South: Mark Lucas to head up new corporate finance service at Quantuma

Corporate recovery specialist and business adviser Quantuma is to launch a new service with the arrival of partner Mark Lucas. He will be based in Quantuma’s Southampton office but will have a national remit to grow the new corporate finance offering.

Quantuma managing partner Carl Jackson said: “This is the latest stage in the implementation of our business plan to grow not only our national network but also our service lines.

“Mark acts for a wide range of clients across many sectors, enabling them to create, build, grow and ultimately realise their investment and hard work in the most tax-efficient manner.

“He is a welcome addition to our team and we believe his arrival and the launch of our corporate finance offering is an exciting step forward for Quantuma.”

He joins from Moore Stephens, where he was a partner, and has extensive experience advising clients in the Thames Valley and south of England.

Lucas said: “I have been impressed by the spectacular growth of Quantuma in the past four and a half years. This is a firm that has a clear vision for its future and I am very pleased to be joining Quantuma to launch what is a new service line for their clients and contacts.”

He will not only be working with Quantuma’s growing client base to offer his extensive corporate finance experience, but also with corporates across the firm’s national network.

He said: “Quantuma has been largely known for its work in company restructuring and insolvency, but the vision is to create a full-service advisory offering.

“We will now be able to offer strategic consultancy and corporate finance services to the entrepreneurial market.

“We think there is a gap in the middle market between the major accountancy firms, who are based on an audit and compliance offering, and firms that are essentially corporate finance boutiques.”

Significant deals that have benefited from Lucas’ guidance include the £23 million management buyout (MBO) of BOFA International which was supported by LDC. BOFA International, based in Poole, is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of fume extraction systems.

He also advised on the MBO and sales of International Logistics Group, Grace Personnel, and Classic Bag Company.

He added: “We will be bringing our skills and experience to bear on behalf of Quantuma’s corporate client base and helping to support the firm’s continuing growth across the UK.”

Quantuma has continued its growth in 2017, and has grown its six office network across the south of England in London, Southampton, Marlow, Watford, Brighton and Bristol to eight with new openings in Manchester, serving the north west, and Birmingham, serving the Midlands.

The arrival in the Spring of Mike Wright saw forensic accounting and fraud investigations added to the firm’s service lines.

Growth in 2017 has already resulted in the Bristol and Southampton offices relocating to larger premises.

Quantuma recorded 21% growth in the financial year to 31 March 2017 and now employs more than 100 staff.