Research first,
approaches second.
Every mandate starts with proper analysis: the market, who is active in it, and what deals have been done at what value. We approach buyers and targets because the research points to them.
BOUTIQUE M&A SPECIALISTS SINCE 2012
Helping you define
your next chapter.
We are a privately owned, director-led, full service M&A advisory firm. Focused on providing a personal approach for sellers and buyers of owner-managed businesses.
01 / HOW WE WORK
Our commitment to you
The four founding principles of how we operate.
Research first,
The same people,
start to finish.
The director you meet is the director who runs your transaction. Nothing is handed down to a junior team, and you keep one point of contact from the first conversation to completion.
Nothing goes out
without your say-so.
We don't advertise businesses or list on M&A portals. Whether you are buying or selling, approaches go to an agreed list, and nothing identifying you is released without an NDA and your approval.
Alongside the people
you already trust.
We work with your accountants, lawyers, in-house team and other advisers as one from the start, so the numbers, the legals and the deal itself move together, rather than one waiting on the next.
WHERE WE WORK
Mid-market and owner-managed.
Boutique specialists since 2012, we’re clear on where we can help, and where we can’t.
£3m — £75m
Mid-market transactions of owner-managed businesses, typically with an EBITDA in excess of £500k.
UK & International
We sell on behalf of UK based businesses, and attract buyers from both the UK and overseas.
Business to business
Exclusive focus on B2B companies with predictable revenue and a strong niche.
Fire & Security
Alarm, suppression and security installers with maintenance contracts that renew year after year.
Built Environment Compliance
Testing, inspection and certification businesses, where regulated, recurring revenue is what buyers pay for.
Engineering
Specialist engineers with a defensible niche, skilled people and customers who come back.
Manufacturing
Manufacturers of components and finished products, valued for their processes, approvals and order books.
Wholesale & Distribution
Distributors whose value sits in supplier terms, routes to market and the relationships behind them.
Business Services
Service businesses with contracted, repeat revenue and a clear reason their clients stay.
Professional Services
People-led firms, where the value has to transfer with the clients and the team.
Contract Services
Installation and maintenance contractors with framework agreements and long-standing clients.
Software & IT
IT services and software businesses with recurring contracts and customers who stay.
Technology
Technology businesses with proprietary products, recurring revenue and a growing market behind them.
02 / WHO WE ARE
Director-led, deliberately selective,
and by your side throughout.
A sale or an acquisition is as emotional as it is technical. It gets intense, and you want to be certain the people beside you have done it many times before.
We take on a small number of clients at a time, so our attention stays where it should be. You get straight-talking advice, and people who do not let go.
MEET THE TEAM
The people you’ll work with.
David Nelson
Managing Director
Email David
Managing Director
David Nelson
I’ve led UK mid-market M&A transactions for over two decades, and founded Leith M&A to deliver exceptional results with meticulous attention to detail and genuine care for every client. My most important role in the process is listening: understanding your concerns, your aspirations and the essence of your business.
Email DavidSophie Nelson
Director · Co-founder
Email Sophie
Director · Co-founder
Sophie Nelson
We founded Leith M&A to give a small number of clients a knowledgeable, friendly and truly bespoke service. I produce the sales documents that take your company to market and head up our brilliant research team. We are straight talking, friendly, and nothing but tenacious in our approach.
Email SophieJames Wakefield
Director
Email James
Director
James Wakefield
I’ve spent over 25 years building, leading and transforming businesses across sectors and geographies, guided by a Sandhurst-trained leadership ethos. Whether a company is new to a sale process or needs to make changes before going to market, my goal is always the same: clear, grounded, actionable guidance.
Email JamesJohn Clifton
Director
Email John
Director
John Clifton
I sold my own business through Leith M&A, and joined the firm as a director afterwards. I know the process from the owner’s side of the table, and I bring that understanding to every client I work with, from the first conversation through to completion.
Email JohnLiz Armstrong
Senior Researcher
Email Liz
Senior Researcher
Liz Armstrong
I’ve been with Leith M&A since it was founded. Our research team identifies and approaches the agreed list of potential buyers for every client, then puts the confidentiality agreements in place to protect them. We send regular updates throughout, and become an extension of our clients’ teams.
Email LizLisa Vincent
Researcher
Email Lisa
Researcher
Lisa Vincent
I’ve supported the firm’s transaction and advisory work since 2021, providing market and industry analysis, target company profiling and data support throughout the M&A process. I pride myself on the care and attention to detail that make a tangible difference to our clients’ outcomes.
Email Lisa03 / OUR SERVICES
Whether you’re ready to sell, looking to acquire, or thinking about your exit plan, we can help.
FOR OWNERS READY TO EXIT 01
Selling
your company.
How a sale works
FOR ACQUIRERS AND INVESTORS 02
Buying
a company.
How a search works
FOR OWNERS CONSIDERING AN EXIT IN 1–3 YRS 03
Leith Value
Accelerator™.
See the programme
01–03 / 06
These are a sample of the mandates we have completed. For further examples, or for references from the owners we have acted for, please contact us.
TESTIMONIALS
What people say about us.
Mercury Holdings (London)Hayley Group
“Their involvement in the deal was fundamental to the successful outcome and proved to be a great benefit to myself and my fellow Shareholder, Graham King.”
Chris Clayden
Mercury Holdings (London) Ltd · sold to Hayley Group
05 / THE LEITH VALUE ACCELERATOR™
FOR OWNERS CONSIDERING AN EXIT IN 1–5 YRSSale ready.
Worth more.
Before you go to market.
Our unique programme systematically works through your business the way a buyer will, making you sale ready, worth more, and building the basis of the data room you’ll need for an exit.
A STRONGER BUSINESS.
A CLEARER WAY FORWARD.
A CLEARER WAY FORWARD.
WHERE YOU AREWHAT’S POSSIBLE
CONFIDENTIALITY
The question we are most often asked first, and one we take seriously.
01 NDA first, details second
Whether you are buying or selling, first approaches are made on a no-names basis. Nothing that identifies you is shared until the other side has signed an NDA and you have approved them.
02 You approve every approach
We build the list of buyers or targets with you, and you strike off anyone you do not want contacted, including competitors, customers and suppliers.
03 Information released in stages
Detail is shared as talks advance, not up front. The data room opens once both sides are committed, not while anyone is still browsing.
04 You decide when your people find out
Staff, customers, suppliers and investors are told on your timetable, with our support on what to say and when.
Every conversation is confidential, whether you engage with us or not.
+44 (0) 1306 272 20006 / NEWS & INSIGHTS
Latest news from Leith M&A
LEITH M&A INSIGHT 2 OCTOBER 2026
Did I hear that right? Suella Braverman just claimed my breakfast isn’t English!!!!
LEITH M&A INSIGHT 3 SEPTEMBER 2026
What actually creates value in a compliance business?
LEITH M&A INSIGHT 20 AUGUST 2026
The transferability test: could someone pick up your business and carry on?
EVERY NEXT CHAPTER STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION