FRP grows presence in North East

Tuesday September 3, 2024

We acquire WilliamsAli

We’re thrilled to announce our expansion in the North East with the acquisition of WilliamsAli Corporate Finance, a Newcastle-based firm.

This strategic move significantly enhances our corporate finance capabilities in the region, complementing our already strong Restructuring Advisory practice.

We’re welcoming WilliamsAli’s seven-strong team into the FRP group, including co-founders Abu Ali and Phil Williams joining us as Partners. The team will now operate locally as FRP Corporate Finance.

This marks our eleventh acquisition since our IPO in March 2020, underlining our commitment to strategic growth through carefully selected targets.

Our Chief Executive Officer, Geoff Rowley, said: “This acquisition complements our existing strong presence in the North East in a target region for the expansion of FRP Corporate Finance. We are pleased to welcome Abu, Phil and the team to the business. They share our values and ambitions, and will no doubt make a strong contribution as we continue to grow.”

Founded in 2019, WilliamsAli has quickly established itself as a boutique corporate finance advisory firm, specialising in M&A, management buyouts, acquisitions, private equity transactions, and fundraising. They’ve built a strong reputation for providing tailored, high-quality services to entrepreneurs, shareholders, investors, and businesses of various sizes across the North East.

Abu Ali, joint founder of WilliamsAli, added: “Phil and I are delighted to be joining FRP Corporate Finance. We are incredibly proud of the track record of WilliamsAli in the North East market to-date, and we are excited about how we can further build on this within the FRP Group. With the additional infrastructure, resources, and service lines now available to us, together with closely aligned values, we are confident this will be a hugely positive move for our team and clients in the North East region”.

This acquisition is the latest in a series of strategic moves to expand our service offering and geographical footprint. Recent acquisitions include The Hilton-Baird Group in May 2024, enhancing our Debt Advisory services, and Lexington Corporate Finance in July 2024, which saw us establish our first Welsh office.

Our Corporate Finance team continues to grow, advising on deals worth more than £1.5 billion nationally in 2023 and raised over £0.5 billion in debt funding for clients.

The integration of WilliamsAli into our operations is expected to create new opportunities for clients in the North East, offering them access to a broader range of services and expertise. We’re excited about this new chapter and look forward to serving our expanded client base with the enhanced capabilities this acquisition brings.