LHA Financial Limited has been founded by Lee Aston to focus on providing in-depth, senior level advice and services to private and public companies. The approach is to build relationships with clients, to understand their businesses and strategies in detail and to thereby deliver targeted, specific and value-added advice.

Advice is informed by Lee’s strategic and technical expertise, legal training and career working with small and mid-cap companies on all aspects of companies’ requirements throughout their growth cycles, from inception through business plans, seed and growth funding, acquisitions, disposals, strategic reviews, shareholder issues (public and private) defence work and public to private transactions. In view of the relatively low overheads of the business, this can be delivered in a cost effective manner from a client’s perspective.

Services include:

  • Business plans – assistance and advice in preparing or updating a business plan with a view to promoting the business to potential funders/partners and/or to develop a strategy for growth by acquisition.

  • Valuation reports – preparation of valuation reports to assist (for example) in full or partial shareholder exits, provide board comfort on an acquisition or for the purposes of a share incentive scheme.

  • Equity capital markets advisory – advice on raising capital at all stages of a company’s development from public and private markets; preparing for and executing an IPO (on Plus, AiM, Official List, SFM, others), including assessment of suitability for listing and advice on action to best prepare and present the business; assistance in selection of key advisers.

  • Buy and sell side advisory – advice to shareholders, management, companies and/or private equity on development of acquisition strategy; identification of potential targets/purchasers; valuation analysis; project and workflow management; co-ordination of sale process; negotiation on behalf of client; advice to board and/or shareholders on terms of transaction, liaison with and presentation to shareholders and related matters.

  • Takeovers and defence work – advance planning for unwelcome or unexpected approaches, whether from companies, private equity or shareholder groups; tactical and valuation analysis; advice on application of the UK Takeover Code.

  • Shareholder issues – advice to the board or shareholders on the resolution of conflicting shareholder objectives; valuation analysis; assistance with presentation of company and strategy to outside shareholders.

  • Strategic advisory – advice on development of strategy; consideration of full or partial exits; advice on terms of proposed expansion capital investment; strategic reviews, including of potential funding options, restructuring and acquisition opportunities.