Financial Sponsors M&A - VP2-3 to Director 1-2 (Business Services sector focus)

A leading investment banking name is expanding their London based European Financial Sponsors M&A Group - and seeking someone with Business Services M&A expertise. This team has a superb track record of successfully providing strategic advice to private equity funds and other financial investors across Europe and is key to driving sponsor led (and sector aligned) M&A activity and revenues.

This is an exciting role and offers an obvious path upwards to MD.

My client is seeking an experienced Vice President or Director to join a successful industry aligned Financial Sponsors coverage team. This senior role requires an investment banking professional with deep sector expertise, extensive sell side M&A experience, and exposure to the origination of high-quality sponsor engagements. The successful candidate will act as a trusted advisor to private equity firms and other financial sponsors, delivering actionable insights and driving strategic conversations to generate new opportunities.

Responsibilities:

• Build and manage deep, long-term relationships with private equity firms and other financial sponsors, acting as a strategic partner and trusted advisor.
• Leverage deep sector expertise to generate differentiated, actionable ideas that drive meaningful engagement and originate new opportunities.
• Demonstrate a highly proactive approach to market origination, consistently identifying themes, monitoring sponsor needs and initiating dialogue rather than relying on inbound opportunities or balance-sheet-driven activity.
• Lead the creation of sponsor-focused materials including thematic pitches, market commentary, sector analyses, portfolio reviews and investment opportunity briefs.
• Track sector-specific developments, competitive dynamics, valuation trends and private capital flows to identify areas of commercial relevance for sponsor clients.
• Collaborate with Vice Presidents and Managing Directors to refine sponsor origination priorities and develop targeted, insight-led outreach strategies.
• Partner with sector and product teams to ensure aligned, high-quality advisory delivery tailored to sponsor interests.

Qualifications and Experience

• Extensive M&A sell side expertise developed through investment banking
• Business Services sector expertise
• Ability to originate and cultivate client discussions through insight, initiative and commercial curiosity—not through reliance on balance-sheet capabilities or passive deal flow.
• Strong understanding of private equity investment strategies, portfolio management considerations and sponsor decision-making processes.
• Experience supervising junior colleagues and elevating their analytical and sector knowledge.
• Demonstrated presence, commercial judgement, relationship-building skills and the ability to engage confidently with senior sponsor professionals.