Hutcheon Mearns has advised on or supported transactions with a total valuation of over £400m in the last 12 months.

It has promoted Naill Benzahia in recognition of his contribution to this success. In addition, Matthew Graham and Craig Lyon have recently joined the firm to strengthen the company’s corporate finance team.

Chartered Accountant Mr Benzahia has been promoted from corporate finance manager to corporate finance associate director, drawing upon significant experience with listed and private equity backed energy sector companies. He has been a key member of the business advisory team since its inception – supporting transactions across the UK, Europe, Australia, South America, and the far east.

Fellow Chartered Accountant Mr Graham joins the business with considerable experience in corporate finance and investment banking – primarily with Piper Sandler – having advised high profile business owners and private equity houses on mergers, acquisitions, divestments, and finance raising. During his career, he has completed over 40 successful global M&A transactions worth over £3 billion in value.

Mr Lyon will lead the Hutcheon Mearns financial due diligence offering, where the firm will provide buyers with a hands on, value driven assessment of acquisitions; and sellers with a thorough preparation for divestment processes. Craig is a qualified accountant with more than 25 years of experience across a wide range of financial roles, with the core of his career being more than 15 years of delivering M&A and advisory assignments whilst he was a managing director at investment bank Simmons & Company International.

The newly expanded advisory team will help Hutcheon Mearns’ client base to deliver growth through strategic advice, planning, and deals expertise – backed by decades of experience.

Adam Maitland, managing director at Hutcheon Mearns, said: “I am delighted to welcome both Matthew and Craig to the Hutcheon Mearns team, while continuing to invest in our people with Naill’s highly-deserved promotion.

“We remain focused on building a differentiated corporate finance capability, with a mix of investment banking, industry, and professional services expertise. Our team is market-leading in its transaction execution capabilities, and we are supplementing this with ambitious national and international growth plans.

“Attracting Matthew and Craig into the business is a testament to the robust growth plans we have put into motion so far, including opening new offices to better serve our clients locally, nationally, and internationally.

“We always aim to be disruptive – providing best-in-class, long-term strategic advice and support to clients throughout each stage of a company’s lifecycle. By offering full service corporate finance, corporate development, and financial due diligence services, we can help clients maximise value across all aspects of deal creation and delivery.”

The appointments are part of an eventful year for Hutcheon Mearns, where the Aberdeen-headquartered organisation opened offices in Edinburgh and Norwich and celebrated its first year in business in Dundee.