Boutique corporate finance advisory firm, WilliamsAli, is continuing in its rapid growth trajectory with the promotion of two team members, completion of several high-profile deals, including the recent sale of Houghton International, and a significant number in the pipeline.

The WilliamsAli team support business owners with key transformational moments ranging from scaling up, securing funding, or delivering an exit strategy. Corporate Finance Executives Tristan Woolcock and Niall Choat have each been promoted to Corporate Finance Managers following their contribution to the sustained growth of the firm and their role in a number of successful M&A transactions across a range of sectors.

Tristan started his career as a M&A Associate in Oxford and the Thames Valley area before relocating to the North East to join WilliamsAli in 2021. He works on a wider breadth of client work including buy-side support, fundraising and valuation work in addition to providing M&A advice to the firm’s growing book of clients. Tristan was a key part of the WilliamsAli team that successfully led the recent sale of Houghton International to US-based Integrated Power Services, backed by Searchlight Capital.

Commenting on his promotion, Tristan, who is also currently undertaking the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investments (CISI) qualifications in Corporate Finance, said: “I’m extremely grateful to the WilliamsAli team for all their support from day one, the opportunities they have given me and for recognising my contribution. I am also privileged to be working with such a range of fantastic clients. I’ve come a long way since joining and that is down to the training and development I have received from Abu and Phil as well as our Associate Directors Mo and Lucy. I’m excited to take the next step and develop in this new manager position.”

Niall also joined WilliamsAli in 2021 after 10 years of various in-house and practice roles in leading firms including a Big-4 audit and consultancy practice. He oversees a portfolio of clients for the firm developing particular expertise in business valuations in a variety of scenarios, including exit planning, employee share schemes, and equity investment rounds.

Niall added: “The promotion is a real milestone in my career and is at a level I’ve been working towards for a long time. I’ve been lucky to learn a great deal from the team around me, and especially the Directors, which has helped me to hone my technical expertise and, in turn, provide a great service to our clients. I’m delighted to have had my commitment and skill set recognised by the team here and look forward to continuing to build on WilliamsAli’s rapid success even further – exciting times.”

WilliamsAli, founded in 2019 by Abu Ali and Phil Williams, has developed a strong reputation as a leading provider of specialist dealmaking expertise in the region’s M&A landscape. The firm is currently overseeing a number of significant transactions, due to complete throughout the remainder of 2024.

Commenting on the promotions, Phil Williams, Managing Director and co-founder of WilliamsAli said: “Tristan and Niall’s promotions are a direct result of their hard work and flexibility, and we are extremely proud to have made them managers and see them continue to flourish with WilliamsAli. This is a really exciting time of growth for the firm in terms of deal and transaction numbers, size and quality. In their time here, they have both already played significant roles in achieving successful outcomes for our clients.”

Fellow MD and co-founder, Abu Ali added: “We pride ourselves on our service excellence, technical expertise, pragmatism and approachability. Our partner-led ethos ensures that our team has direct access to a wealth of knowledge and gain hands-on, client-facing experience from the start, and it is great to see that pay off for people like Niall and Tristan. We’re looking forward to seeing how their careers and WilliamsAli continue to develop.”