CN Corporate Finance marks three years of growth

North West-based corporate finance advisory firm formerly known as CN Strategic Advisors, has marked its third anniversary with a new name following another year of growth in turnover, headcount and deal activity.

The firm, founded in 2023 by former RSM and Forvis Mazars dealmaker Dave Baggott, alongside his brother, CN Group’s Andrew Baggott, has changed its name to CN Corporate Finance to better reflect its specialism in corporate finance and M&A.

CN, which has offices in Cheadle and Manchester, has grown to a team of 12, including a five-strong deal advisory team. In the last 12 months, the firm has advised on 11 transactions with a value of more than £85m, as well as a host of other strategic advisory projects.

Established as a boutique corporate finance advisory firm, CN’s focus is on supporting founders, management teams and shareholders through the key stages of their business lifecycle, from growth and acquisition through to succession and exit.

Dave Baggott, partner at CN Corporate Finance, leads the firm’s deal advisory team together with brother Andy, also a highly experienced accountant and corporate finance professional, and the team also includes Syme Anwar and James Cox. The firm is planning further recruitment over the next six months.

Dave said:

“The move to CN Corporate Finance reflects how the business has evolved and makes our core expertise much clearer.

“We’re incredibly proud of the progress the business has made over the past three years. Our growth has been driven by a clear focus on delivering high-quality, partner-led advice and building long-term relationships with our clients.

“The last 12 months has seen us increasing capacity and experience within our advisory team and we’re now dealing with more and larger mandates for both buyside and sell-side transactions.”

Recent deals the firm has advised on include the sale of Manchester-based commercial heating and cooling specialist Kool It to Nordic Climate Group, the sale of Stockport-based audio-visual integration specialist Pioneer Group to global AV and digital experiences specialist Trison, and the acquisition of Bastion Security Services by high-security and tactical training provider BeaverFit.

Dave added:

“Our reason for starting the firm three years ago was that we saw an opportunity to bring the M&A experience we’d gained in large firms to a partner-led boutique advisory setting. For us, it’s not just about dropping in towards the end of a transaction process; we’re here to make a long-term impact for business owners.

“We’re working with owners at some of the most important moments in their journey, whether that’s supporting growth, navigating succession, or delivering a successful exit. Being trusted to advise on those decisions is something we take very seriously.”