Welsh corporate finance specialists bolstered with new recruits

Charlie Lesbirel and Jade Burgess, associates at Lexington. Picture by Nick Treharne.

A trio of new talent has joined an award winning Welsh corporate finance company as part of its ongoing commitment to identify and nurture new talent to add to the strength of its existing team.

Adam Jones, Charlie Lesbirel and Jade Burgess have all joined Cardiff-based Lexington Corporate Finance this year following a 2020 which saw the company see record growth, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Jones, 25, joins the team as an executive following three years at Deloitte, during which time he worked his way up to become an assistant manager at the Cardiff office.

Graduating from Cardiff University in 2018 with a first-class in Accounting and Finance, Mr Jones is also qualified as an accountant by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). His role will involve supporting the team on completing business disposals and succession-driven management buy-outs.

Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mr Lesbirel has joined the firm as part of the Cardiff Capital Region’s graduate scheme. With a master’s degree in Finance and Investment Management from the University of Liverpool, he will study to become a Chartered Accountant alongside his role as an associate at Lexington.

The duo of appointments follows hot on the heels of 23-year-old Ms Burgess, another master’s student, and member of the graduate scheme – this time from Swansea University – who joined the firm in May 2021.

The Cardiff Capital Region’s graduate scheme aims to enhance productivity, innovation, and economic growth by linking talented graduates with ambitious businesses.

Commenting on the recent hires, Gary Partridge, managing director at Lexington, said: “Developing the next generation of talent is a key ingredient of the longer-term success of Lexington. The strength of our team is our biggest asset and we’re delighted to welcome this trio of talent to Lexington.

“We have made significant progress over the last year in growing our business to be one of the largest independent corporate finance specialists in Wales and we will continue to invest in our team to support this growth.”

The latest hire brings the staff count to 11, with many coming from graduate schemes. This includes John Tose, who joined off the back of the Santander graduate scheme in July 2016 as an associate and has quickly ascended into a managerial position.

The hires come off the back of a 2020 which saw Lexington’s fee income almost double year-on-year, while the firm saw recent successes with wins at the Dealmakers Awards and a listing on the annual Welsh Fast Growth 50 list.

Mr Partridge added: “To be thriving as a business despite the pandemic is a testament to the hard work, dedication and resilience of all our team.

“In their short time at Lexington, Adam, Charlie and Jade have already showcased that they share the values and ethos of our organisation, and I cannot wait to see them grow alongside the business.

“Finally, I want to extend a big thank you to all the clients that we’ve had the opportunity to work with, as well as the other advisors and funders who supported on all of our transactions as we have continued to grow throughout 2021. We are looking forward to 2022 with a strong pipeline of new transactions to complete successfully.”