Private equity · M&A · Value creation
M&A and value creation, from the principal's side of the table.
Escott Consulting is Will Hammond. Over 30 acquisitions led or supported, a nursery platform built from inception to a £178m exit, a €100m+ European fintech taken through sale, and the proprietary analytical infrastructure that sat behind the decisions.
Track record
Evidence, not adjectives.
£178m
BrightStars, exited to Oakley Capital
Platform built from inception to the UK's third-largest Early Years provider across circa 50 sites, returning £133m of net proceeds on £3.6m of equity invested.
30+
Acquisitions led or supported
£15m of aggregate EBITDA acquired, with more than £5m sourced directly off-market.
€100m+
Rydoo, exited for Marlin Equity Partners
Financial workstream lead through a full institutional sale process, working alongside management and Deutsche Bank.
£10m
Senior debt facility, Lloyds
Acquisition financing sourced and secured for a propco/opco nursery expansion structure.
And the analytical infrastructure behind the decisions. Proprietary geospatial, demographic and demand-supply models used to identify acquisition opportunities, assess local markets and support investment decisions, including a granular geospatial model validated at p=0.0007 and a screening dashboard that reaches an initial investment view in five to ten minutes.
Capabilities
Creating value. Realising value.
Tailored entry and exit expertise, delivered by the person who does the work.
Buy-side and buy-and-build.
Thesis through completion: market mapping, off-market origination, approach strategy, diligence coordination and integration planning for platforms and bolt-ons. Includes acquisition financing, senior debt and propco/opco structuring where the deal requires it.
Sell-side and exit execution.
Preparing assets for institutional processes, building the equity story, owning investor materials, VDR and FDD Q&A, running normalisation and quality-of-earnings work, and holding the process together through to close.
Portfolio finance and value creation.
Hands-on finance leadership inside portfolio companies: reporting, forecasting, board-grade information, management incentive plans and the operational transformation that follows a deal.
Data, analytics and automation.
Proprietary analytical tools, acquisition-screening systems and Python automation that turn complex operational and market data into actionable investment decisions.
Sectors
Founded, sold or acquired across.
Client feedback
Client success stories.
"Working with Will was a game-changer for our business. His thorough analysis, deep transactional experience and strategic insight were invaluable, leading us through a highly successful bolt-on acquisition. His professionalism and dedication made the complex process seamless."
"Escott Consulting provided exceptional guidance through our M&A process, making a complex nine-figure transaction as smooth and efficient as possible."
About
Will Hammond
Will has spent his career on both sides of the transaction. As part of a three-person private equity team he helped build a nursery group from inception to the UK's third-largest Early Years Education provider and a £178m exit, sourcing acquisitions off-market, securing the debt behind the expansion and building the analytical tools the investment committee used to decide where to buy next.
He has since led financial workstreams through institutional sale processes, run finance inside portfolio companies as an interim lead, and been brought in by sponsors when a transaction becomes complicated. He founded and operated his own businesses before any of it, including a biotechnology company with international operations and, at 27, a micro-cap private equity vehicle whose first acquisition he sourced, structured, financed, negotiated and executed himself.
The result is a rare combination: someone who can underwrite a deal, execute it, and then live with the consequences inside the business. Sponsors get investor judgement rather than adviser process. Management teams get someone who has sat in their chair.
- CFA
- BA Economics and Finance, University of Exeter
- Buy-and-build platforms, off-market origination, MIP structuring
- Acquisition financing and senior debt
- Python, geospatial and demographic modelling, screening automation
- Interim FD and corporate development mandates
Elevate your M&A strategy.
Partner with Escott Consulting for expert guidance on mergers and acquisitions, strategic consultancy and business analytics.
will@escott-consulting.comCurrently considering select advisory and interim mandates. London based, working UK-wide.