Consulting firms recognised for their top M&A services

27 May 2019 Consultancy.eu

The winners of the International M&A Awards 2019 have been revealed. Several management and corporate finance consulting firms have been named among the industry’s crème de la crème.

More than 30,000 deals successfully closed last year, making 2018 the third best dealmaking year (volume) of the past two decades. Aided by capital superabundance, a growing corporate venturing appetite and the growing threat of disruption, deal value jumped from $2.9 trillion to $3.4 trillion last year. 

External advisors play a key role in orchestrating and executing deals, providing support from the very start of a merger & acquisition process (corporate strategy, M&A strategy) all the way through execution (target search, due diligence, negotiations and closing) and post-close (integration). A host of advisors are typically involved in buy-side / sell-side work,  including investment bankers (financing), strategy consultants (commercial due diligence), corporate finance experts (M&A advisory, corporate finance), financial advisors (financial due diligence, transaction support), tax consultants (tax) and lawyers (legal M&A services). 

In a fiercely competitive market, M&A consulting firms are in continuous competition to work on the largest and most prestigious deals. Meanwhile, clients – those that hire external advisors – have their vested interests in selecting the top performing experts able to deliver the most suitable suite of M&A services for their respective case.

Consulting firms recognised for their top M&A services

M&A awards – competitions that recognise excellence in merger & acquisition work – shed light on the recognition of quality in the industry, with one such ceremony, the International M&A Awards (hosted by The M&A Advisor), pinpointing a group of over 50 advisory firms as leaders in the M&A professional services industry. Winners were selected by an independent judging panel of industry experts, and included awards for M&A work, but also for corporate finance, deal financing, restructuring and valuation activities. 

Among the winners were more than ten consulting firms, with the Big Four (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC) not surprisingly all part of those lauded. Deloitte and KPMG both picked up three awards, while EY and PwC managed to take one award home. AlixPartners and Alvarez & Marsal, two firms with a strong heritage in the restructuring space, scooped an award for their work on the Chapter 11 filing and acquisition of Westinghouse, while Bain & Company, alongside KPMG and PwC, was recognised for its support during the Callcredit and TransUnion transaction. 

US-headquartered Berkeley Research Group and FTI Consulting both set the stage twice to pick up a M&A award, with Drake Star Partners winning a prize for its role on the acquisition of FreshPlanet by Vivendi, while Equiteq, a M&A firm dedicated to the professional services industry, won an accolade for its help in selling OEE Consulting to Gobeyond.

A full list of the consulting firms that won an International M&A Award 2019:

Deloitte: Acquisition of Yucatan Foods by Landec
Deloitte: Acquisition of Fortune by Fortune Media Group
Deloitte: Sale of Kmart Tyre and Auto Service to Continental
EY: Product/Service of the year won by EY People Advisory Services
KPMG: Sale of Medpex Online Activities to Swiss Zur Rose
KPMG: Acquisition of Chalk & Wire Learning Assessment by Leeds Equity Partners
KPMG: Sale of Callcredit to TransUnion
PwC: Sale of Callcredit to TransUnion 

AlixPartners: Restructuring and Acquisition of Westinghouse
Alvarez & Marsal: Restructuring and Acquisition of Westinghouse
Bain & Company: Sale of Callcredit to TransUnion
Berkeley Research Group: Sale of Vitamin World to Feihe International
Berkeley Research Group: Restructuring and Acquisition of Westinghouse
Drake Star Partners: Acquisition of FreshPlanet by Vivendi
Equiteq: Acquisition of OEE Consulting by Gobeyond
FTI Consulting: Acquisition of Express Scripts by Cigna
FTI Consulting: Sale of Vitamin World to Feihe International