Madison Branson Capital merges with Seaview Consulting

Madison Branson Capital has merged with Seaview Consulting, bringing one of the market’s most experienced business valuation and M&A advisory teams into the Madison Branson Group and establishing a dedicated Transaction management and Valuations practice within the firm.

About Seaview Consulting

Seaview Consulting is a corporate finance & advisory practice with a long-standing reputation for independent business valuations, M&A execution, strategy and succession advice. Led by Bob Neill and Paul Wood, Seaview has advised business owners, boards and family enterprises on some of the most consequential decisions they face, what their business is worth, when and how to transact, and how ownership should transition. The two firms have collaborated on client engagements for some time; the merger formalises a relationship that has already been tested in practice.

An expanded advisory platform

Following the merger, Madison Branson Capital advises across four integrated service lines:

“This merger is a significant milestone for the Madison Branson Group,” said Simon Tsapepas, Group Chief Executive. “Our ambition has always been to build a genuinely integrated professional services platform, one where legal, capital and advisory disciplines operate alongside each other rather than in isolation. Bringing Seaview into Madison Branson Capital is an important step in that direction. Valuation and M&A execution now sit within the group as core capabilities, connected to everything else we do.”

Specialist M&A capability in financial services

The merger materially deepens the firm’s Mergers & Acquisitions practice. Seaview acts for sellers and buyers of private businesses across all sectors, but its defining specialisation is the sale and acquisition of financial services businesses. Accounting, advisory and wealth management practices in particular. These businesses trade on client relationships, recurring revenue and regulatory standing rather than hard assets, and transacting them well requires an adviser who understands how they are valued, structured and transitioned. It is a specialisation few advisers genuinely hold, and one on which Seaview has built its reputation.

A dedicated Valuations practice

Valuation sits beneath nearly every significant decision a business owner makes, yet it is often the least visible discipline in an advisory engagement. It determines the pricing of a transaction, the strength of a negotiating position, the integrity of due diligence, the fairness of a shareholder exit and the defensibility of a restructure. Getting it right is not an adjunct to good advice — it is the foundation of it.

The merger establishes Valuations as a standalone practice, overseen by Bob Neill. The practice delivers independent business valuations, both indicative and formal, including valuations prepared to ATO standards for related-party transfers, restructures, shareholder agreements, family law and succession. It also strengthens the firm’s corporate advisory, due diligence and M&A work, and complements the litigation, shareholder and family law practices of Madison Branson Lawyers, where independent expert valuation is frequently decisive.

“Seaview was built on a simple principle: business owners deserve independent, rigorous advice on the value of what they have created and how to realise it,” said Bob Neill, Partner. “Joining Madison Branson Capital allows us to bring that discipline into a much broader platform. Our clients will continue to work with the same people, but with capital, transaction and legal capability now behind every engagement. That is a materially better proposition than either firm could offer alone.”

The combined team

The combined firm brings together senior advisers across corporate finance, strategy, valuation, law and capital markets. Clients work directly with experienced partners throughout an engagement rather than having work passed through layers of management, an approach that has defined both firms and remains unchanged.

You can meet the team here.

“I have worked alongside Bob & Paul for many years, first as a client of Seaview, and now as a partner,” said Jamie Ardern, Managing Partner. “We have advised on numerous engagements together, so the integration is straightforward: our teams already know how each other works, and our clients already know both firms. From day one, engagements will run as they always have, partner-led, hands-on and direct, with a deeper bench behind them.”

Looking ahead

The merger reflects a shared commitment to independent, commercially focused advice for businesses, founders, investors and family enterprises. By combining complementary capabilities within a single advisory firm and within the broader Madison Branson Group, Madison Branson Capital is positioned to support clients through their most complex strategic, capital and ownership decisions.