PwC transaction services team invests in its Midlands team and delivers £3.5bn value of completed deals in 2021

PwC’s Transaction Services (TS) team in the Midlands completed market leading transformational deals with a total value in excess of £3.5bn in 2021, topping the £2.5bn transactions delivered in 2019- 20.

This has been achieved during a critical time for many of our clients as they continue to adapt to the way the pandemic is shaping the economic outlook.

The TS team operates across the Midlands and the North, with the combined value of the transactions across both regions amounting to £12bn in 2021.

Over half of the deals completed involved supporting corporate clients and Private Equity (PE) backed portfolio companies with buy and build growth strategies.

Helen Ward, transaction services partner and private equity leader for PwC in the Midlands said:

“We have seen record-breaking deal activity over the last 12 months, with demand for our expertise remaining strong particularly in areas such as technology, transformation and ESG. Looking ahead, there is still pent up demand for deals and this will play a key role in the economic recovery with clients looking to us to solve their most pressing issues. Our recent CEO Survey shows that successful vaccine roll out and significant government funding have given the UK a head start on recovery. Meanwhile our listed assets represent good value, at a time when many investors have full war chests to spend on resilient businesses. The challenge and opportunity is to attract the right investments and partnerships to deliver sustainable growth across the UK.”

The deals market continues to see high levels of activity, providing PwC’s Midlands TS team with the opportunity to work with a diverse range of corporate and PE clients and across a broad spectrum of sectors, including TMT, Business Services, Industrial Products, Healthcare, Retail Consumer and Leisure and Financial Services, working on over 27 completed transactions in the Midlands.

To meet this demand, the TS team has further invested in its team in the Midlands with eight promotions announced this month, which include partner admission for Jeff Nye and Rachael Ellis promoted to director. These promotions are in addition to our usual partner promotion round in July, and reflect the strong growth of the firm driven by demand for our deals services.

Jeff Nye is part of PwC’s Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) team within transaction services and focuses on helping private equity and corporate clients across a range of sectors and deal sizes to maximise and protect value through their M&A transaction pricing mechanisms.

In addition to the promotions, the team has invested in recruiting 20 new people over 2021. The diverse team is made up of 50% female and 35% from minority ethnic backgrounds.

Simon White, transaction services partner for PwC in the Midlands said:

“We continue to invest in people and capability, as shown by the recent suite of promotions for our people. We are hugely proud of our diverse and experienced team, all we achieved in 2021 and the positive outlook we see ahead for 2022.

We are enthusiastic and keen to engage with clients to explore ways we can create and enhance value, and with our continued investment we are well positioned to support clients in the year ahead.”