Connections: corporate finance advisory appointments and promotions

PKF Francis Clark has made a trio of appointments to its corporate finance team in Southampton: Darren Phillips (1) as corporate finance director, Will Birchall (2) as senior associate and Sam Willis (3) as analyst. 

Phillips has joined from BDO, where he spent 23 years and was a transaction services director. Prior to BDO he worked for EY and PwC, where he trained as an ACA. Birchall has joined from Deloitte, where he spent five years and trained as an ACA. Willis has joined from Scrutton Bland, where he spent four years working in corporate finance. 

Former EY UKI strategy and transactions senior partner Michel Driessen has become chair of the new deal transactions advisory firm Queen's Tower Advisory, which focuses on providing financial due diligence, enabled through AI and technology, for private capital. He spent 18 years with EY and previously worked in senior executive positions for Accenture, Visa and Rabobank. He is also currently director of the M&A Research Centre and professor in the practice of finance at Bayes Business School. 

Ben Coggin has joined BDO in Leeds as a transaction services partner from EY. He joined EY in 2007, trained as a chartered accountant in its transaction services team, and was promoted to partner in 2023. At BDO, he is responsible for growing the transaction services practice across Yorkshire and the North East. His expertise is in the TMT and industrial sectors. 

Richard Ellis has joined Evolve Corporate Finance, as a partner, from Clearwater, where he spent 12 years. Prior to that he trained as an ACA with BDO, also in Nottingham. 

DC Advisory has recruited Josh Woodage as technology M&A VP from Alantra, where he spent four years in a similar role. He previously spent four years in RSM’s M&A team, where he trained as an ACA. 

Grant Thornton has promoted Nick Jones to corporate finance partner in its Bristol office. Jones has been with the firm 15 years, having initially trained as an ACA in audit, before joining the corporate finance team. 

Former DSW partner Shaf Bheda has founded M&A boutique adviser Greenoak Advisory. Based in the Midlands, he previously worked for Dains Accountants and RSM, where he trained as an ACA, before moving into its corporate finance team. 

Price Bailey has recruited Pete Bardell as business development director covering Essex and Suffolk from Santander, where he spent 10 years and was a relationship director covering the Anglia region. Prior to that he worked for HSBC and BNP Paribas.

DSW has promoted Gurpreet Poonia to corporate finance senior manager. He joined the firm’s Leicester office two years ago from Breeze Corporate Finance, where he spent two years, following three years in the M&A team at BDO. He trained as an ACA with Grant Thornton.  

LAVA Advisory Partners has recruited Sophie Lomas as M&A manager from Saffery. She joined Saffery in 2015, training as an ACA in audit before moving into the firm’s corporate finance team. She was promoted to transaction services manager in 2023. 

S&W has recruited Fernando Da Cruz Vasconcellos as partner in its valuations and modelling team based in Cambridge. He has joined from Valuation Consulting, where he was a director and spent six years. Prior to that he worked for Coller Capital and in various Cambridge University spin-outs. 

FRP Corporate Finance has recruited Stuart Bates as partner in its debt advisory practice in Manchester from Praetura Commercial Finance, which he co-founded in 2016. He has more than 35 years’ dealmaking and asset-based lending experience, and previously held senior roles at Centric Commercial Finance and GE Capital. He also worked for Davenham Trade Finance, Barclays and Lloyds. 

Ted Howard has joined Oaklins S&W, as a senior manager in its London M&A team, from Azets, where he spent three years working in corporate finance. Prior to that he spent two years with Vanquis Bank, having trained as an ACA with PwC in its capital markets team. 

Diogo Freitas has joined MarktoMarket as an origination director from Deloitte, where he was an associate director and worked on origination in the fintech and financial services business. 

PwC has promoted Joseph Payne to transaction services director. He joined the firm’s London office 12 years ago and trained as an ACA. 

UNW has recruited Stephen Twaddle, as senior manager in its due diligence team, from Deloitte, where he spent eight years. He started his career in audit, where he trained as an ACA, before moving into transaction services and being promoted to senior manager. 

RG Corporate Finance has recruited Joe Johnston as corporate finance executive from PwC’s Newcastle office, where he was a senior associate and had trained as an ACA. 

Sam Davidson has joined Corbett Keeling as an analyst, having graduated from UCL with a first-class honours degree in economics.