EY partners Tim Wainwright and Dean Lake join Eight Advisory
Weeks after hiring EY partner Steve Taylor, Eight Advisory has poached another two Senior Partners from the Big Four firm. Tim Wainwright and Dean Lake have been brought on board to develop the operational due diligence and transaction tax practices respectively.
Established by eight former Partners of the Big Four and Arthur Andersen, in France in 2009, Eight Advisory has grown to over 30 partners and 300 staff, who are housed in offices in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, Mumbai and London. As the expanding consultancy sought to address a growing demand from businesses for dedicated financial and operational advice around transactions, restructuring and business transformation decisions, the firm on-boarded a former Senior Partner from EY to boost its valuations practice in the UK. Steve Taylor arrived as a Partner in the late spring of 2018, and will now lead the practice as Eight Advisory works to expand its UK footprint.
Now, Eight Advisory has doubled down on its strategy to grow its organisational expertise, with the headhunting of a further two senior figures from Taylor’s former employer. Tim Wainwright and Dean Lake, both Partners at the Big Four firm, have been recruited to help Eight Advisory develop its operational due diligence and transaction tax practices respectively.
Tim Wainwright arrives as Head of Operations and IT at Eight Advisory, having spent nearly 20 years as a management consultant. Over the course of a ten year spell with EY, Wainwright rose to the rank of Partner and Head of Transaction Industry Services at the firm. Prior to his work for the Big Four giant, he spent two years as a Management Consultant at IBM, where he was recognised through the Top Talent Programme. Wainwright’s focus at Eight Consulting will be on private equity and corporate clients, working to ensure they receive maximum value during acquisitions, divestments and in post-merger integration.
Commenting on his new challenge, Tim Wainwright, said, “I’ve been watching the expansion of Eight Advisory with much interest and am thrilled to be joining the growing team in London. Value creation is a crucial component in most situations and I will build our expertise in this area to ensure clients maximise returns from transactions.”
Dean Lake has been appointed as Head of Transaction Tax Strategy at Eight Advisory, meanwhile. The transaction tax specialist and former EY Associate Partner arrives at the firm with a similar track record, boasting a near 20 year career in the sector. His new role sees him take responsibility for all aspects of tax in transactions including, UK and international structuring, due diligence and deal support. Lake will lead on private equity, infrastructure and corporate clients, who he will work with to provide domestic and cross-border advice.
Lake said of his new role, “Justin and the team are well regarded in the industry and I’m excited to be part of this rapidly growing firm and expanding the tax offering. We believe that proactive tax advice is critical to protecting transaction values and maximising future performance. With increasing levels of cross-border transactional activity, coupled with a changing geo-political landscape, a coherent tax strategy and advance planning is crucial.”
Commenting on the duo, Justin Welstead, Managing Partner, Eight Advisory UK added, “As we continue to expand our UK office, we are delighted to be joined by Tim and Dean who have significant experience and expertise in their respective practice areas. Both will bring a new dimension to the team with their breadth of knowledge and we look forward to working with them as we continue to grow the UK business.”