Group for deal makers launched in Leeds

Deal makers in Leeds from private equity, banks and the advisory community came together last night to launch the Leeds branch of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG).

ACG has been around globally since 1954 and in the UK since 2012. The aim is to bring together the deal makers and decision makers in the midcap and SME community.

Rob McCarthy, partner at Dow Schofield Watts transaction services in Leeds, has taken on the committee role for the North and was involved in launching the Leeds group, which will be open to advisers, intermediaries, lenders, private equity groups and C-level executives.

McCarthy said: “By our own admission it has been very London centric in the UK but since Richard Shaw of GCP took on the Chair role – I raised my hand to sit on the committee as a regional champion – we have already rolled it out in Manchester. Leeds is a key focus now, and then Birmingham later in 2018.”

Following on from last night’s launch, the ACG will hold a number of content driven seminars and events throughout the year. This is likely to be quarterly in Leeds.

Thomas Seddon, vice chair of ACG, said the group was run on a volunteer basis and centred around offering peer-to-peer support for the market in the north. He said: “It is designed to promote connections between deal makers, both those who are advising into M & A and those who are providing capital.

“They (the ACG events) have been very London focused so far but we are making a big push to make them relevant to the regional markets around the UK.”

Seddon added that the Leeds market was very buoyant and busy, but also well regarded around the UK and globally. He said: “We are wanting gauge appetite for this group and are pleased with the attendance at the launch tonight.

“Leeds has a really interesting M & A community. It has a high quality and international presence, with a good number of transactions taking place.”