Danny first joined Opus in the Summer of 2020 and has subsequently worked on transactions across a range of sectors including Energy Transition, Chemicals and The Built Environment.
Prior to this, Danny graduated with a First Class Honours in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford. Outside of academics, Danny achieved two full blues for competing in the 2017 & 2018 rugby union varsity matches.
Ed joined Opus in 2022 and advises founders, management teams, corporates and family-owned groups on sell-side, buy-side and capital-raising mandates. He leads full deal cycles, designing and maintaining transaction-grade financial models, delivering valuation and scenario analyses, and structuring processes to optimise shareholder outcomes.
His experience spans the Energy & Sustainability value chain, with recent focus on UK BESS, grid infrastructure and high-voltage connection providers. Ed’s recent mandates include supporting a private equity investor on the diligence and structuring of a grid-services investment, advising on the separation and disposal mechanics of a UK corporate carve-out, and running a competitive process for a substantial family-owned business divestment.
Before joining Opus, Ed spent five years at KPMG in London, where he qualified as a chartered accountant and advised on transactions across multiple sectors. He previously worked at MARCOL Health, a healthcare-focused private equity investor, where he participated in the evaluation, financial assessment, and execution of growth capital investments across the UK and Europe.
Ed holds a BSc in Mathematics and Physics, and an MSci in Economics, Accounting and Finance from the University of Bristol. Ed is also a member of the ICAEW.
Having a PhD in Chemistry and subsequently over 20 years as a sector focused investment banker, Chris brings an exceptionally strong chemical sector pedigree to Opus. He has an extensive network within the global chemical space, in its broadest definition, and has significant experience advising on complex sell-sides and buy-sides for corporates, family-owned companies and private equity clients as well as IPOs and leveraged financing.
Chris began his banking career at Deutsche Bank and later Bank of America Merrill Lynch. More recently, he led the EMEA Chemical teams of Nomura and The Royal Bank of Canada. Prior to joining Opus in 2019, Chris was Corporate Development Director for Wilmcote Holdings plc, a UK listed acquisition vehicle with the sole purpose of acquiring, and subsequently building via M&A, a chemical platform asset.
Chris has a PhD in Chemistry and MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK.
Iain works alongside Frances Davies covering the asset and wealth management sectors. Our practice can advise early-stage, evolving and mature businesses and we work with all ownership structures such as private equity, family-owned, private and listed companies. We excel in our advice because we will understand your strategic goals and we will be attuned to your individual culture: a key component of successful, durable M&A in this people-driven sector.
The practice advises across a number of subsectors including investment and wealth management, insurance, infrastructure and other real assets. We understand the challenges they face. With a growing emphasis on sustainability-driven mandates, the team advises on transactions and team moves in emerging growth sectors such as climate solutions and carbon removal.
Iain is an experienced consultant with over 25 years in the asset management industry, Iain’s focus is on retained mandates for strategic M&A within this sector. His focus is on the alternative asset management sector with a sustainable theme across many transactions. He is a specialist in team lift-outs and is also active in the capital introduction market, having secured investor money for businesses globally. Previously, Iain spent nine years at one of London’s leading buy-side search houses and prior to that, five years with a London-based recruitment firm, managing senior investment and distribution roles within asset and wealth management. Iain began his career in investment banking upon completion of a degree in Financial Services.
Frances works alongside Iain Clarke covering the asset and wealth management sectors. Our practice can advise early-stage, evolving and mature businesses and we work with all ownership structures such as private equity, family-owned, private and listed companies. We excel in our advice because we will understand your strategic goals and we will be attuned to your individual culture: a key component of successful, durable M&A in this people-driven sector.
The practice advises across a number of subsectors including investment and wealth management, infrastructure and other real assets. We understand the challenges they face. With a growing emphasis on sustainability-driven mandates, the team advises on transactions and team moves in emerging growth sectors such as climate solutions and carbon removal.
Frances has more than 35 years’ experience in corporate finance and asset management and has been with Opus since its inception. She is primarily focused on the asset and wealth management, infrastructure, and health sectors. Prior to Opus, Frances held directorships at SG Warburg, Morgan Grenfell Asset Management, Gartmore and Dalton Strategic Partnership. Her roles included advising on mergers & acquisitions, heading Morgan Grenfell’s pooled funds business (institutional and retail) and running Gartmore’s global institutional and investment trust businesses.
Frances is also a highly-experienced non-executive director. She was Audit Chair at the City & Hackney Primary Care Trust, and she sat as the non-executive member of the Challenged Trust Board, which advised on reallocations of surplus funds to distressed healthcare trusts.
Frances is currently Senior Independent Director (SID) of HICL plc, and NED and Chair of the ESG Committee of Supermarket Income REIT plc. She has previously been Chair of the Federated Hermes Property Unit Trust, Consumer Champion and NED for Aegon Group UK, SID of JP Morgan Smaller Companies plc and a member of Aviva’s With-Profits Committee.
Freddie joined Opus in January 2023 and works within the Chemicals sector team.
Prior to Opus, Freddie completed his DPhil in Organic Chemistry at the University of Oxford. Whilst at Oxford, he achieved four Full Blues: three in cricket and one in hockey
Simona is the Business Manager at Opus, with experience in office management, client support and hospitality.
Her previous positions include Office Manager at Amplience, the content management platform for enterprise retail, and over three years in client support services at KPMG.
Simona holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) in Construction Engineering from Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in Lithuania.
Adrian is a highly experienced investment banker with a career spanning over 30 years including 27 years at UBS (formerly SG Warburg), Canaccord and Peel Hunt. At UBS he worked in London, Paris and Frankfurt in M&A, Equity Capital Markets and Corporate Broking. Latterly he ran the London-based UK mid-market team with responsibility for approximately 40 FTSE 250 listed clients. Adrian has worked across a broad range of sectors advising Boards on a wide variety of strategic (hostile and agreed), financing, regulatory and market matters.
He has a BA in Classics & Modern Languages from Oxford and is a Chartered Accountant.
Dominique Houde is a Partner at Opus Corporate Finance, advising companies and investors on the fast-growing Mobility and Energy Transition sectors.
Uniquely, Dominique has gained experience and relationships not only in banking/M&A, but also in the venture capital field and at leading growth companies in the sector globally.
Key transactions include several market defining deals such as the majority sale of Fortum’s EV Charging business to InfraCapital, the Series C Fundraise for Germany’s The Mobility House (Vehicle to Grid technology), advising Vortex Energy in acquiring a stake in EO Charging, the sale of Allego to Infrastructure fund Meridiam, the sale of The UK’s PodPoint to EDF, and among others the acquisition of a majority stake in Nissan by Renault.
Dominique brings over 20 years of experience in Mergers & Acquisitions advisory. He spent a significant amount of his career at Merrill Lynch and ABN AMRO/RBS, where he headed their Global Automotive practice.
Dominique also co-founded Silicon Valley-based Autotech Ventures, the first independent automotive technology venture capital fund globally. Prior to joining Opus, Dominique held senior management roles in leading technology mobility growth companies.
Dominique holds an MSc degree in Finance from the London School of Economics and a Political Science and a BCom degree from McGill University.
Ethan joined Opus in November 2022 as a First-Class Physics graduate from the University of Liverpool and prize winner for graduating with the highest BSc grade in 2021.
Since joining Opus, he has since gained transactional and advisory experience in a range of industries. Prior to this, he worked at a wealth management business and interned at a private equity firm.