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

A leading investment banking name is expanding their London based European Financial Sponsors M&A Group with the recruitment of an Industrials focused M&A banker. 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 with Industrials sector expertise 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.
• Industrials investment banking 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.