Bristol-based corporate finance advisory firm Shaw & Co has been selected as the only UK corporate finance merger & acquisition (M&A) advisory firm to join an international network of more than 12,000 accounting, tax, audit and legal professionals.
Founded in Germany in 2003, ECOVIS International is active in 90-plus countries across five continents.
It has grown into the world’s 18th largest professional services group with its members having a combined annual fee income of over $1.5bn (£1.2bn).
It has core service lines of tax, accounting, auditing and legal and is now developing an international M&A network as a fifth global offering.
Founded in Bristol in 2011, Shaw & Co now has five offices across the UK helping business leaders and SME owners buy, sell or fund the growth of a company.
It has overseen deals involving major international brands such as Vodafone and Michelin as well as notable Bristol-headquartered firms, including discount codes pioneer Vouchercloud, which was acquired by Groupon, and ethical tea company Pukka Herbs, which was sold to consumer giant Unilever. 
Shaw & Co said joining the ECOVIS International network would further bolster its international credentials, affording it access to expert local knowledge in every major trading centre across the globe and enabling it to provide clients with a seamless, global solution tailored to their specific deal needs.
The firm will be instrumental in developing the ECOVIS International global M&A network alongside Netherlands-based founding member Taurus Corporate Finance.
The network will include independent member firms operating under their own brand and leadership but with a common global goal of increasing cross-border deal flow.
The partnership was signed at a recent annual ECOVIS International partner meeting (IPM) in Dubai, where more than 200 members of the network gathered for a three-day conference.
Shaw & Co CEO and founder Jim Shaw, pictured, said: “M&A is undoubtedly a global marketplace. Cross-border transactions are happening more frequently than ever before as technology breaks down geographical barriers.
“Although Shaw & Co has been undertaking cross-border transactions for its clients since inception, joining ECOVIS International takes our global capability to another level.
“The trip to the IPM in Dubai confirmed our decision to join as the power and breadth of the network was abundantly clear.”
Robert McCann, chairman of the supervisory board of ECOVIS International and senior partner of ECOVIS Wingrave Yeats, which provides audit, accounting and tax services in the UK, added: “Each partner is invested in growing the ECOVIS International network for our clients’ benefit by nurturing and developing our relationships and special ‘family’ culture which is embraced by all member firms.
“Developing the M&A network is a major strategic objective of ECOVIS and Shaw & Co joining the network is a significant milestone to achieving that goal.”
Shaw & Co specialises in a range of services – from exit strategies, business valuations, acquisitions and sales, to mergers, management buy-outs and the securing of finance for growth – from its offices in Bristol, Birmingham, Glasgow, London and Manchester.
