Private Equity News & Analysis

PwC buys private equity advisor

Due diligence specialist Coba will boost PwC’s strategy division.

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Professional services firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is to buy Coba Group, a consultancy specialising in advice and due diligence for private equity firms.

Coba will combine with Transaction Services, PricewaterhouseCoopers business advice division to form a new Strategy Group comprising about 50 strategy consultants in the UK.

PwC’s Transaction Group will gain from Coba’s strategic and analytical skills; Coba stands to benefit from PwC’s size and resources.

The new Transaction Group will be led by Coba managing director Nick Hewitt and supported by David Packford, Alastair Rimmer and Mark Parry.

London-based Coba has advised on more than 400 transactions in the UK, Europe and Asia. It was formed in February 1999 as a buyout from Renaissance Worldwide, the IT management consultancy headquartered in Massachusetts. The business was originally created in 1986.

PwC’s Transaction Services aims to help acquirers, vendors, companies defending bids and those involved in raising capital to maximise the deals returns and reduce risk.