Entrepreneur Marc Braterman pauses advisory boutique Vertex to find new leader
Entrepreneur Marc Braterman has put on hold his ambitious plans to build a boutique corporate finance business after the surprise resignation of James Darlington from Vertex before Christmas.
Braterman told TheBusinessDesk.com that everything he heard last year gave him the confidence there was the space for a business like Vertex, but it depended hugely on the person leading it.
Braterman will now focus on recruiting a new leader for the business, and has redeployed the remaining team at Vertex.
Darlington said on LinkedIn: “2024 was quite the year and after careful consideration I have taken the decision to step down from my position as Managing Director at Vertex.
“A huge thank you to my talented and hardworking colleagues that have made this (albeit short) journey thoroughly enjoyable. It’s allowed us to successfully support some incredible management teams in delivering their exit goals.”
That decision has given Braterman the task of recruiting a new leader for the business, in addition to running his foodtech business OSY.
Of the remaining team at Vertex Josh Malyan has joined Bamburgh Capital and another team member has joined OSY.
“We want to find the right person to run Vertex, so we’ve temporarily put Vertex on hold until we find that person.
“We’re confident we can deliver a corporate finance advisory business that offers a level of care and service that entrepreneurial businesses need.”
Three months ago the business advised on the sale of Octopus Ventures-backed Countrywide Healthcare to PHS Group.
When Darlington joined Vertex in June 2024 he told our Rainmakers platform that he was prepared to give up a much-coveted and well paid job working for venture capital investor Maven to join Vertex.
He said at the time that their own model was to sell businesses in the £1m-£10m range, for which they could reasonably expect to earn a fee between £80k-£100k for a deal.
“The conversations I’m having are that the rest of the market is crying out for a professional approach at this end of the market.”
His challenge, he said, “is to get out the message in an efficient and effective manner and then provide the right level of service at the right point in the process and work with pragmatic and commercial lawyers who can negotiate over the things that really matter.”
Braterman founded Vertex with Birmingham-based Yasin Shariff, the CEO of consultancy TAMC and cleaning supplies business DuraClean and London-based Martin Birch, chief executive of WGC, an outsourced cleaning and facilities management business serving hotels like Radisson, Accor & Claridge’s, who had done business with Shariff.
James Darlington did not respond to a request to comment.
