Nick Graves

Some of the corporate and M&A team’s most notable transactions this year included AOTI’s £140 million London float, the largest AIM IPO by raise since December 2021, and acting for a wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority on the sale of its portfolio of 33 UK Marriott International hotels.

Burges Salmon also reinforced its position as one of the leading corporate and M&A advisers in Scotland, having advised on the cross-border acquisition of Scottish business Ascensos and acted for international client Pandox, one of the largest hotel property owners in Europe, on its £49m acquisition of the DoubleTree by Hilton Edinburgh City Centre.

The team has experienced a marked increase in M&A activity this year, particularly in the second half of the year in the run up to the Autumn Budget.

Nick Graves, partner and head of corporate at Burges Salmon, said: “After a relatively uncertain start to the year, activity levels picked up significantly in the second quarter and peaked in the run up to the Autumn Budget. The key difference to 2023 was the sheer volume of M&A deals.”

He added: “As we look ahead to the New Year and what 2025 will bring, we are seeing a number of really interesting opportunities and are confident that the high levels of activity which the team has seen in the last 12 months will continue into next year.”