Tony Meakin
FD & Deal Lead
What part do you play in the Entrepreneurs Hub team?
I play a combined role of Finance Director and Deal Lead (either one, the other or both depending on the transaction). My role really kicks in at project start and I work with them from that point forwards, all the way through to the completion of the transaction.
From a very early stage, I start to dig into the numbers of the businesses we work with to ensure I understand what’s in each balance, how trading has moved over time and what the drivers for the business are – this includes looking at any forecasts. This means that I am prepared to answer most questions from potential acquirers and guide clients through financial due diligence. As a Deal Lead, I start by getting a good understanding of the business and what makes it stand out, to purvey to potential suitors. I’ll lead any conversations with buyers, analyse and negotiate any offers, work through the due diligence and help with any matters all the way through to completion.
What experience do you bring to the table?
I have an MEng in Engineering, Economics and Management from the University of Oxford, this led me to becoming a Chartered Accountant through the graduate scheme at Ernst & Young. Soon after qualifying I moved to Dow Schofield Watts, a Corporate Finance company based in Cheshire. At DSW I worked on many different aspects of CF: Buyside and Sellside advisory, Financial Modelling, Refinancing and establishing/managing a small Private Equity Fund. After 9 years at DSW, one of our clients, RSK (an Environmental Consultancy) asked if I could go on a short secondment as M&A Director to help them invest £25m which they had secured. This ‘short’ secondment ended up lasting over 5 and half years, with over 100 companies acquired and EBITDA increasing from less than £10m to over £100m. In addition, the M&A team had grown from me to 7 people and the funding line increased from £25m to £1bn. This experience working within a company leading the M&A team helps me see transactions from a different perspective by knowing what buyers may be looking for and helps guide my questioning at the ‘understanding the business’ stage of the transaction.
What do you like to get up to outside of work?
Outside of work my two main passions are watching Everton FC, for whom I have had a season ticket since 1995 and skiing, which I learnt at a young age and try to ski once or twice a years. I have managed to pass my love of Everton to one of my sons and he too now has a season ticket (apologies to him), but the other has little interest in watching football… both however love skiing too!
Being honest, most of my time outside of work is taken up ferrying our two boys around and watching them at their many different sporting activities or doing work on our house, which is over 400 years old, and is a never-ending task!
What’s the best thing about working at Entrepreneurs Hub?
I’m sure lots of other people say the same, but it’s the team – it’s a great mix of people with all sorts of different skills and knowledge, and there is always someone you can go to, to bounce ideas off.
You can only listen to one artist or band for the rest of your life. Who is it?
Sorry… Music isn’t really my thing… I generally just listen to whatever’s on the radio (normally Radio 1). The only albums I have downloaded on my Spotify account are compilation ones for things like parties or Christmas!
What’s something we might be surprised to learn about you?
I played an extra in Jimmy McGovern’s film about the Hillsborough tragedy.
