Thames Valley: HMT LLP expands its services

HMT LLP, the leading independent practice specialising in advising ambitious entrepreneurial businesses, has announced an expansion to its team and service offering. The award-winning business appointed Ian Barton as a partner to join Andrew Thomson  in leading the corporate finance team, underlining the firm's position as a key corporate finance adviser in the Thames Valley. Barton joined from Deloitte where he was head of corporate finance across the South. He has an enviable track record of completing deals across a wide range of sectors that create real value, and won Deal of the Year at the 2011 Thames Valley & Solent Deals Awards as lead adviser.

Barton commented: “I am delighted to have joined a vibrant team with such a strong reputation for completing deals of value, and I look forward to developing our practice and our people.”

HMT completed eight deals in the final quarter of 2012, including the MBO of Intuitive, backed by NVM, and the MBI of the inkjet and laser cartridge division of Redeem.

HMT has also announced the recent establishment of an entrepreneurial services team led by Mark Lucas. The team will provide hands-on support to entrepreneurial businesses, helping them build value by providing robust advice on a day-to-day basis. The service includes audit, tax and outsourcing delivered by a specialist team.

Lucas joins following a career at RSM Tenon spent advising private businesses across the South and also having built a business himself. He brings a wealth of experience, having held a number of senior management roles within Tenon across the South and nationally. Lucas is also joined by Sandy Kerr as an audit director, Jez Quigg as head of outsourcing and Holly Bedford who will lead the tax team.

Lucas commented: “HMT has a powerful client base that are demanding our wider services and which is fuelling our expansion. We have a great team of people that know how to advise and have also done it for themselves. I am looking forward to working alongside them as we help our clients build, grow and realise value.”

Senior partner Andrew Thomson explained the rationale behind the recent recruitment and expansion: “Having established HMT in 1992 we are already acknowledged as the leading adviser with a consistently strong dealflow, but we wanted to do more. With our new team in place we believe we are one of the few advisers that can provide entrepreneurial businesses with an integrated offering covering their requirements from inception through to realisation.”

Andrew Thomson and Ian Barton welcome Mark Lucas and a few members of the new entrepreneurial services team to HMT