Partner Article

Top dealmaker comes home

THE man behind some of the region’s most high profile deals has been tempted back to the North East and will take on a top role at expanding business advisor unw.

Paul Kaiser, who advised on deals including the management buyouts of Dataform from Sage plc and Entec from Northumbria Water plc, has relocated back from London and joins Newcastle-based unw as a partner.

After more than two decades working for ‘big four’ advisor Deloitte, in both the North East and latterly the capital, Mr Kaiser has opted to join the independent firm as it carves out a notable reputation for advising some of the region’s best known entrepreneurs and privately-owned businesses.

He will now head up unw’s corporate finance lead advisory team, which has enjoyed success advising on the sale of Northumberland spring water company Abbey Well to drinks giant Coca Cola and Tilley Roofing to Mitie plc.

Before moving to London Mr Kaiser, who previously helped sell Seaham speciality flat bread manufacturer Pride Valley Foods to Gruma Inc and twice advised on the sale of Darlington healthcare provider Castlebeck, established and led Deloitte’s Newcastle corporate finance team until the credit crisis refocused its advisory resources away from the region.

He said: “My decision to leave Deloitte was initially to focus solely on a number of non-executive appointments. However unw approached me on hearing of my plans and we got talking about the opportunities that exist for corporate finance experts within the North-East.

“unw has established itself as one of the leading advisors to local entrepreneurs and privately-owned businesses and I have always enjoyed working with, and advising, this type of client.

Joining unw allows me to achieve a number of things that are important to me, namely to grow an advisory business in the North East and continue to work with a portfolio of healthcare businesses with which I will hold non-executive positions.“

unw partner Andrew Wilson said: “Paul’s appointment means that we are now able to provide a full offering of corporate finance, tax, accounting services and assurance that we feel is unrivalled in the market place.”

As well as North-East transactions, Mr Kaiser’s CV includes some substantial national deals when he beat London-based advisors to the sale of businesses including Covenant Healthcare, which included subsidiary Transform Cosmetic Surgery and its Jesmond clinic, and advising a private equity investor on its investment in national discount retailer The Original Factory Shop, which has five outlets across County Durham and Northumberland.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .