The firm has seen a period of sustained growth in both deal volumes and average deal values, enjoying a record year in its 31 year history in 2023. To support the continued growth, two key senior professionals join the firm in addition to a number of appointments made in 2023.

Oliver Phillips joins Gambit with more than 20 years' corporate finance experience, working across a variety of industries and brings a wealth of experience in capital raising, M&A, and strategic financial planning.

Oliver began his career at PwC, before moving into industry and more recently he has held senior roles as Group Treasurer for insurance business PIB, an Apax Partners’ portfolio company and was formerly a Director in Ernst & Young’s Capital & Debt Advisory team, where he advised across a range of transaction structures.

At Gambit, he will play a leading role  in the origination and execution of M&A transactions in the mid-market, with a particular focus on financial services and healthcare sectors, collaborating via Gambit’s international partnership Corporate Finance International (CFI).

Speaking on his new challenge, Oliver commented,

“I am delighted to be joining Gambit off the back of its best ever year in its 31-year history, and I look forward to adding value to its development plans and clients’ strategic growth.

Sam Farrell joins Gambit with over 17 years corporate banking experience, having worked predominantly in the South West & Wales. During this time he has held roles across a range of disciplines including structured finance, credit and coverage, working for both Lloyds Banking Group and Santander.

Sam has worked with a cross section of clients including public, private and private equity backed companies. During this time he has supported clients with a range of funding that includes working capital, growth funding and M&A related facilities.

As part of the Debt Advisory team, he will support dynamic businesses with their debt strategies.

Commenting on his appointment, Sam Farrell said,

“It is a fantastic time to be joining Gambit with a great track record and outlook, combined with continued investment in the team.”

Jason Evans, Partner said,

“2023 was a record year for the firm delivered through exceptional team performance working with fantastic clients. The current year has started strongly with a good level of visibility, so it’s exciting times to welcome both Oliver and Sam who will be great assets as we continue our growth”.

“The record breaking level of work is being driven by increasing deal volumes and average deal size, with the firm also advising on a higher proportion of cross border M&A transactions. Key to this is our partnership with Corporate Finance International.  Gambit is the exclusive UK shareholder in CFI which is an international M&A and debt advisory group with 30 offices in 19 countries. Experian ranked CFI as number 17 in Europe on transactions under €200m in 2023.“