EY invests in UK private equity offering with key hires

EY has invested in its private equity offering, announcing two key appointments to better support clients in driving value. Akif Jawaid and Neil McFerran both join as partners in EY-Parthenon’s private equity team.

As opportunities increase for private equity in the UK, Big Four firm EY is looking to boost its offering in the sector. Recently, this has seen the company launch a new private equity team in its strategy consulting brand, EY-Parthenon.

The practice combines commercial, operational and digital expertise to maximise value for clients across the deal lifecycle. In future, the team will be a core part of EY’s broader private equity offering and will provide clients with advice and support across all aspects of their business – both financially and operationally.

Akif Jawaid has joined to head a newly formed wing of EY-Parthenon. Strengthening the team’s credentials, Jawaid brings more than two decades of experience to his role as Partner. Previously, he was the Global Head of Private Equity, Strategy Group at rival Big Four professional services entity KPMG. Before this he also held senior roles at strategy giants Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Company.

Commenting on his appointment, Jawaid reflected, “I am thrilled to join EY to help lead such a pivotal effort to better serve our private equity clients. It’s clear that the leadership of EY, both in the UK and globally, recognise the importance of this asset class and are focused on ensuring we are able to deliver differentiated insight and advice to our clients.”

Neil McFerran has meanwhile also joined EY-Parthenon as a Partner. Amid growing demand from the UK private equity industry for EY’s strategy and transactions services, he will lead on pre-and-post-deal value creation and execution, with a particular focus on the advanced manufacturing and mobility sectors. Previously, he led the M&A operations team in Europe for Platinum Equity, and was also a former UK Private Equity Lead at AlixPartners. This move sees him re-join EY, having been an OTS Senior Executive before leaving in 2014.

McFerran said of his appointment, “I am delighted to be playing a role in building EY-Parthenon’s capability in private equity, supporting clients on sustainable value creation. There are many investment opportunities for private equity, and we are working together with our clients to create viable businesses and maximise performance outcomes across a number of sectors.”