How can an M&A adviser add value

A strong M&A adviser does more than execute a sale process. For Founders, CEOs, and Professional Investors of high-quality privately owned businesses, the right adviser helps level the playing field with professional investors and protects value long before a transaction begins.

A high-quality M&A adviser should operate according to five core principles:

1. Clarity Before Action

Before discussing buyers or valuations, a strong adviser helps owners clarify whether, when, and how an exit should happen. The role is not to push clients into a process, but to challenge assumptions, frame options, and explain trade-offs - ensuring decisions are deliberate rather than reactive.

2. Deep Understanding of Your Business

An M&A adviser should have a deep understanding of founder- and family-built businesses, where value is closely tied to people, culture, and long-term relationships. Generic M&A playbooks are rarely sufficient for privately owned businesses.

3. Credible Access to the Right Buyers

A strong adviser provides access to a broad range of investors, including strategic buyers, family offices, Private Equity, and alternative capital across Europe. Limiting a process to local buyers often restricts choice, competition, and value.

4. Protection from the Wrong Deal

Protecting clients from poor structures, misaligned partners, and regrettable deal terms is a core responsibility. This includes slowing a process down - or advising against a transaction entirely - if the deal is wrong.

5. Discretion, Trust, and Personal Commitment

The adviser relationship must be built on absolute confidentiality and trust. The adviser’s focus should extend beyond process execution to prioritising the client’s long-term interests.

Success should not just be measured by the number of deals completed, but whether an M&A adviser can help its client to navigate one of the important decisions of their lives - without pressure, shortcuts or regrets.