Michael Cantwell
Partner
Head of Corporate Finance, Partner
As Head of Corporate Finance, I lead our Corporate Finance team, advising owner-managed businesses on growth, funding, acquisitions, succession planning and strategic financial decisions. I help business owners identify opportunities, overcome challenges and achieve their long-term ambitions.
My approach is practical, commercial and straightforward, enabling clients to navigate complex financial issues and make informed decisions.
I build long-term relationships with my clients, becoming a trusted adviser throughout the business lifecycle and providing strategic support at every stage, from growth and investment through to succession and exit.
Over the past 20 years in corporate finance, my focus has been on helping clients realise the value they have created through years of hard work, while ensuring each transaction supports their personal and commercial objectives.
My focus is on supporting entrepreneurial business owners, rather than specialising in a particular sector. As a result, I have advised clients across a wide range of industries, including engineering, professional services, life sciences, healthcare and SaaS. This breadth of experience allows me to combine sector insight with a commercial perspective, helping clients navigate opportunities and challenges at every stage of their business journey.
With over 20 years' experience advising entrepreneurial business owners on growth, funding and succession strategies, I have supported clients through some of the most significant milestones in their business journey.
Highlights include:
- Advising on my first corporate finance assignment in 2005, raising funding for a start-up and continuing to support the business through acquisitions, a corporate reorganisation and a secondary funding round, culminating in its successful sale to a German acquirer in 2016.
- Supporting the management team of a SaaS business on a management buyout in 2025, including securing private equity investment to fund both the acquisition and the company's international expansion.
- Working alongside the owner of an engineering business for over a decade to strengthen the business ahead of sale, before successfully managing the sale process in 2026 and helping the owner achieve a successful exit and a well-earned retirement.
I am a qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA) and a member of ICAEW.
