About us
Who we are
We help organisations requiring practical guidance on how to create and unlock the value in their businesses.
Through our global advisory, M&A and investment expertise, from London to Sydney, our specialty is helping business owners realise their full potential.
Strategy is about direction – picking the right direction, also demands the correct positioning, the proposition which is most likely to win in the market. The correct market data must be available to the leadership to allow a meaningful differentiation which is important not just to the team but to existing and future consumers.
Too few leadership teams have sufficient data to help drive direction – we will not attempt strategy without a defensible analysis.
When the focus is creating value, we help develop both a winning strategy, a robust plan and most importantly we are around for the execution through our specialist non-executive retainer services.
“To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. Execution is worth millions.”
Steve Jobs
Sydney
London
Servicing Australia and the U.K.
We bring our clients more than 35 years of advisory, M&A and investment experience. With over 500 transactions spanning Asia, North & South America, Europe and Australia, we manage business transactions across a plethora of industry sectors. Our global presence helps us effectively leverage international relationships to source the best opportunities for your business.
Oasis Partners operates Australia-wide from our head office in Sydney, frequently travelling to clients businesses in Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, regional WA & NSW, New Zealand and beyond.
Oasis Europe operates out of our London headquarters, with additional offices in Falmouth and Reading representing clients acquiring and divesting across the U.K.
“I know what it feels like to be outgunned by a larger corporate acquirer and frankly, there is no need to be.”
Mike’s story
In 1987 Mike started one of the first pizza home delivery chains in the UK. The business grew rapidly and by 1990 became the number two in the market with 84 outlets and 15% market share in the growing delivery and take away sector.
In 1992, Mike was approached by the market leader ‘Perfect Pizza’ with a view to acquiring his business. Mike entered negotiations with his small internal team and without any specialist M&A support. A deal was agreed, due diligence completed and contracts were signed that same year. Mike was 28.
With the benefit of hindsight and after engaging Oasis Europe for representation in a later business sale, Mike learned that he had made some important mistakes in his first business exit.
His apprehension that the number one in the market must therefore be the best (or only) acquirer was misguided. Similarly his concern that staff, franchisees and others did not discover his intentions was valid, but prevented him from approaching other potential acquirers and leveraging competitive tension to secure the best offer.
“The Oasis proven formula of going to the widest possible market whilst maintaining our anonymity would have been key for us in the early 90s. There were several key players in the US at the time who would likely have paid based on our strategic footprint in the UK which would have saved them five years. We never even spoke to Dominos, the largest pizza chain globally at the time.”
“The other key mistake was doing my own negotiating and not securing representation. Though I had a proven ability to rapidly expand a chain of pizza outlets in a growth market, when it came to selling a business I was completely out of my depth back then.”
After working with Oasis Europe, Mike became passionate not only about how to create value through an enterprise, but how best to unlock that value at the business exit. Mike proceeded to build and successfully sell a number of businesses in the following years before establishing the Oasis Partners brand in Australia in 2009. Today, Mike and his team specialise in representing the shareholders of private companies wishing to increase then unlock value at the growth and exit phases of the business lifecycle.
Our purpose
Corporate advice with a practical bias
“We help level the playing field for our business owner clients.”
Meet the team
Our team are dedicated to representing our clients and achieving results, often in an almost inevitable mismatch, as we help negotiate terms on their behalf, with much larger corporate acquirers, who are used to getting their own way!
This David and Goliath struggle demands that we help level the playing field. Over the years and after many, many completed transactions, we have figured out what it takes to counter corporate might, this we do by intelligently engaging on our own terms.
Speak to the team if you want to know more about our unique approach.
A career entrepreneur, Mike draws on over 35 years of real-world experience across global markets and multiple sectors to advise company boards and owners navigating growth as well as in the unlocking of value.
Mike McGrath
Warwick is a qualified lawyer and chartered accountant with over 30 years’ experience supporting businesses undertaking rapid growth. After a successful international career which saw him work in Holland, the US and the UK Warwick now specialises in mergers and acquisitions representing the shareholders of established companies in Australia as they contemplate their exit.
Warwick Pearce
Don has been working as an entrepreneur, senior executive, and Non-Executive Director for over twenty years with broad experience and expertise across various sectors including health, media & technology, consumer goods, retail, and e-commerce.
Don Hunton
An entrepreneurial dealmaker and chartered accountant with over 25 years diversified senior executive experience globally. Chris now represents the shareholders of private companies in Australia in various sectors that include manufacturing, mining, finance, healthcare, AgTech and renewables.
Chris Venter
Simon is a chartered accountant who has held CEO, CFO, and COO roles in a range of fast growing businesses, including: retail, manufacturing, logistics, distribution and medical. His experience crosses both the private and listed spheres, including MBO and MBI’s. Simon also has experience working with entrepreneurial-owned private businesses as well as with small institutional owners.
Simon Farnsworth
Working as a corporate lawyer in London and China, Simon has 10 years of entrepreneur-operator experience as the founding managing director for two companies and a SaaS business unit in China. Simon now applies his experience from across sectors (FMCG, energy, creative services, SaaS) and disciplines (law, sales, marketing, operations) to maximise value for SME shareholders in Australia.
Simon Manetti
Derrick has been a lead adviser and consultant to businesses for over twenty years in sectors that include finance, accounting, taxation, banking. Derrick is a specialist in M&A focussing on deal structurer and tax. He currently advises on transactions and is a non-executive director of two ASX-listed companies.
Derrick De Souza
Themis has a successful background in finance including advising HNW’s on equity, options and executing trades before joining Oasis as an Associate. He now focusses on establishing strong relationships with business owners in Australia who are considering M&A and exit options in technology, mining services, manufacturing, and food.
Themis Papas
Thomas has been a successful IT professional with over 12 years' experience in customer service. He now operates as an associate at Oasis Partners working closely with the transaction team to identify and reach out to the owners of established private companies who might be considering their strategic options. He is currently operating in the technology, mining services and the manufacturing sectors among several others.
Thomas Sarangaya
With over 20 years’ experience, Matthew is an expert in IT, communications, and systems. He currently manages Oasis Partners’ technology, real-time data streams, and internal processes and development.
