Shaw & Co, the specialist corporate finance advisory firm, has appointed Harry Cook as an Executive in its Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) division.

Harry joins the company from UHY Hacker Young, one of the UK’s Top 20 accountancy networks, where he was Audit Senior, responsible for advising and auditing SME clients across a range of sectors.

With over five years’ experience in financial services, Harry will support Shaw & Co’s M&A division which offers expert advice on all aspects of buying and selling a business including management buy-outs, management buy-ins, mergers, exit strategies and business valuations. The division has worked on a number of notable deals including the sale of Pukka Herbs to Unilever, the purchase of VoucherCloud from Vodafone and its subsequent sale to Groupon, and the sale of GoProposal to Sage.

A qualified chartered accountant, with experience in financial due diligence and business sales, Harry’s specific role will comprise the preparation of investment papers, reviewing and building accompanying financial models, and conducting market research to identify buyers, sellers and comparable transactions.

A qualified chartered accountant, with experience in financial due diligence and business sales, Harry’s specific role will comprise the preparation of investment papers, reviewing and building accompanying financial models, and conducting market research to identify buyers, sellers and comparable transactions.  

Rob Starr, Head of M&A, Shaw & Co, said: “I am delighted that Harry has agreed to join us. He will have a key role to play in helping to transform the quality of corporate advisory services being offered to SMEs across the UK looking to buy, sell or fund the growth of their business.”