WilliamsAli

So on 19th January 2019 WilliamsAli was launched. The premise behind this business was to offer clients unrivalled technical expertise delivered by two individuals with many years’ experience in the corporate finance world.  

Phil Williams is a leading name in the North East corporate finance world with more than 17 years of experience in the field and over 20 years as a qualified accountant. He has been involved in a number of major deals on a regional and national level and is highly respected for his work with an ability to undertake the most complex of transactions.

Abu Ali had over a decade of lead advisory experience prior to establishing WilliamsAli. He has significant experience of advising on company sales, management buyouts and fundraising. He is a passionate supporter of the North East business community and has become a key figure in expanding and developing the region’s network of investors, entrepreneurs and advisers.

Upon establishing the WilliamsAli brand, it quickly became clear to Phil and Abu that the business model was such that there was a desire in the North East business community to access good quality corporate finance advice delivered by impartial experts. With this in mind, additional staff were onboarded over the years to undertake the growing number of engaged clients and ever-larger transaction sizes.

By 2024, the team has grown to a team of 7 dedicated professionals. This comprises,

Lucy Elliott – Associate Director – Lucy joined WilliamsAli in September 2023 after serving 20 years at accountancy firm Azets. Lucy is a Chartered Accountant and qualified Corporate Financier with over 15 years experience in lead advisory.

She has significant M&A experience and provides advice to clients across a broad range of sectors. Key deals she has been involved with include the disposal of Northumbrian Roads Limited to Aggregate Industries and the disposal of Lord Tool Hire to ONE Stop Hire.

Mo Miah – Associate Director – Mo joined the firm in January 2023 with over 10 years experience as a qualified accountant, with 5 years specialising in corporate finance. His deal experience includes the investment by Foresight Private Equity into Quanta EPC and the sale of Mathewson Underfloor Heating to Eneraqua Technologies Plc.

Since joining the WilliamsAli, Mo has been hands-on with several high profile deals including significant pipeline transactions.

Tristan Woolcock – Manager – Tristan joined the WilliamsAli team in July 2021, originally as Executive before recently being promoted to Manager. Tristan has significant lead advisory and deal execution experience from his background in an M&A role based in Oxford, advising owner-managers on business sales and private equity buy-outs.  He has advised on a multitude of transactions across a diverse range of sectors including Construction, Facilities Management, IT and E-Commerce.

He was a key part of the WilliamsAli deal team that delivered a successful transaction Impress Group which resulted in a management buy out and an in flow of funds to the region from international company Lucena Capital.

Niall Choat – Manager - Niall’s financial background in both practice and industry roles contributes a broad range of experience to the WilliamsAli team.  Before joining WilliamsAli in October 2021, he held a variety of accounting and financial analysis positions, including spells in Deloitte and RSM, followed by an in-house role within a fast growing IT services business. 

Niall has developed particular expertise in the specialist area of business valuations in a variety of scenarios, including exit planning, employee share schemes, and equity investment rounds.

Maxine Fox – Head of Business Operations – Maxine joined the firm in May 2023 following 10 years at accountancy firm UNW and prior to that over 10 years in business finance roles in the public sector. In the team Maxine ensures that the WilliamsAli operation runs smoothly keeping a close eye on operational matter such as compliance, risk, health and safety, marketing and events and internal communications.

In addition to the day-to-day members of staff, Phil and Abu took pride in welcoming Paul Kaiser as Chairman in May 2023. Paul’s appointment firmly cemented the firm’s trusted and respected position in the region’s corporate finance market. Paul has over 40 years experience as an adviser which includes a highly successful 27 years with Deloitte. He is amongst a very small group of advisers in the region to have built a reputation on a national level based on his extensive deal CV and depth and breadth of experience.  A trusted adviser to many clients, he has always strived to deliver the optimum result and has an ability to cut through the noise of a transaction, focus on the key issues, and bridge the gap between buyer and seller.

As a well-known and respected name in the region and beyond, Paul is an important wealth creator within the North East business community.  He has been a key player in the North East market and a trusted advisor to many local businesses.  Paul’s wide network of contacts and wealth of experience in advising businesses in local, national and international transactions have enabled him to add value at any point in the business life cycle, whether raising finance for a growing business or advising exiting shareholders, both private and institutional, on the disposal of their business.

In his role, Paul shares his skills and experience to support Phil and Abu, to guide and develop the WilliamsAli team and further strengthen the company in the marketplace.

Professional discretion is of the utmost importance to the team at WilliamsAli and therefore in terms of clients, many WilliamsAli transactions are delivered with anonymity. That said, recent deals with high profile brands include;

·         Lakes Distillery – fundraising to aid future growth.

·         Jackson Hogg – fundraising to support soaring local, national and global demand.

·         Impress Group – Management buy out backed by Lucena Capital.

·         Everflow – refinance to expand its range of services.

·         Tyne Tees Vehicle Repair Group – acquisition by Steer Automotive Group.

Client testimonials include;

“WilliamsAli have been a pleasure to work with and we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend WilliamsAli to anyone that is looking for a Corporate Finance partner.  From first introduction, through to completion, the experienced team at WilliamsAli provided a quality service that was thoroughly enjoyable.  All the best for the future and we look forward to working with you again!”

Helen Broadhead – Finance Director – Jackson Hogg

“Abu and Niall were a real pleasure to work with. They took the time to understand our business, offered expert advice and guidance and exceeded our expectations throughout the whole process. We look forward to working with them again as we progress our business strategy.”

Jordan McCabe – Owner – Aztec Diamond

“I decided to work with Williams Ali because they were independent and offered a  really bespoke service. I found Phil’s knowledge to be superb and he was brilliant in assisting in the negotiations especially the very tricky parts and there were lots of them!  There were many zoom calls involving London and the global offices - Phil was great in articulating what we needed each time and resolving issues very well. This was not a simple deal it had a huge amount of twists and turns and he helped me every step of the way – I know that had Phil not been my advisor I would never have been able to complete the transaction. The support I had was unprecedented and testament to the team at Williams Ali even now a year on they have helped me massively on any question I have had post the deal which has been invaluable. The after-care service has been brilliant – which is so important on such complex transactions”

Penny Mosgrove – Owner – Quintessentially Estate

A key part of WilliamsAli independence is that it has the agility to make decisions quickly and in the best interests of the staff team and the local economy. The firm is a proud member of the Good Work Pledge Advanced community in recognition of its commitment to being a good local employer.

At WilliamsAli success is not merely defined by delivering technical expertise in client work, it is also highlighted by the charity work that the team supports. Last year, WilliamsAli hosted the inaugural Corporate Basketball Tournament in conjunction with the Newcastle Eagles and by doing so raised over £10,000 for the Eagles Community Foundation. The tournament was so successful the 2024 event will be held on 7th June.

The firm also operates with an independent charity of the year, and has recently announced The People’s Kitchen as the next local charity it will be supporting. This follows a successful year of supporting Nerve Tumours UK and raising over £8,000.

The WilliamsAli brand continues to grow within our region and beyond, built on its agile independence, the technical capabilities of the team and the relatable manner in which it operates. Phil and Abu are proud of what they have achieved in a short space of time and deservedly so.