The voice of experience

When making big decisions in business – especially those tied to value creation and succession – having a trusted adviser by your side is key.

Even better is a trusted adviser that has walked the same path.

Phil Williams and Abu Ali, co-founders of independent advisory boutique WilliamsAli, have done exactly that.

Since founding the firm in 2019, they’ve advised business owners across the North East and beyond.

And now, having sold their business to FRP

Advisory, they’re bringing first-hand experience to the table.

Today, as FRP Corporate Finance partners in the firm’s Newcastle office, they continue to work with their original client base while offering the broader capabilities of a national firm.

Phil says: “Becoming a part of FRP Corporate Finance levels up what we can offer to business owners across the region.

He adds: “Our work remains fundamentally the same: we support ambitious business owners looking to grow, realise value or plan their next step.

“What has changed is the scale of resource and expertise now backing us in the North East.

“Our clients feel that difference.

“As business owners, that’s what we’ve gone through ourselves.

“We’re uniquely placed to look clients in the eye and say: ‘We’ve done what you’re about to do’.

“We know what it is to be a business owner that built something and then successfully have a value event.”

Abu and Phil met while working for a North East finance house, after training as accountants and gaining experience in consultancy and advisory roles.

Spotting a lack of specialist corporate finance support in the region, they launched WilliamsAli to fill the void, offering focused advice on mergers, acquisitions and funding.

Abu says: “All companies have trusted advisers and accountants they use through the annual life cycle of the business, but when you come to sell your business, you need a laser-focused mergers and acquisitions advisory practice.

“That was our aim with WilliamsAli, and it was received really well in the market; we had some interesting transactions and built a regional and national reputation.

“We have delivered a quality of advice and service, as well as a depth of expertise, that has become increasingly scarce in the North East after many national firms have retreated from the UK’s regions.

“We’re authentic and we have empathy with clients – we tailor our advice to what clients particularly need.”

That reputation attracted the attention of FRP Corporate Finance, which already operated in the North East through restructuring and insolvency teams.

Looking to strengthen its corporate finance offering, FRP saw Abu and Phil as the ideal partners to drive its growth.

Phil says: “While we were building WilliamsAli, FRP Corporate Finance was expanding into a truly national business, aiming to establish a presence across all regions by acquiring companies like ours in markets throughout the UK.

“We recognised the vision FRP was pursuing nationally and in the regions – it reflected the direction we were heading, just on a broader scale.

“FRP invested in WilliamsAli, but equally, we invested in FRP.

“We genuinely believe we’re part of something special, and we see that same mindset reflected in the people at FRP.”

Abu adds: “We did a fantastic job in terms of building something new – the approach from FRP Corporate Finance gave us the chance to get the rewards for what we had worked so hard for, in the same way we help our clients.

“Of course, it wasn’t just about us, it was about what was best for our clients and our team in the long term.

“It was about maximising our place in the market and accelerating everything we’ve done with WilliamsAli.”

Now, with a strong team of nine corporate finance experts based in Newcastle, the team is looking to grow, with a core offer of five specialist services including corporate finance, debt advisory, financial advisory, forensic services and restructuring advisory.

Abu and Phil have become equity partners in FRP, and remain committed to their client base.

Abu says: “There’s nothing to stop us now.

“We’re continuing to grow our team and our market share, and expanding the services and skills we offer.

“Phil and I aren’t going anywhere.

“We sold our business, we did well from it, but it means we now get to do this because we want to do it – it’s what excites us.

“At the end of the day, North East companies like to work with North East advisers, people who understand the local market. And that is us.

“We are mergers and acquisitions advisers, who built a company from nothing, found success and then sold it and exited.

“We are unique in the North East in delivering corporate finance advice that is backed by the experience of having been through the same process as business owners.”

Phil adds: “We’ve been on the same side of the tables as our clients – we are not preaching or regurgitating a textbook. We’ve lived it.

“We’ve lived the risks and made the tough calls, with our families alongside us.

“That shared experience brings trust, empathy and a sense of purpose.

“It’s entrepreneurs advising entrepreneurs.

“FRP is full of talented people and driven by a culture of excellence – that is what we bought into.

And we believe the future for FRP Corporate Finance in the North East is bright.”

FRP Corporate Finance
www.frpadvisory.com/what-we-do/corporate-finance
LinkedIn: FRP Corporate Finance