We are a small firm, and we like it that way.  To achieve the track record that we have, and to ensure that our clients get the bang for the buck that they have a right to expect, we take on only a few mandates a year, and work hard to maintain our enviable closure ratio.  If we don’t think we are the right advisers, or have no particular edge on the deal in question, or think you are better off not throwing your hat into the ring at all, we will tell you.  Intellectual rigor and advisory honesty go hand-in-hand with sound economics.  Sometimes no deal is indeed the better deal.

We stay ‘close to our knitting’ and focus only on a few products.  These are:

• M&A buy-side
• Debt and equity raising
• M&A sell-side
• Special projects (incl. select business development, market-entry and the like)
• Corporate governance assistance (incl. in select cases playing a role as non-executive board members)
• Select pro-bono work for worthy causes

We only work in sectors that we either understand very well, or where we are confident that we can get up the learning curve quickly.  No generalists here and no bullshitting.  We do what we do very well, because we have done it for a long long time, and we are up to speed in the sectors that we chose to focus on.

Historically these have been TMT (telecoms, media, and technology), IT (ERP), utilities (energy and renewables, please see Track record in leading complex power project financing for new coal-fired plant in 2001 and Citibank reference for this deal), and infrastructure (motorways, PPP, construction).  To these we have added industrials, waste processing, e-commerce fulfilment, logistics, and a host of other specialty sectors, incl. in select cases consumer goods and financial intermediation.

• We dig deep to understand the business rationale of the company, whether it is a target, an asset to be sold, or a company that seeks to raise financing.  Only by understanding the competitive strengths and weaknesses, the challenges and USP, the business plan and market environment, are we able to create an understanding that then facilitates all subsequent discussions and steps.
• As referenced elsewhere, together with management and shareholders we develop a strong narrative on the asset in question, bringing out its best sides, and thinking creatively of what sources of value it offers to the prospective buyer(s), and what features of its business are inherently defensive and raise its credit profile for potential lenders.
• We keep things competitive when it suits us and our client, or we seek to strike a quick advantageous bargain when that is our client’s best interest, using tactical nous and chutzpah where appropriate.  We believe business is best structured as a win-win, and we thus strive to create coalitions of the willing between management, shareholders, stakeholders and our client.  We take people by the hand, we take time to explain things, we sort out problems, we make sure that key parties are in the boat and with the deal.
• We are problem solvers, and we are 24/7.  No deal is a straight line, and none gets done until its signed and closed.  We are hands on, we can be in your face, we are full court press when needed, and we facilitate quietly from the back seat when appropriate.  Deal psychology to us is often as important as the financial figures.  One cannot make all parties happy all the time, but you need a qualified majority to get the deal done, and we work hard to get there on behalf of our clients.
• We are highly structured in our approach, and our teams are based on the best talent in the market.  We will create a tailored team for each mandate, including analysts/associates, deal leader, deal maker, and (optional) senior advisor(s), depending on the deal and the sector and the preferences of the client. 
• We transcend cultural and linguistic borders.  We are based locally but have worked all over the world, and for companies from all corners of the globe.  Business habits are different in each country, and either you manage to translate objectives into a language and concepts that the locals can understand,  or you won’t be successful in cross-border M&A and debt raising.  We have a track record here that is second to none in our chosen market.

Attached please find a presentation from 2010 with some of our track record and selected case studies.

All that comes at a price.  We don’t work without retainers, and we are not the cheapest on the market.  We usually don’t work on transactions below EUR 50m / USD 50m / PLN 200m in value.  But we get the job done, if it can get done.

Intrigued? Give us a call!