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Grégoire Houëdry

I am currently an Associate Director at Clearwater having joined in 2018 as an Analyst. I have been involved in transactions across the healthcare and business services sectors, most notably advising on the sales of France Thermes and Crèches de France. Clearwater creates a challenging and demanding environment which allows me to push myself every day alongside experienced professionals. Working in M&A is particularly exciting work with the opportunity to help clients in strategic decisions and to participate in their economic growth. I graduated from Université Paris-Dauphine with a major in Corporate Finance and Financial Engineering.

John Sheridan

I am the Managing Partner of Clearwater International’s Irish business. As founders of this business, John Curtin and I joined up with Clearwater in October 2015 having traded as a boutique brand known as Core Corporate Finance over the previous year. Prior to this, I was Managing Director at Key Capital Corporate Finance in Dublin, where I worked for eight years. I have 21 years’ experience as a corporate finance professional having originally qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC in 1997. At Clearwater, I lead our food & beverage team internationally. Our team in Ireland covers all sectors with a particular focus on food & beverage, TMT, industrials & chemicals and business services. The deals I am most proud of are the sale of IT services business, Version1, where we advised the shareholders on the company’s sale to private equity firm, Volpi Capital in a €90m MBO, followed recently by the sale of telecommunications engineering business, KN Group to French-based Circet. Since joining Clearwater, I try to lead by example and inspire our team to drive for excellence and high performance in everything we do. The strong results-oriented and personalised culture of our firm helps both retain and attract great talent. I enjoy working with highly ambitious entrepreneurs who are looking to develop their business internationally and use my experience gained over the past 21 years in navigating the optimal M&A process to help achieve their goals. I have completed eleven transactions over the past three years at Clearwater with a combined deal value of c. €1bn.

Matthias Niess

"Financial transparency" is my hobbyhorse. I have been providing financial support to companies from various sectors for more than 20 years: in the area of M&A, particularly with regard to fit for sale and due diligence; in the area of restructuring in the development and implementation of solutions with maximum benefit for all parties involved. After studying business administration, I gained many years of practical experience and knowledge in advising our clients as CFO (medium-sized companies) and controller (internationally active plant and mechanical engineering company). I have been with ZETRA AG (corporate finance consulting) since 2002 and with Clearwater since 2023.

Emmanuel Xerri

I founded the Clearwater team in Marseilles over 20 years ago. The Mediterranean region has many up-and-coming businesses which we are ideally placed to advise given our close proximity. I started my career in the corporate finance department of PwC and then joined EY. Following this I co-developed the activities of Edmond de Rothschild in Marseille for five years. Over the years, I have supported small and medium-sized companies that have sometimes become large corporations. The diversity of the transactions I have advised on makes me a generalist, or rather a multi-specialist across various sectors including business services, healthcare, industrials, specialised distribution, and TMT. More recently, I advised on the various build-up operations as well as the primary and secondary LBOs of the Cogepart Group, the French leader in last mile delivery. I also advised Hôpital Privée La Casamance on the merger with the Almaviva group and the entry of FrenchFood Capital into Markal, a major player in the organic food sector. Today, Clearwater International is ideally positioned to accompany clients through the increasingly rapid changes in the market, remaining adaptable and utilising our sector specialists in both our French and international teams to meet client goals.

Sam Beard

I have spent my entire career at Clearwater having joined the business in 2013. I am a Director in our Deal Origination team leading our business development activities across our Tech and Financial Services sectors. A few of my originated deals include 15below’s investment from LDC, Mayden’s investment from G Square, WJ Group’s investment from THI, the sale of CloudShift to Globant and the sale of PSL Purchasing to Sodexo. Outside of work, I’m a keen sportsman playing football when its cold and golf when its not!

Olivia Prew

I lead Origination and Business Development across Clearwater in the UK. Having joined the firm in 2011, I am lucky enough to regularly meet many fascinating entrepreneurs and management teams and have the privilege of learning more about their businesses and aspirations. Making these connections is a genuine passion for me and has resulted in some wonderful clients and outcomes including the sale of MBL Seminars to Law Business Research, Triangle Fire securing investment from BGF, the sale of Arran Isle to Assa Abloy, and many more.

The process of selling a business

Clearwater outperforms in 2023 and expects improving conditions and growth in 2024

Selling to a strategic buyer

Felix Hansson

The most rewarding aspect of being part of Clearwater is the opportunity to guide entrepreneurs through decisions that often represent pivotal moments in their professional lives – selling the entirety or a part of their company and life's work. As an adviser, it's crucial for me to approach these matters with the utmost respect. Collaborating closely with ambitious and talented entrepreneurs is very fulfilling, as it allows me to contribute my expertise to ensure the best possible outcome in every transaction. I have been engaged in private M&A transactions at Clearwater since 2020, having assisted successful entrepreneurs across multiple industries and regions in Sweden. My very first completed transaction was the sale of Systeminstallation to Alder, which I remember especially well. Prior to joining Clearwater, I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from Stockholm School of Economics.