Boutique M&A advisory firm to launch in Bath

Merger and acquisition advisory firm Lexington Corporate Finance is to open a new office in Bath.

The leading independent M&A advisory boutique has exciting plans for growth and the opening of a new office in the South West is aligned with its strategy to continue to grow its business.

The new office, based in Queen Square, will be led by the recent appointment of James Cox as a director, who has joined from PwC.

The latest expansion into the South West builds upon Lexington’s strong foundations and track record across South Wales, where the firm has grown from strength to strength since its launch in 2016.

During that time, Lexington has acquired a reputation for the quality of its people, their dealcraft expertise, breadth of experience and the pragmatism to get deals done where others may falter.

Lexington sees the South West as a vibrant, exciting hub of entrepreneurship and private companies where the firm can bring the above reputation to the fore and deliver a differentiated and market-leading M&A advisory service to the region’s exciting and high growth SME’s, across a wide range of sectors.

Lexington will continue to provide the same independent, market-leading corporate finance advisory services to their clients that they have over many years, but now with the ability to service a larger number of clients right across the M4 and M5 corridors.

Heading up the South West team, James Cox joins as a Director bringing a wealth of experience in the M&A advisory space.

He started his career at DC Advisory, advising privately owned businesses and private equity firms on both the sell-side and buy-side, later moving to UBS where he advised larger corporates.

He returned to his hometown of Bath in 2021 to head up PwC’s South West Corporate Finance offering.

Since his return to the region, James has established a strong profile in the local market and gained a deep awareness of the market dynamics across a wide range of sectors; this coupled with his strong national network of investors will provide substantial value to Lexington’s clients based within the region.

Gary Partridge, founder and managing director at Lexington said: “We are absolutely thrilled that James has decided to join the Lexington team. It is an exciting time for our business at a point where the levels of M&A activity are on an upturn. James is exactly the type of advisor that fits into our business of providing honest, trustworthy and insightful advice to our clients. From the very first meeting, we felt that there was a match with Lexington and we are all excited to welcome James to our business.”

James Cox added: “Being born and raised in Somerset, I’m passionate about the region and the local business community. Bath, Bristol and the surrounding areas are home to so many exciting, high-growth businesses, which present fantastic opportunities for increased investment in the region.”#

“As a mid-market boutique corporate finance firm, Lexington can provide a differentiated, independent advisory service, adding significant value to local businesses trying to navigate investment opportunities, or an exit process in the future. I’m very excited by the opportunity to work alongside the highly experienced team at Lexington and look forward to delivering excellent results for local businesses” explains James.

Lexington Corporate Finance is a boutique corporate finance specialist that provides expert advice and support to business owners thinking about exit and succession, or owners and senior managers with growth and buyout ambitions.