2022 was a year of two halves for the media & technology M&A market. A continuation of the exceptional deal volumes of 2021 was seen during the first half of the year, before the onset of economic and political instability led to deal volumes falling back to a more sustainable level during the second half.
In this report we explore the key media & technology M&A stories of 2022 and look to offer our view on what to expect in the market for 2023 and beyond. We provide an in-depth review of M&A activity during the year, including detailed analysis of activity across major buyer groups and deep-dives into some of the busiest sectors.
To access the report, click the link below.
UK
William Ritchie
Founder and Managing Director
Having established the business in 2015, William specialises in advising the key stakeholders of both buyers and sellers on deals in the media and technology sectors, utilising his extensive global M&A experience from working on over 100 transactions across 25 countries.
With a keen eye on the media sector, William has a passion for disruptive technology and enjoys investing his time in learning about new and exciting tools and products. Beyond M&A, William ensures WY Partners is adopting the latest technologies – developing multiple in-house tools including their online M&A Tracker – and works to ensure technology is at the heart of their processes and client delivery.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, he began his M&A career within Deloitte before moving on to Venture Capital investing in high growth technology businesses. In 2010, he joined WPP’s M&A team where he completed over 50 M&A transactions over four years including the transformative acquisition of AKQA.
He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland and holds an MA in Business and Accounting from The University of Edinburgh.
US
Brett Davis
Managing Partner
Brett is the Managing Partner of Continuum Advisors, our partnership firm based in US.
Brett has over 20 years of experience in buying and selling both public and privately held companies. He is a recognized expert in the digital marketing, media, and creative technologies sectors where he advises middle and upper-middle market companies. In addition to shaping the vision of Continuum and emphasizing the importance of an empathetic approach, Brett leads sell-side, buy-side, capital structuring and market positioning engagements.
Brett founded, led, and sold three middle-market companies within the fintech, food and beverage distribution and industrial minerals sectors by the age of 35.
He then held global leadership roles for seven years at Edelman, leading global M&A while concurrently leading and evolving its global data and analytics consultancy. During this time, Edelman became the world’s largest PR firm.
Leveraging sector expertise and a global network developed at Edelman, combined with his dealmaking experience, Brett launched Waypoint Partners, LLC in 2018 from New York with the other co-founding members based in London. With continued interest in US market entry and expansion strategies, combined with the rate of innovation and adoption of new technologies, demand for services surged and highlighted unmet M&A advisory needs across the middle-market sectors they serviced. In 2023, inspired by clients and observing market behaviors, the firm expanded upon its strategic partnerships, made further investment in creative technologies, and evolved into what has become Continuum Advisors.
Since beginning his career in investment banking at UBS, Brett has led and completed transactions valued at over $900 million. His recent notable deals include leading the transformative sale of XX Artists to S4 Capital and Decode_M’s sale to Falfurrias Capital Partners’ platform, Penta.
US
Tom Crowley
Partner
Tom is a Partner at Continuum Advisors, our partnership firm based in US.
Tom has over 20 years of experience in international M&A, capital raises and strategic growth advisory predominantly in the digital marketing, media and creative technology sectors.
Tom joined as Partner in 2023. He works with founders, executive teams and stakeholders globally to develop and implement business strategies and growth initiatives including capital raises and ultimately to realize superior value for the businesses through M&A. In addition to helping to shape the vision of Continuum, Tom leads sell-side, buy-side, capital structuring and strategic positioning engagements.
Prior to Continuum, Tom was a Managing Director at Madison Alley Global Ventures, an M&A and capital advisory firm, where he closed over 30 M&A and investment transactions in digital marketing, software, data analytics and technology enabled services sectors.
He also worked at WPP Corporate Development for nine years, completing over 35 transactions ranging in value from $10 million to $1.4 billion. During this time, WPP grew by over $8 billion in revenue.
Tom began his career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley where he executed over $19 billion in transactions. Tom earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce at the University of Virginia. He resides in New York City in the West Village and holds Series 63 and 79 (investment banking) FINRA regulatory licenses.
UK
Alastair Greenfield
Director
Alastair specialises in both corporate finance and transaction services advising entrepreneurs, private equity investors and large multi-nationals.
He has an immense interest in both media and technology sectors, and thrives on working with dynamic and ambitious stakeholders. His technical expertise and detail-orientated approach complements wider commercial knowledge to provide a rounded advisory offering to buyers and sellers.
Prior to joining WY Partners, Alastair started his career in the M&A team at PwC, operating out of both the London and Madrid offices, advising on global transactions as part of the Technology, Media & Telecoms (‘TMT’) division.
He is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and holds a Bachelor’s degree (BA Hons) in Economics & Spanish from Durham University. He is a fluent Spanish speaker.
