Kevin Uphill, Chairman and Founder, Avondale Corporate

Kevin is Avondale’s Founder and Chairman. A published author and widely sought-after public speaker, he is recognised internationally as a leading authority on mergers and acquisitions and business transformation strategy. Since establishing Avondale, Kevin has overseen the sale and purchase of more than 300 companies, drawing on his unique experience and skill set to help his clients maximise strategy in order achieve outstanding outcomes for their business.

Avondale’s clients value Kevin’s dynamism and his creative, knowledge driven approach, in particular his ability to simplify complexities around the mergers and acquisitions process and deliver clarity on a broad range of technical issues. As an experienced mentor to business owners and directors, he relishes the collaborative nature of his work, which sees him delivering balanced, objective-focused guidance to help companies achieve their goals.

Kevin was named “UK Game Changer of the Year” by ACQ Magazine in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

Mark Baldwin MBA, Management and Strategy Consultant, Avondale Corporate  

Mark heads up the Strategy practice at Avondale, bringing to the role extensive expertise in driving and enhancing strategy around mergers and acquisitions, sales and marketing, and brand development.

As the firm’s lead Strategy consultant, Mark advises a broad range of organisations, from multi-national corporates to SMEs. His role sees him working closely with company owners and directors to help them refine their management business development practices in order to achieve competitive advantage and significantly increase shareholder value.

Avondale’s clients hold Mark in high regard for his analytical and direct style, and for his outstanding track record in creating and implementing successful business strategies. Mark’s unique insight has been developed through broad industry experience, which includes time spent working in corporate finance and in the field of big data and analytics.

Tim Hardman, Managing Director, Avondale

Tim joined Avondale in 1994 following a successful career in financial services. As Managing Director, he has played a central role in the firm’s journey towards becoming a globally renowned business sales and acquisitions practice.

With over 20 years of M&A experience, Tim’s core focus remains on working directly with company owners and directors, and he has advised on and managed over 200 successful transactions on behalf of clients. His strengths include helping business owners, who are not yet in a position to sell, to drive sustainable shareholder value through both acquisitions and organic growth.

Tim won ‘M&A Strategist of the Year’ at Corporate Livewire’s Innovation and Excellence Awards 2017.

Emma Cameron, Partner, Veale Wasbrough Vizards (VWV)

Emma specialises in all areas of corporate finance and acts for businesses, banks and high net worth individuals on share and business acquisitions and sales. She advises on joint ventures, shareholder arrangements, fundraisings and share schemes.

Emma is recommended in the latest edition of Chambers & Partners, described by the 2014 edition as being ‘brilliant and available 24/7” and a client is quoted in the 2015 edition as saying that “she is consistent, thorough and accurately interprets our needs and requirements”. Emma is also recommended in the 2016 edition of The Legal 500.

Mike Cooper, Business Partner, Moore Stephens  

Mike has been advising owner-managed businesses SMEs and PLCs and their directors and shareholders on a wide range of business and personal tax matters since 1988.

Mike is both a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Tax Adviser. Mike’s specialisms include structural and forward business planning to minimise future tax exposures, mergers and acquisition work identifying opportunities to maximise positive cashflows and helping to design personal financial and wealth planning strategies. Mike lectures regularly on tax matters and acts as trustee and executor for various local charities trusts and estates.

Eric Keane, Past Owner of Intralan  

Eric Keane has been a member of the IoD for over 25 years. He has built up and sold on three B2B service based companies over the last 20 years and is able to provide a good insight into the benefits and the pitfalls of selling your own company.

After having completed a traditional print apprenticeship and spending four years studying all aspects of printing at the London College of Printing (now part of the University of the Arts - London) Eric pursued a career in print machinery and print consumables sales becoming sales Director aged just 25. He started his first business, Keane Graphic Products in 1990 with the backing of an Angel investor, having secured the exclusive UK rights to distribute Hostmann Steinberg Printing inks, becoming one of the UK market leaders. By 2000 the company was distributing monthly over 100 tonnes of printing inks to over 1000 companies nationwide generating revenues in excess of £6million. Eric sold the company one of its major competitors in 2003.

In 2004 Eric acquired a stake in Transglobal Telecommunications, a fast-growing B2B reseller of telecommunications services. Eric successfully sold the company to Adept Telecom plc in 2006.

With an appetite for the telecoms sector and the lucrative returns on investment, Eric, together with his business partner started a new telecoms company by recycling 50% of the earnings from the last sale and building the company up through mainly organic and some acquisitive growth and then merging with Surrey-based IT and network Service Provider, IntraLAN Group. Through the support and advice of Avondale by the end 2017, Eric and his two other shareholders successfully complete the sale of the business to US-based Eli Global Corporation.