CEO | M&A ADVISER | FINANCIAL SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY
Dr Daniel Baade
Specialist adviser to founders, boards and investors on £20m–£200m transactions across Financial Services and Technology.
Daniel advises clients across the UK and Europe on sell-side M&A, minority investments, growth capital, acquisitions and strategic transactions, with particular expertise in Wealth & Asset Management, Fund Administration, Trust & Corporate Services, Fintech and Private Equity-backed transactions.
30+
Transactions advised
£20-£200m
Typical transaction value
90%+
Transaction success rate
~85%
Transactions involving PE
UK & EU
International execution
*Figures are based on relevant completed transactions.
ADVISORY APPROACH
Strategic advice built around the client's real objective.
Daniel's approach starts before a transaction process begins. He works with founders, shareholders and investors to understand what they are ultimately trying to achieve - and whether a transaction, investment or acquisition is actually the right route.
His advice combines sector knowledge, transaction experience, proprietary research and strategic perspective. That informs decisions around timing, positioning, valuation, investor selection and transaction structure long before negotiations begin.
The objective is not simply to complete a deal, but to create the conditions for the right deal.
SECTOR EXPERTISE
Deep expertise in sectors undergoing structural change.
01 Wealth & Asset Management - Extensive experience advising wealth managers, IFAs, financial planning businesses, discretionary managers and asset managers on sales, investments and acquisitions.
02 Fund Administration, Trust & Corporate Services - Advising owners and investors in fragmented, consolidation-driven markets where buyer appetite and valuation can vary materially by business model.
03 Fintech & WealthTech - Advising technology businesses, particularly those serving Wealth Management and Financial Services, on growth capital, strategic investment and M&A.
WHAT CLIENTS TYPICALLY ASK DANIEL
The conversation often starts long before a mandate.
01 Who is the best long-term partner - Supporting entrepreneurs, CEOs and investors to evaluate all strategic options.
02 Should we sell now - or wait? - Assessing market conditions, valuation, strategic readiness and what could materially improve the business before a process.
03 Minority or majority investment? - Evaluating control, liquidity, growth objectives and the relative merits of strategic and financial investors.
04 How would Private Equity view our business? - Understanding institutional buyer criteria, valuation drivers and the issues likely to emerge during diligence.
05 Should we acquire before we sell? - Assessing whether M&A can improve scale, strategic relevance and eventual exit value - or simply add complexity.
Selected transactions
Experience that can be demonstrated
Kestrel Capital
Investment from IK Partners
Clifton
Investment from CBPE
Aberdeen
Financial Planning sold to Ascot Lloyd
Lockhart
Investment from Northcote Equity
Amicus Wealth
Sale to 7IM
Ascot Lloyd
Circa 20 acquisitions · £4bn+ combined AUA
CLIENT PERSPECTIVE
“ Daniel understood from the outset what made the business special and what mattered to us as partners. Through a highly intelligent process, he helped us find the right partner.”
JON BOWES, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & FOUNDING PARTNER, LOCKHART CAPITAL MANAGEMENT
RESEARCH & MARKET COMMENTARY
Banker first.
Market authority second.
Daniel leads Dyer Baade's research and market commentary across Wealth Management, Private Equity and Financial Services M&A. The firm's proprietary analysis tracks market activity, ownership, valuation and consolidation trends, helping inform both client advice and strategic positioning.
He regularly comments on Financial Services and M&A for industry and national media, including Citywire, FT Adviser, Professional Adviser, Real Deals and other specialist publications.
Selected publications and commentary:
i) Dyer Baade UK Wealth Management Executive Briefing
ii) Daniel’s commentary on how a decade of deals has changed the UK league table (Citywire)
iii) Daniel’s commentary on why minority deals off win-win situations (Real Deals)
Biography
Dr Daniel Baade
CEO & Co-Founder | M&A adviser
M&A and advisory experience
Daniel Baade is CEO and Co-Founder of Dyer Baade & Company and a specialist M&A adviser to founders, shareholders, CEOs, boards and investors across Financial Services and Technology.
Based in London, he advises on transactions typically valued between £20 million and £200 million, with particular expertise in Wealth & Asset Management, Trust, Fiduciary, Fund Administration & Corporate Services, Fintech and Private Equity-backed transactions.
Much of Daniel’s work involves advising owners through their first major capital event - whether a full sale, minority investment, growth-capital transaction or strategic partnership. He personally leads many of Dyer Baade’s larger and more complex mandates, including competitive processes involving international strategic buyers and financial sponsors, from initial strategy and positioning through investor selection, negotiation and completion.
Selected transactions include advising Kestrel Capital on its investment from IK Partners, Clifton Asset Management on the majority investment by CBPE, Lockhart Capital Management on the minority investment by Northcote Equity, and Waverton Investment Management on the sale of Timothy James & Partners. He has also advised on approximately 20 acquisitions for Ascot Lloyd involving more than £4 billion of acquired assets under advice.
Strategic perspective and entrepreneurial mindset
Daniel approaches M&A as a strategic decision rather than simply a transaction process. As an entrepreneur and business owner himself, he understands that decisions around ownership, capital and succession are closely connected to growth, control, management and the long-term direction of the business.
Many of his client relationships therefore begin well before a formal transaction. He works with founders and boards over months or years to assess strategic options, strengthen positioning and consider what could materially increase the value or attractiveness of a business before approaching investors or buyers.
His objective is not simply to complete a transaction, but to help clients determine whether to transact, when to transact and on what terms.
Sector expertise and institutional capital
Wealth & Asset Management is one of Daniel’s principal areas of specialism, where he has advised founders, management teams, institutional shareholders and acquirers across strategic sales, minority investments and acquisition programmes.
More broadly, he has extensive experience working at the intersection of entrepreneurial ownership and institutional capital. His combination of sell-side, minority-investment and buy-side experience gives him a detailed understanding of how professional investors assess businesses, where they identify risk and what creates strategic value and competitive tension in an M&A process.
Daniel is also closely involved in Dyer Baade’s proprietary research into M&A activity, valuation, ownership and Private Equity investment across UK Wealth Management and Financial Services. This research informs both the firm’s market commentary and its advice to clients on positioning, timing and valuation.
Career and academic background
Before founding Dyer Baade & Company, Daniel held senior strategy, finance and corporate development positions at businesses including Chase de Vere and Christie’s. Earlier in his career, he supported the group board of European Financial Services group AWD Holding on strategy, M&A and corporate finance.
Daniel holds a PhD and Master’s degree in economics and strategy and has undertaken executive education at institutions including INSEAD and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Considering a strategic transaction over the next few years?