Professional advisory and accountancy firm MHA Broomfield Alexander has topped the league of corporate finance advisors in Wales for a third consecutive year, according to a survey by data specialist, Experian.

The 2017 MarketIQ report shows that 19 accredited deals were completed by the team, three more than its previous record, set in 2016, when 16 transactions were recorded.

Acting for both vendors and acquirers in equal numbers, the deals spanned a range of sectors, including construction, waste management and professional services, advising well-known brands in the region such as Amber Services, Wolfestone Translation and Clarkes Modular Buildings.

According to the Experian report, a total of 224 deals were recorded in Wales last year, a drop of six per cent on the 2016 figure, but still only the second year since 2009 where deals topped the 200 mark.

Transactions in the manufacturing sector were the most prevalent, representing almost a third (28 per cent) of Welsh deals in 2017, followed by wholesale and retail (21 per cent) and professional services (20 per cent).

In addition to full deal management, MHA Broomfield Alexander also provided strategic support to clients in to the form of due diligence investigations, valuations for external investment and business planning for growth.

The firm, headquartered in Cardiff and with offices in Swansea, Newport and Monmouth, is a founder member of national accountancy association, MHA and completed a re-brand earlier this year.

Seamus Gates, corporate finance director at MHA Broomfield Alexander, said: “The growing number of deals we have worked on, year-on-year, is testament to the hard work of our talented corporate finance team, which has been expanding across our regions.

“The past year was varied in terms of the sectors we have worked in, the types of transactions we have advised on and the value of the deals themselves. Many of the businesses we worked with had similar profiles, in that they were strong, Welsh-owned businesses.

“Looking ahead, we have another strong pipeline of transactions coming through into 2018 and can already spot trends, such as the strong return of management buyout transactions, with lenders recognising their importance in the succession of SMEs.”