Shaw & Co has been selected as the only UK corporate finance (M&A) advisory firm to join ECOVIS International, a network of over 12,000 accounting, tax, audit and legal professionals active in over 90 countries and across five continents.

Founded in Germany in 2003, ECOVIS International has grown into the 18th largest professional services  network in the world with its members having a combined fee income of over $1.5bn per annum. It has four core service lines of Tax, Accounting, Auditing and Legal and is developing an international M&A network as a fifth global offering.

Shaw & Co, which helps business leaders and SME owners across the UK to buy, sell, or fund the growth of a company, has overseen deals involving major international brands such as Vodafone, Groupon, Pukka Herbs and Michelin.

Joining the ECOVIS International network will further bolster the company’s international credentials, affording it access to expert local knowledge in every major trading centre across the globe and enabling it to provide clients with a seamless, global solution tailored to their specific deal needs.

Shaw & Co will be instrumental in developing the ECOVIS International global M&A network alongside founding member Taurus Corporate Finance from The Netherlands. The network will be comprised of independent member firms operating under their own brand and leadership but with a common global goal of increasing cross-border deal flow.

The deal was signed at this year’s ECOVIS International Partner Meeting (IPM) in Dubai where over 200 members of the network gathered for a three-day conference.

Jim Shaw, CEO & Founder, Shaw & Co, said: “M&A is undoubtedly a global marketplace. Cross-border transactions are happening more frequently than ever before as technology breaks down geographical barriers. Although Shaw & Co has been undertaking cross-border transactions for its clients since inception, joining ECOVIS International takes our global capability to another level. The trip to the IPM in Dubai confirmed our decision to join as the power and breadth of the network was abundantly clear.”

Robert McCann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ECOVIS International and Senior Partner of ECOVIS Wingrave Yeats who provide audit, accounting and tax services in the UK, said: “Each Partner is invested in growing the ECOVIS International network for our clients’ benefit by nurturing and developing our relationships and special ‘family’ culture which is embraced by all member firms. Developing the M&A network is a major strategic objective of ECOVIS and Shaw & Co joining the network is a significant milestone to achieving that goal.”