Hayley Brightmore (pictured above, centre), formerly a senior member of Grant Thornton’s North West Transaction team, will lead the operation. She is joined by associate directors, Erin Berry (pictured above, right) and Jennifer Serridge (pictured above, left), who also join from branches in Manchester and Liverpool respectively.
Hayley Brightmore, director, Knight Transaction Services, explained, “The ethos of Knight Transaction Services is to offer a flexible, bespoke and agile service to companies across the UK. For owner managers in particular, due diligence can be a daunting and complex process - and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. We will deliver tailored support and full transparency to guide and support businesses as they prepare for a transaction. This leaves management teams free to focus their time and effort on the activities that add value to their business.”
Paul Billingham, director and founder of Knight Corporate Finance, added, “We welcome Hayley, Jenny and Erin to the Group. Over the last 12 years we have built strong relationships with many acquirers, lenders and investors who have often asked us for a commercially driven due diligence product. To be able to launch Knight Transaction Services with such a talented team is an incredibly exciting prospect.”
Knight Transaction Services will support owner managers, corporate acquirers, banks and private equity firms throughout the transaction process. It will work with corporates and PE houses, banks and debt funders, focused on the mid-market space. The company said for this portion of the market it can be challenging to find the right partner due to financial constraints or the inflexibility of larger firms that are focused on larger deals.