Sanjay takes over the role from Richard Fleming, who has led the team since 2011 alongside his primary role as KPMG’s UK head of advisory.
KPMG’s Transactions Restructuring practice comprises more than 1,300 professionals providing restructuring, corporate finance and transaction services. Most recently, the team has led on high-profile transactions including Vodafone’s acquisition of ONO, Bestway’s acquisition of The Co-operative Pharmacy and the £200m sale of Victoria Plumb to TPG Capital, in addition to working on insolvencies including the administrations of Unipart Automotive and Ferguson’s Shipbuilders.
Richard Fleming, head of Advisory for KPMG in the UK, said: “We are currently undergoing a period of enormous transformation across our TR business. Increasingly, our clients are demanding a broader range of advice as they seek to put the years of recession behind them and embark on new plans for growth and expansion. By bringing together our experts from across Strategy, Corporate Finance, Transaction Services and Restructuring in a more cohesive way, we can better assist our clients to make the right choices in terms of buying, selling, fund, fixing or raising capital for their businesses.”
Richard Fleming continued: “Sanjay's vast experiences of working in different markets and geographies; with clients large and small; across a multitude of sectors and his experience of developing and growing our Transactions Restructuring practice in India will prove invaluable as he takes the reins of this vital part of KPMG.”
Sanjay Thakkar added: “This is an exciting time to be leading our TR business. Our clients are more confident than they have been for a while and are keen to invest in growth opportunities, as well as continuing to refine their operating models. Additionally, the recent run of IPOs has brought momentum back into the capital markets for the right businesses. Meanwhile, we are also at that point in the economic recovery where companies who just about survived the recession intact are vulnerable to the dangers of over-trading, while banks and lenders are more willing to crystallise their losses – meaning corporate insolvencies are also on the uptick.
“As we embark upon the reorganisation of our business, we will be making further announcements about appointments within our individual Restructuring and Corporate Finance teams over the coming days and weeks.”
Sanjay Thakkar Biography
Sanjay Thakkar began his audit career at KPMG joining the firm’s St Albans office in 1991. Upon qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he began to focus on the technology sector and spent 18 months in Silicon Valley during the dotcom boom working with clients such as NeXT Technologies and Adobe. He subsequently joined KPMG’s Transaction Services practice, whereupon he spent time working in Frankfurt, helping to develop KPMG’s TS practice there.
Sanjay became a UK partner in 2005, and in 2008 was asked to lead KPMG’s Transactions and Restructuring business in India. There, he doubled its size in three years, introduced new propositions into the market and worked with clients including Vodafone and the Aditya Birla Group.
After returning to the UK in 2011, Sanjay has taken lead roles on two of the firm’s biggest clients, Vodafone and Barclays, by leading on their landmark deals - the acquisition of ONO and the sale of Barclays African operations to ABSA respectively. He also advised a consortium investing in the Williams Glynn bank which is currently being separated from RBS. Sanjay also recently helped Atlas Mara invest in three banking group in Africa and supported them with their listing on the LSE.