APSCo Insight Mergers and Acquisitions: If you’re thinking about selling your recruitment business – you can’t afford to miss this session! (Online)

Philip Ellis

Owner, Optima Corporate Finance

Philip runs Optima Corporate Finance, a boutique advising on M&A in the recruitment sector. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant aged 22 and holds the Corporate Finance Qualification. His first recruitment deal was in 1996, since when he has advised on a wide variety of transactions across numerous sectors of the recruitment market. Clients have ranged from privately owned recruitment businesses to listed recruitment groups and global players and he advises on both acquisitions and disposals, as well as providing valuations and strategic advice.

He founded and floated a business on AIM which initially invested in recruitment start-ups and diversified to own recruitment companies as well as support services businesses and domiciliary care agencies. When Philip left the Board the market capitalisation had grown to £56m.

Philip has presented seminars on acquisition and exit strategies, writes regularly for industry press and sits on the judging panel for recruitment awards.

Steven Raize

Partner, Trowers & Hamlins

Steven is a corporate lawyer and has previously worked at Baker McKenzie and Clifford Chance. He specialises in advising on transactions in the Recruitment Sector and has substantial Private Equity and M&A experience, in particular with share sales and purchases and cross border transactions, MBOs, asset sales, joint ventures and group reorganisations. Steven has acted on the sale and purchase of numerous staffing companies and regularly provides such companies with on-going corporate advice.

Steven has been recognised, in the Legal 500, as 'having extensive experience in the recruitment sector' and 'is a name to note for his work advising companies in the recruitment, technology and media sectors'.