BDO appoints Paul Morris as Partner and Head of Growth Advisory

The private equity market has boomed in recent years, with considerable dry powder raised. BDO recently announced it has appointed a new Head of Growth Advisory, industry veteran Paul Morris.

The private equity market has seen strong activity of late, with fundraising amassing record levels of dry powder, while pressure mounts from a range of investors for growth. The industry saw around $440 billion invested in buyouts last year, while total assets under management globally topped $2.8 trillion in 2017.

The high level of interest, particularly under hard pressed pension funds, continues to see interest in independent advisory support, particularly during the initial due diligence phase of the buyout process. With growth expected across much of Europe in the year ahead, firms are keen to have experience on board. One of the firm’s activate in the mid-market, BDO, saw its corporate finance team oversee more than 300 transactions with a combined value of more than £18.5 billion, with the share of PE related transactions increase by 50% last year.

BDO recently announced it has picked up PE industry expert Paul Morris, who joins from Livingbridge. He was most recently at Partner at the UK-based private equity firm, where he worked for the past fourteen and a half years, most recently managing investments in mid-market UK businesses in the South and London areas. Earlier in his career he worked at Barclays Bank for more than eighteen years; most recently as a Director, with broad experience across relationship banking, credit committee and leveraged finance.

Morris joins BDO as a Partner and Head of Growth Advisory, in its corporate finance team. He brings more than thirty years of experience to financial services industry, much of it in the mid-market private equity sphere. The appointment, to a newly created role, allows the firm to better support clients looking for growth opportunities leveraging private equity investment. His experience will provide guidance for mid-market businesses, particularly in particular services and technology and media, throughout the PE lifecycle.

Paul Eagland, Managing Partner at BDO, commented, “The UK economy is proving resilient to ongoing uncertainty, but companies need more support in unlocking finances to fund future growth. Private equity investment is an attractive option for ambitious, fast-growth businesses looking to expand and our experience in this market is second to none. Paul’s appointment directly from the private equity world will be an invaluable addition to our expanding M&A team as we continue to help our clients seek and challenge the best opportunities for growth now and in a post-Brexit economy.”

Related: BDO Liverpool expands office space amid team expansion.