Partner promotion boosts Grant Thornton’s Midlands’ team

Alex Hyde, newly promoted partner, Grant Thornton. Photo: Dave Warren/Picture Team.

Business and financial adviser Grant Thornton has boosted its Midlands team with the promotion of Alex Hyde to partner.

A financial due diligence specialist in the firm’s regional Transaction Advisory Services team, Hyde is supported in the East Midlands by a team led by Director Paul Kithoray.

Hyde has headed up Grant Thornton’s Transaction Advisory Services team in the Midlands since moving from London in 2010. The team now has fifteen full-time financial due diligence specialists with additional support from the transaction tax team in Birmingham and its growth has contributed to Grant Thornton topping the 2017 Experian MarketIQ league table of financial advisers by volume of deals nationally.

Over the last eight years Hyde has advised on numerous high-profile local transactions including vendor due diligence on the £280m acquisition of Kee Safety by Investcorp; the acquisitions of Wick Hill and Zycko by Nuvias, the high value distribution business being built by Rigby Private Equity; the MBO of Creative Video Productions; Avingtrans plc’s acquisition of Hayward Tyler plc; Connection Capital’s investment in Clamason; Palatine’s investment in TTC and the AIM IPOs of Purplebricks and Patisserie Valerie.

Hyde said: “In the first half of 2018 we have seen good levels of deal flow, with a healthy mix of work for corporate acquirers, private equity investors, banks, vendors and IPO aspirants across a wide range of sectors. The pipeline for the second half of the year also looks strong and whilst there are some Brexit-shaped clouds on the horizon, the quality of businesses and management teams across the Midlands plus the fundamental strategic growth drivers for mid-market businesses should enable this trend to continue.”

Chris Frostwick, practice leader at Grant Thornton’s East Midlands regional office in Leicester added: “Alex is very well- respected in his field of expertise locally and his promotion to partner is richly-deserved. Given the vibrancy of the regional economy, the quality of our Transaction Advisory Service team and our brand recognition, we are well placed to continue and build on our work with clients across the Midlands who have clear and determined ambitions to grow. Alex in the West and Paul in the East will play an increasing role in helping them do just that.”