Background
Founded over 30 years ago, Livingstone was the UK’s first mergers and acquisitions (M&A) boutique. Our vision in 1976 was the same as today: to provide best-in-class investment banking advice with an entrepreneurial ‘twist’ to middle market clients; clients who often feel neglected by the ‘bulge bracket’ banks and uninspired by the larger accountancy firms.
The present UK partner team joined Livingstone from 1989 and has now worked together on average for 13 years, representing the most stable team of M&A practitioners in the UK market. Livingstone continues to be widely recognized as having a team of outstanding longevity in the ‘revolving door’ world of M&A.
In 1993, Livingstone became the first middle market firm to recognise the importance of developing an international M&A capability, and was instrumental in the creation of EuroMerger, one of the world’s first international networks of M&A boutiques. In 1999, Livingstone played an equally important role in the creation of a larger partnership, Global M&A, through a partial merger with EuroMerger.
In 1994, Livingstone first co-operated with its Spanish team, a relationship that prospered over the following 13 years. Between 1995 and 2006, Livingstone was ranked by Thompson Financial as the No.1 boutique by level of M&A activity in the United Kingdom.
In 2002, Livingstone first came into contact with its US team, a relationship that has flourished since and generated numerous successful financial transactions. In 2005, Livingstone celebrated the completion of its 300th deal in a 10 year period and, in
2006, we received industry recognition when Livingstone won Boutique of the Year at the Private Equity Awards.
In early 2007, Livingstone made a decisive move towards fulfilling its long-term strategy of delivering a seamless cross-border M&A service to middle market clients through a merger with its long-standing Spanish partner, NC Finanzas Corporativas, and a new boutique, ONE Worldwide, established in Chicago by a group of former US colleagues. Livingstone is now unique in delivering middle market M&A advice from its own teams on either side of the Atlantic and in continental Europe.
2007 saw the Livingstone team complete 50 transactions with an aggregate deal value of $3.6bn. During the year, the team grew to 70 full time staff.
In 2008, the firm was once again recognized as the Boutique of the Year at the BVCA Private Equity Awards.