KPMG appoints Stark as head of private equity in the North

KPMG has appointed Richard Stark, a director in the firm’s corporate finance practice, as its head of private equity in the North.

Based in KPMG’s Manchester office, Stark will lead the firm’s relationships with the North’s thriving private equity community.

In his role, he will coordinate KPMG’s deal-flow to private equity investors, in addition to advising on any transactions involving private equity. This will include leading buyside engagements, leveraging the firm’s national sector expertise and market leading multi-disciplinary Deal Advisory teams.

Stark joined KPMG’s audit practice as a graduate in 2006, before moving to the firm’s corporate finance team in 2010. He specialises in M&A lead advisory.

The appointment follows a strong 12 months for KPMG’s Northern corporate finance practice. The wider deal advisory team advised on over 90 deals in the region last year.

Stark said: “The North of England’s private equity market is thriving, with over 30 houses having on-the-ground presence and many more recognising the breadth of attractive investment opportunities in the region.

“Last year, deal volume in the North was hot on the heels of the numbers seen in London, making it one of the most buoyant markets in Europe. Our Northern M&A team worked on a host of private equity deals including the sales of Utiligroup, Clarke Energy, Lakelovers, Giacom, Eque2, ZyroFisher, Biocomposites and Metamark.

“I look forward to cementing our reputation as arguably the most active M&A practice in the region, and leveraging our unrivalled reach and expertise to support the North’s business community in capitalising on private equity’s appetite for high quality assets.”

Jonathan Boyers, KPMG’s national head of corporate finance, who is also based in Manchester, added: “Richard’s appointment represents our confidence and commitment to the North’s private equity community, as it continues to grow despite the challenging economic conditions. He has extensive experience having working on a large number of deals involving private equity, and will work closely with Alex Hartley, who leads our private equity business nationally, to build on our market leading position.

“We expect another strong year for our M&A practice this year, with deal activity showing no sign of slowing. Our pipeline continues to be strong, supported by a number of new mandates secured since the turn of the year.”