Team builder returns to replace headhunted chief

Mar 11 2009 by Peter McCusker, The Journal

KPMG has a new head of corporate finance after the previous incumbent was headhunted by a client.

Rod Wilkinson, of Darlington, began his career with KPMG on Teesside 25 years ago and has returned to the region from Yorkshire. He established one of KPMG’s first regional corporate finance teams in Newcastle in 1990 and led it until 2006.

His remit was expanded to include Yorkshire, where he has spent much of his time since then while retaining an overall leadership role in this region.

Previous corporate finance head Andrew Scaife has left the firm to become finance director at Burnopfield’s Quantum Specials.

Mr Scaife led the team which advised on the £32.5m management buyout of the drugs company from Phoenix Medical Group, a deal backed by private equity group LDC.

Mr Wilkinson said: “I’m really pleased to be refocusing on how I can help organisations in the North East to ensure their transactions really achieve their strategic objectives – all the more challenging and all the more crucial in tough times.

“Most of the financial community in the region already know me, so I’m simply keen to ensure I quickly engage with corporates and funders to play an informed role in advising them. There’s no doubt life’s hard at the moment, with funding and confidence at low ebbs, but there are deals to be done, a point made by the completion, just this month, of private equity firm LDC’s buyout at pharmaceutical manufacturer Quantum Specials, who we were delighted to advise. This is a landmark deal and is likely to be one of only a handful of private equity buyouts nationally this quarter.”

His right hand man in leading the team day-to-day is David Stevens, a dealmaker at KPMG in Newcastle since 2004.