Will Fisher was today named TMT sector lead for strategy and transactions at the global advisory firm.
Fisher takes on the role at a time when the pace of UK M&A transactions is ahead of both US and global averages. According to the latest data from the EY Capital Confidence Barometer, 57% of UK executives are planning M&A activity in 2021, whereas in the US that figure stands at 45% and the global average is 49%.
Commenting on the trend, Fisher said that a "competitive tension" in the marketplace has created the ideal environment for capital to be redirected to M&A.
He said: “The deals market is running hot in the UK, particularly within the TMT sector as investors review and reshape their portfolios. There is a competitive tension that business leaders want to get ahead of, now is the time to redirect capital. There is no luxury of time for buy and build; quick but careful strategic decisions made now will prove their value within a relatively short period of time."
With a 21-year telecoms career under his belt, Fisher will lead and expand EY's strategy and transactions TMT team, with both revenue and headcount predicted to double in the next four years.
Fisher added: “The pandemic has only accelerated the timeline for the wholescale embrace of new technologies and telecoms infrastructure. Consumer data has increased significantly, resulting in valuable insights, as people dialled up their online shopping habits while the shift to working from home has driven an insatiable demand for emerging tech.”
Will started his career with EY in Brisbane, Australia, in 1995 while simultaneously completing a degree in finance, law and economics from The University of Queensland. He graduated with a Bachelors of Commerce (BCom) in 1997 and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2000.
Prior to this role, Fisher worked across such TMT subsectors as information/data services, advertising, marketing services, TV production, software, telco and fintech. He leads on projects for large companies across all aspects of transactions such as: buy, sell and capital markets which often include private equity and cross-border deal activity.
Praveen Shankar, EY’s head of TMT for the UK and Ireland said: “Will’s appointment as leader of our TMT deals’ team is another demonstration of EY’s sector specialism within TMT offering an impressive breadth and depth of capabilities to our clients. The extensive experience of Will and his team will ensure trusted guidance through the largest, most complex deals.”
