A leading mid-market advisory firm is looking for a high-calibre M&A professional to join its Consumer, Retail and Leisure team at Associate level in London. This is an execution-focused and client-exposed role for someone who wants to work on high-impact transactions across the Consumer landscape while developing within a leading advisory platform

Why join?

1. Work on complex transactions across Consumer, Retail and Leisure, with exposure to sub-sectors including food & beverage, luxury lifestyle, travel and consumer health, often in sponsor-backed and cross-border situations.
2. Operate in a lean deal team alongside Partners, Managing Directors and Directors, gaining direct exposure to senior clients, founders, management teams and investors from an early stage.
3. Benefit from a strong development environment, clear progression and increasing responsibility as you build execution experience and sector expertise within the team.

The role

As an Associate, you will play an important role in end-to-end deal execution across a range of live transactions in the Consumer, Retail and Leisure sector.

1. Support day-to-day execution of live mandates, helping to coordinate workstreams across internal teams, clients and other advisers.
2. Prepare key transaction materials including information memoranda, management presentations, process letters, buyer lists and internal committee papers.
3. Build, maintain and analyse financial models, including DCF, LBO and trading and transaction comparables, to support valuation work and strategic recommendations.
4. Conduct sector and company research, analyse potential buyers and targets, and contribute to the development of pitch materials and client ideas across the Consumer space.
5. Participate in client meetings and adviser calls, developing the communication skills and commercial judgement required to build trusted adviser relationships over time.
6. Work closely with senior bankers on due diligence, process management, documentation and transaction logistics through the full deal cycle.

Candidate profile

1. Strong experience in M&A, whether from an investment bank, boutique or Big 4 corporate finance team, with exposure to buy-side and sell-side transactions.
2. Good understanding of deal execution, with experience supporting live transactions through key stages including due diligence, valuation, marketing materials and negotiations.
3. Sector experience in Consumer, Retail and Leisure is advantageous, particularly across food & beverage, travel, lifestyle, retail, e-commerce or consumer health, although a genuine interest in specialising in the sector is equally important.
4. Strong financial modelling and valuation skills, with the ability to produce accurate, thoughtful and well-presented analysis.Confident communicator with strong interpersonal skills and the credibility to work effectively with senior colleagues, clients and external advisers.
5. Highly organised, detail-oriented and capable of managing multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
6. ACA, CFA or equivalent qualifications are beneficial but not essential where transaction experience is strong.