Jo Power strengthens FRP debt advisory team
FRP Advisory has appointed Jo Power to its debt advisory team in London, bringing more than 15 years of experience to the office. Power joins as a Director, with FRP COO Jeremy French calling her a “highly experienced adviser with a track record of delivering for businesses across sectors and borders.”
French added, “She’s a real asset to our team… With businesses continuing to explore further opportunities on the horizon, we’ll be on hand to provide them with the support they need to capitalise on their strategic ambitions.”
As the economy recovers from the impact of the pandemic, FRP Advisory has already seen a growing appetite for debt advisory support, particularly in M&A, recapitalisations and refinancing. In order to meet this demand, the firm has trebled the size of its sub-brand, FRP Corporate Finance, in the last 12 months. This includes a number of senior appointments and strategic acquisitions – including the purchase of JDC and Spectrum Corporate Finance.
Within FRP Corporate Finance, the firm’s combined corporate finance and debt advisory team now operates with a 20-strong partner group. Over the past year, it has seen a record period of activity, advising on 81 transactions with a combined enterprise value of £1.9 billion.
The arrival of Power will help build on this momentum. The newly appointed Director will work closely with colleagues across FRP’s national office network and draw on the debt advisory team’s expansive lender network to help clients effectively raise debt capital in support of M&A transactions, including leveraged buyouts, recapitalisations and refinancing.
Speaking on her new challenge, Power stated, “The team has an excellent reputation in the Debt Advisory space with highly knowledgeable, experienced, and down to earth people – providing the pragmatic, advice that clients need. We’re currently seeing strong demand for high-quality businesses in the M&A market as we emerge from successive lockdowns, driven by high-levels of capital and liquidity built-up over the pandemic.”
A qualified chartered accountant, Power began her career at BDO, before moving to the Royal Bank of Scotland’s leveraged finance team. There, she led the execution of mid-market leveraged finance deals in support of private equity buyouts, and latterly served as a member of the credit committee for new business transactions. She joins FRP from private US debt fund ExWorks Capital, where she worked as a Director, responsible for underwriting new UK and cross-border mid-market SME loans.
Power concluded, “My previous roles working with investors and lenders have given me a unique, first-hand understanding of what parties at each stage of the process are aiming to achieve. I’m looking forward to using this experience to help our clients identify and secure funding solutions that deliver the very best possible outcome and help them realise their growth objectives.”
