment from Rockpool. My most notable transaction thus far was the sale of Brandenburg, a Birmingham-based manufacturer of insect light traps, to pest control technology company Pelsis, which is backed by Pamplona Capital. This completed in December 2021. We were initially mandated to sell the UK manufacturing business, but this expanded to include a manufacturing and R&D facility in India and a distribution hub in the US. I led the diligence trip to India with the Pelsis team, which required a three-day whistlestop tour of the facilities in Pune and Bangalore at the height of India’s COVID-19 pandemic. We completed the expanded deal on time and at an enhanced value.
What are your future ambitions?
We work with leading private companies across the UK and are keen to build on this to make Headpoint a significant advisory firm in the UK’s mid-market. Anchored in the Midlands, we deliver national and international deals. I also plan to continue my professional and network development by contributing to our expansion.
