FOUR veterans of the Scottish accountancy scene have created a new corporate finance office in Edinburgh to target small and medium-sized enterprises, including family-owned firms.
The new operation is part of HNH, a Belfast-based advisory firm specialising in deals in the £1 million to £50m range.
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Based in Charlotte Square, the new team comprises Neal Allen, Harry Linklater, Bruce Walker and Chris Fawbert.
Before joining HNH, Mr Allen had a senior mergers and acquisitions role with KPMG in Scotland. Mr Linklater was a partner in French Duncan. Mr Walker had a senior debt-advisory role with KPMG in Scotland and Mr Fawbert was an assistant director in Ernst & Young’s corporate finance division.
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HNH noted the new team in Edinburgh, which will focus initially on providing M&A, debt and transaction services, had already completed an advisory role for food-service firm R&W Scott as well as a “significant funding role in the distilling sector”.
It added that other clients had been drawn from the financial services, manufacturing, building products and transport sectors.
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Mr Allen said: “While some business owners are rightly cautious because of Brexit and global economic concerns, many of our contacts, particularly in food services, are telling us they want to execute growth plans.”
Mr Walker said: “The entrepreneurial nature of [HNH], investing in growth and expanding into new markets will, we believe, give us a natural affinity with the SMEs which make up a major part of the Scottish economy.”
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