Beyond the Deal:
Strategic Advisors for
Founder-Led Businesses
By The Numbers:
30+ years
CORPORATE FINANCE EXPERIENCE
250+
TRANSACTIONS COMPLETED
Global Reach
APAC, EMEA, UK, US
About Us
KLV Corporate Finance is a boutique advisory firm that provides more than just transactional expertise; we offer bespoke strategic guidance rooted in decades of experience as both dealmakers and operational leaders. We understand the unique challenges and aspirations of founder-led businesses because we’ve been in your shoes, and we’re committed to helping you achieve both your short-term and longer-term goals while preserving your legacy and culture.
Our Sectors
Automotive
Biochemicals
Business Services
Energy
Entertainment
Financial Services
Financial Technology
Leisure
Media and Publishing
Property
Regulatory Technology
Technology
Why KLV Corporate Finance
More Than a Transaction. A Partnership for Growth.
KLV Corporate Finance stands apart from other corporate finance specialists in offering a service that goes beyond the end point of your transaction to help you understand its impact on the future performance and culture of your business. We appreciate that value is determined by more than the price paid or the capital raised.
We understand that the structure of a deal and how it impacts upon autonomy, preserving legacy and support for management and staff are critical factors in achieving your desired outcome.
Our vast experience as dealmakers is underscored by deep operational knowledge gained from decades’ long experience of founding, building and successfully exiting private, founder-led companies and private equity-backed mid-market global enterprises.
The principals of KLV Corporate Finance – Robert Kidson and John Lee – combine the complementary skill sets derived from decades of experience in the corporate finance and founder-led and private equity-backed business worlds.
KLV Corporate Finance is the culmination of a 25 year-long association which saw Robert act for the buyer of John’s first company and to later represent John in the sale of his last founder-led business.
Working together on your behalf they are uniquely positioned to guide you comprehensively through every stage of a transaction from valuation to the point of sale and to advise knowledgeably on the operational outcomes that matter to you.
Meet the Team
Seasoned Dealmakers. Operational Leaders.
Robert Kidson
Robert’s career to date has encompassed banking, private equity investment and corporate finance advice. He has established and successfully run four corporate finance teams in well-known firms and is as a result well connected in the major financial centres. He has worked in many parts of the world including the UK, USA, France, Hong Kong and The Philippines.
In addition, he has held numerous non-executive director positions including chairing boards and committees in listed and unlisted companies.
Robert has completed over 250 corporate finance transactions involving mergers and acquisitions, raising equity and debt, restructuring and flotations. Transactions have ranged in size from £5 million to £200 million and have covered most industry sectors.
He is renowned for understanding his clients’ objectives, working closely with them and getting superb results.
A few examples of Robert’s clients appear below:
- Delinian (MetalBulletin)
- Lion TV (All 3 Media)
- Hat Trick Productions
- TNTMagazine (Auto Trader)
- Livingbridge Private Equity
- Barclays Private Equity
- Blackwell Publishing (Wiley-Blackwell)
- Data Explorers (Bowmark Private Equity)
- Tell Tale Productions (Entertainment Rights)
- Yattendon Group
- Fastmarkets (part of Delinian)
- Royal Veterinary College
- British Institute of Facilities Management
- Biocatalysts Ltd
Well-known firms Robert has worked for:
- Deutsche Bank (Managing Director)
- Morgan Stanley (Director)
- Citicorp (Vice President)
- Barclays (Manager)
John Lee
John Lee is a serial entrepreneur and has held senior executive positions in global firms at MD, President and CEO level. John has built businesses from the ground up, guiding them to exit and in the process achieving sales in the tens to hundreds of millions of pounds and dollars in both the UK and Europe and North America.
Uniquely, John’s leadership experience over the past 30 years spans both founder-led start-ups and private equity-backed global enterprises, achieving high valuations and delivering successful exits at every stage of his career. His vast experience in the fintech and data information sectors, where he has led and driven hundred-million-pound-plus liquidity events, remains an area of particular focus, allowing him to tap directly into an extensive network of global investors and strategic buyers targeting these high-value market segments.
As a senior executive and business entrepreneur, John has played a lead role in the acquisition and sale of leading mid-market firms in compliance technology, data information and financial publishing:
- Advise Technologies
- AMFINE
- Compliance Solutions Strategies
- FWW
- LiquidMetrix
- MoneyMate Group
- Strategic Insight
- The Trade
- TradeChannel
Gary Verschuur
Gary Verschuur has been a marketing consultant, working with blue-chip companies in both the UK and internationally over a period of 20 years. He built and bootstrapped a successful online consumer credit brokerage in 2002, with annual turnover exceeding £7m within three years of commencement. Between 2010 and 2024, Gary created and developed a startup legal services company, with turnover exceeding £27m and net profits of 43% by year eight.
Our Services
Our Comprehensive Suite of Corporate Finance Services Include:
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Expert advice on buy-side and sell-side transactions, from initial valuation to negotiation and due diligence.
CAPITAL RAISING
Advice on raising and securing debt and equity financing to support your business objectives.
FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING
Guidance and support in navigating financial challenges and optimising your capital structure.
INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS (IPOS) & FLOTATIONS
Expert advice and support for companies seeking to access public markets.
SUCCESSION PLANNING & GROWTH STRATEGIES
Developing strategies for long-term growth and ensuring a smooth transition in leadership.
MANAGEMENT BUYOUTS (MBOs)
Advising management teams on acquiring ownership of their company.
BUSINESS VALUATIONS
Providing independent and accurate valuations for a variety of purposes.
Client Focus
Your Vision. Our Expertise. Achieving Optimal Outcomes Together.
Client feedback:
As a colleague, a voice of reason and clarity in the Boardroom, Robert is independent of thought regardless of internal or external pressures and always committed to the development of the Company. As a financial advisor his knowledge of and contacts in the City, his experience and foresight make him a very valuable force to have on your side.
Robert was the lead banker advising the Management Team on what ended up being a very lengthy and complicated public to private buyout. I found him an experienced and wise judge of character, able to accurately predict what others were likely to do across a variety of situations. He was unflappable, calm and professional under pressure and a settling influence for everyone else and multiple times he the demonstrated the highest integrity and professionalism. He was great counsel to me and the transaction overall and gave technically flawless advice.
In selling our business Robert provided the kind of calm expertise and honest guidance that you can only get from a trusted friend. Robert cared and it showed.
I observed the full range of John’s skillset firsthand through our partnership in creating an investment platform where he ultimately held a senior operating and board role: crafting the strategic vision and industry positioning of the platform, building trusting relationships with a variety of parties through transparent dialogue, and deploying creative and collaborative thinking to enable execution.
– Bobby Kelly, Senior Private Equity Professional
Insights
Stay Ahead of Corporate Finance Trends Through Expert Insights & Content.
KLV produces a range of complimentary thought leadership content, corporate finance resources and commentary and analysis to help businesses in their next stage of growth.
Follow Us:
Complimentary Valuation
Discover the True Value of Your Business.
Get a complimentary, no-obligation desk top valuation from KLV Corporate Finance’s experienced advisors.
Understanding the value of your business is crucial for strategic decision-making, whether you’re planning an exit, raising capital, or exploring growth opportunities. At KLV Corporate Finance, we offer complimentary desk top valuations to help you gain a clear and accurate picture of your business’s worth.
This complimentary valuation provides you with:
- A clear understanding of your business’s current market value.
- Insights into key value drivers and areas for improvement.
- A valuable starting point for strategic planning.
Request your complimentary valuation today. We’ll be in touch to schedule a confidential consultation.
Contact Us
Let’s Discuss Your Business Goals.
Connect with KLV Corporate Finance’s experienced advisors for strategic guidance and tailored solutions. John Lee or Robert Kidson will be in touch within the next business day.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.