After announcing plans to found a second UK office at the start of 2023, Marktlink has opened the doors of its new Birmingham hub. The mergers and acquisitions advisory also has a British locale in Manchester.

Originally launched in the Netherlands in 1996, Marktlink is a specialist M&A consulting firm, working with small and mid-tier clients around the world. The firm currently counts on an international team of over 180 M&A specialists, and facilitates companies with transactions valued between €5 million and €250 million.

While the post-pandemic era initially saw a boom in the global M&A market, 2022 and 2023 have seen drastic declines in activity. In spite of this, Marktlink is determined to push ahead with expansion plans, which saw it first open a hub in the UK in 2022 – citing market analysis which shows that British entrepreneurs are “optimistic about the future” as grounds to invest more heavily in the national market.

Jonny Parkinson, partner at the first UK office in Manchester since 2022, noted, “The UK has emerged from a deeper trough than other European countries, with challenges such as debt markets, interest rate ceilings and the effects of Brexit. Nevertheless, British SME entrepreneurs are hopeful about 2024. Our market analysis shows that 57% of entrepreneurs expect that the domestic M&A market will improve in the coming year compared to the European average of 48%. Furthermore, with this move we open the doors for UK SMEs to our existing and extensive European network.”

These changes could have a positive impact on the growth and ambitions of British entrepreneurs, according to Parkinson, which will likely see them turn to M&A to accelerate their expansion plans. As such, Marktlink’s move into the West Midlands – a key technology hub in the UK economy – positions the firm well to help entrepreneurs realise their growth and acquisition plans.

Speaking on the firm’s outlook in the UK, Luc Keltjens, partner at Marktlink Amsterdam, stated, “We’ve experienced great success since opening our first UK office last year, and the demand from European companies looking to acquire UK businesses continues to grow. Business owners in the Midlands and wider in the UK will be able to utilise our international network of 50 deal teams across six countries to benefit from the increasing appetite for cross-border opportunities.”

Joe Moran has been appointed as a partner and heads the Midlands office. Previously having worked as a consultant with Deloitte, he brings 17 years of experience in corporate finance and will advise entrepreneurs with their acquisition and divestment strategies. He has also spent time in industry, with automotive firms including Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce.

“The UK is a large and established M&A market, and I am very excited to lead Marktlink’s next phase of successful international expansion and support entrepreneurs in this very important business region to fulfil their M&A ambitions,” Moran explained. “The acquisition or sale of a business is one of the most important events in an entrepreneur’s life. The opening of this new office will enable Midlands business owners to have access to our M&A expertise and a broad network of European investment opportunities to aid them in securing the best future for their business.”