Boutique advisory business launches in Midlands

Cortus Advisory Group, the boutique business advisory firm , has hired Paul Kithoray, a well-known figure in the Midlands deals market.

Kithoray joins as a partner in Cortus Transaction Services based at the group’s Nottingham city centre office. He will lead the roll-out of the firm’s financial due diligence offering to funders and corporates in the Midlands.

Kithoray has nearly 25 years’ experience of advising acquisitive corporate and investors, with spells at EY and PwC and latterly as a senior member of Grant Thornton’s Transaction Advisory Services team in the Midlands.

Founded by ex Big-4 M&A professionals in 2021, Cortus Advisory Group is now a team of 25 based across the North West, North East, Nottingham and London. The group has grown rapidly and aims to expand the team to 40 professionals over the next 18 months with additional service lines anticipated in the future.

Kithoray said: “There has emerged a clear gap in the market for financial due diligence services to be delivered in an agile, flexible fashion, centred around the client’s requirements and not driven by the traditional accounting firms’ prescriptive processes. The response to Cortus’ launch in the North has shown that the appetite for an alternative is there and I’m delighted to offer that same alternative to funders and corporates in the Midlands. What particularly appeals about the Cortus offering is that the service is genuinely Partner-led, with the work being carried out by senior, experienced people so that clients get full value and insight from day one.”

Cortus Advisory CEO and founder, Nicola Merritt, added: “I am delighted that Paul is joining Cortus. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience plus fantastic corporate and private equity connections in the Midlands. I look forward to working with Paul to grow our due diligence and wider corporate advisory services across the region.”