How did your career start in corporate finance?

I actually started my career with RSM UK’s corporate finance team back in 2011 after graduating with a law degree from King’s College London. I completed the ICAEW/CISI Corporate Finance Diploma with them. However, in 2017 I wanted to relocate to Reading to be closer to my family. RSM had no dedicated M&A team there, so I joined an established team at Grant Thornton. After a year, KPMG approached me to help build a relatively new M&A team in the Thames Valley. I joined as an associate director – the first senior lateral hire into the team. Five years passed rapidly. It was intense – delivering work and building a team.

And why the return to RSM?

I got another tap on the shoulder – an opportunity to join RSM as a partner and set up my own team. For me, it was the chance to work holistically with businesses, building trust and goodwill over a period of time. I joined in May 2023 and it’s been very rewarding. The start was both exciting and daunting. I was by myself knocking on doors, speaking to colleagues and working my network to get deals going. The first deal was a buy-side for a private equity house. 

What is your role now?

I am head of M&A across the Thames Valley and South Coast, and I also lead our national M&A consumer team. It hasn’t been the easiest sector recently, but it is starting to return and we have won several recent mandates in the sector. We typically target deal sizes between £10m and £500m, both regionally and in our key industries. 

What training support has RSM provided?

RSM places a lot of emphasis on training and development. When I joined as a graduate, I helped set up training bootcamps for new joiners. It’s great returning to see that they have taken on a life of their own and that training follows people through their careers. I also took part recently in a 12-month partner development programme.

What have been your greatest achievements?

Getting straight into M&A in the first place was an achievement in itself. I was lucky to land in something that I enjoy. I’ve won Dealmaker of the Year twice in two different regions, and won an Excellence Award at the KPMG 2022 People Awards.

And the biggest challenges?

It has been a challenge working in what remains a very male-dominated environment. Learning to navigate some of the sexism has been challenging – but it has got better over time. My approach has been to work as hard as I can and give no one any reason to doubt my ability. At RSM, half of the M&A partners are female, so I have some really strong role models around me. Equally, I want to be a role model for other women. 

What deals have been particularly noteworthy?

At KPMG, I led a transaction that was the firm’s biggest deal in 2022 – we acted for Workdry International, a water and wastewater infrastructure management group, on its acquisition by Arcus Infrastructure Partners. A lot of eyes were on me and there was significant pressure to get it over the line. 

It had so many elements to it, including a defined benefit pension scheme, a family investment company, property extraction and an incredibly complex funds flow. I really learned the benefit of being collaborative. 

In the end we won Large Deal of the Year at the Solent Deal Awards 2023, which was great recognition for everyone’s hard work. 

Our role is to facilitate deals for our clients and it’s easier if everyone is pulling in the same direction. To achieve that, it’s important to be pragmatic and commercial, while understanding what is important to the client. It could be something personal for an owner – on one deal that was ensuring staff continued to get a Christmas turkey every year. 

What are your future ambitions?

Short to mid-term, I want to make a significant contribution to growing RSM’s consulting business. We are on a journey in terms of how we go to market, looking more at solutions rather than projects, which is exactly how I like to work with businesses. Longer term, I would love to experience a board advisory role, where I could draw on my experience and provide strategic advice to businesses over a longer period of time.