Capital structure that works as hard as you do
Debt advisory sits one rung above transactional broking. Instead of starting with the question “which lender will say yes?”, we start with “what does the right capital structure look like, and how do we get there?”
That means stress-testing the right mix of senior, mezzanine and working capital facilities; pressure-testing covenants before they’re signed; and running a competitive process across the lenders most likely to fit the profile of the business, the asset, or the transaction at hand.
We bring 15+ years of institutional and commercial banking experience, so we’ve sat on the credit side of the table and know how decisions actually get made. That’s the value-add.
Four pillars of advisory
Most engagements blend two or three of these. The right starting point depends on where the business sits today.
Capital Structure Review
An end-to-end look at how the business is funded. Senior debt, working capital, asset finance, shareholder loans and equity, mapped against the cash flow profile and growth plan. Identifies what’s right-sized and what isn’t.
Refinancing Strategy
When to refinance, who to approach, and how to position the request. We run a structured competitive process so the incumbent has to sharpen their pencil and the alternatives are properly tested, not just eyeballed.
Covenant & Term Negotiation
Financial covenants, security packages, undertakings and reporting obligations. The fine print is where deals are won or lost over a five-year tenor. We negotiate it line by line.
Complex & Multi-Lender
Acquisition finance, club facilities, syndicated debt, cross-border transactions, mezzanine layers, intercreditor arrangements. Where the standard broker stops, we keep going.
The earlier, the better
Debt advisory is most valuable before the transaction is locked in. Once terms are set with a single lender, optionality has already been given away.
Pre-acquisition
Funding stack design before LOI or contracts go firm. Quantum, leverage ratios, equity contribution and indicative pricing tested with multiple lenders so the bid stands up.
Approaching a maturity
12–18 months before facilities expire is the sweet spot. We map the refinance options, set the negotiating brief and run the lender process before the incumbent gets comfortable.
Growth or capex event
Material expansion, fit-out, equipment program or property purchase. Often the trigger to refresh the wider debt structure rather than bolt new debt onto an old one.
Covenant pressure or restructure
Trading conditions tighter than expected, headroom thin, lender posture cooling. We help reset the conversation, negotiate amended terms or move the relationship before it becomes a problem.
Ownership transition
Shareholder buyouts, partner exits, succession events and management buy-ins. Each requires a debt structure that the post-deal cash flow can actually carry.
Independent second opinion
Already deep in negotiations with a lender? A short, independent review can confirm the package is market, or surface where there’s real room to push back.
On your side of the table
Every engagement is bespoke, but the rhythm is consistent: understand the business and the goal, agree the mandate and what success looks like, design the structure, run the lender process, negotiate the terms, and stay involved through to settlement.
Where we add the most value:
- Translating the business’s story into the language credit committees actually respond to
- Knowing which lender will lean in for which kind of deal, and which won’t
- Holding the pen on terms, conditions and covenants rather than accepting the lender’s draft
- Keeping pricing, security and flexibility honest by maintaining genuine optionality across lenders
The result: better terms, fewer surprises, and a structure that supports the next chapter rather than constraining it.
Designed to last beyond settlement.
Debt advisory is a long game. The decisions made at the structure stage shape what’s possible — and what isn’t — for years afterward. Our job is to go deep enough with the business to design a lending solution that doesn’t just close, it continues to work.
That means understanding more than the deal: the strategy, the seasonality, the customer concentration, the succession plan, and the personal balance sheet behind the corporate one. It means stress-testing where the pressure points sit two, five and ten years out, not just at drawdown. And it means staying involved as conditions shift, so the structure flexes with the business rather than constraining it.
Settlement isn’t the end of the engagement. It’s the start of a structure that has to perform.
— Jack Mannix, FounderHave a position you’d like a second view on?
An initial conversation is confidential and obligation-free. Whether the next step is a full mandate or a simple sanity-check, we’ll tell you straight.