Highbury Partnership

What Highbury Partnership does

Highbury Partnership is a Sydney-based boutique corporate finance advisory firm founded in 2013 by Matthew Roberts and Alan Young, both former senior investment bankers at J.P. Morgan. The firm provides unconflicted, independent financial advice on listed M&A (takeover defence, bid preparation and execution, demergers), asset M&A, equity capital markets transactions, IPO preparation and execution, and general strategic corporate advice. Services are delivered directly by the two partner principals, with no junior-staff intermediary layer.

The firm's client base spans large-cap Australian corporates and leading institutional investors across diverse sectors including real estate, technology, energy, healthcare, financial services, and retail/consumer. Notable mandates include sole advisory roles on Afterpay's $39 billion sale to Square (Australia's largest ever M&A), Harbour Energy's proposed $17.9 billion takeover of Santos, Alinta Energy's $4 billion acquisition by Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, and Firmus Technologies' $500 million pre-IPO equity raising. The two partners have collectively advised on over $100 billion of M&A transactions and raised over $60 billion of equity capital across their combined ~40-year careers.

Revenue is generated through professional advisory fees on a transaction-by-transaction basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing. The firm operates with 1-10 employees, relies on relationship-based marketing through direct senior partner networks, and serves markets across Australia, Asia Pacific, the Americas, Europe, and New Zealand. There is no technology product surface; the entire value proposition rests on the credibility, experience, and personal relationships of the two founding partners.

Name

Highbury Partnership

Legal name

Highbury Partnership Pty Ltd

Website

https://highburypartnership.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Highbury Partnership is a Sydney-based boutique corporate finance advisory firm founded in 2013 by two former J.P. Morgan senior bankers. It provides unconflicted M&A, equity capital markets, and IPO advisory services to large-cap Australian corporates and institutional investors, with all engagements led by the two partner principals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking & Corporate Finance Advisory

NAICS

Investment Banking and Securities Intermediation (523150)

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC), Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)

Keywords

• Corporate finance advisory
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Equity capital markets
• IPO advisory
• Financial advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Corporate Finance Advisory: Professional advisory fees for M&A advisory, equity capital markets, IPO preparation and execution, and strategic corporate advice. Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees for advisory services provided to corporate clients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Highbury Partnership provides relationship-driven corporate finance advisory services delivered by two founding partners. Services include Listed M&A advice (takeover defence, bid preparation and execution, demergers), Asset M&A advice (divestment and acquisition), Equity Capital Markets advice, IPO advice (pre-IPO structuring and execution including prospectus preparation and marketing), and broader strategic and general corporate advice to domestic and global corporates and institutional investors.

Product overview

Highbury Partnership is a corporate finance advisory firm offering a single, unified set of advisory services rather than a platform-plus-modules product architecture. The firm's services include Listed M&A advice (takeover defence, bid preparation and execution, demergers), Asset M&A advice (divestment and acquisition), Equity Capital Markets advice (structuring and negotiating equity and equity-linked capital raises), IPO advice (pre-IPO structuring and IPO execution including prospectus preparation and marketing), and other strategic and general corporate advice. There are no discrete branded products, sub-products, or modules — the advisory services are delivered directly by the two partner principals, Matthew Roberts and Alan Young.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Listed M&A Advice Advisory service covering takeover defence, bid preparation and execution, and demergers for ASX-listed companies. Designed for Boards, Independent Board Committees, and senior executives of Australian-listed corporates requiring unconflicted senior advice on contested or friendly public M&A.
• Asset M&A Advice Advisory service for divestment and acquisition of assets, including single-asset and portfolio transactions. Targeted at corporate sellers and acquirers across real estate, energy, infrastructure, and other asset-heavy sectors.
• Equity Capital Markets Advice Advisory on the structuring and negotiation of equity and equity-linked capital raises, including entitlement offers, block trades, and convertible instruments. Serves corporates undertaking primary and secondary equity issuances in the Australian market.
• IPO Advice Pre-IPO structuring and full IPO execution including prospectus preparation and marketing. Targeted at companies planning to list on the ASX, ranging from growth-stage technology firms to mature real estate and consumer businesses.
• Strategic and General Corporate Advice Broader strategic and general corporate advice covering matters beyond discrete M&A, ECM, or IPO mandates. Serves Boards and senior management of Australian corporates requiring ongoing senior counsel on strategic and corporate finance decisions.

Named customers22 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rothschild & Co: Global independent advisory firm with significant Australian operations. Comparable as a long-standing independent advisory competitor for large-cap M&A and capital markets mandates in Australia.
• Greenhill & Co: Global independent advisory firm focused on M&A and restructuring. Comparable to Highbury as a boutique-style global advisory with senior-led engagement model, competing for similar independent advisory mandates.
• Lazard: Global investment bank with a strong Australian M&A advisory franchise. Competes with Highbury on larger Australian mandates and represents the broader incumbent advisory landscape Highbury operates within.
• Evercore: Global independent investment banking advisory firm. Comparable as a senior-led, conflict-free boutique advisory at global scale that competes for similar types of independent advisory mandates.

Direct peers

• Grant Samuel: Established Australian independent advisory firm specializing in M&A, takeovers, and capital markets. Comparable to Highbury as a boutique competitor for similar mid-to-large cap Australian mandates with senior-led delivery.
• Azure Capital: Australian boutique corporate advisory firm focused on M&A, capital raising, and strategic advisory. Similar boutique positioning and client base to Highbury Partnership.
• Gresham Advisory: Australian-origin independent advisory firm providing M&A and corporate finance advice. Comparable to Highbury as a boutique advisory with similar transaction focus, though now part of a broader international network.
• Luminis Partners: Australian boutique corporate advisory firm providing M&A and equity capital markets advice. Directly comparable to Highbury as an independent, senior-led boutique serving Australian corporates and institutional investors on similar transaction types.
• Quay Advisers: Australian boutique advisory firm providing M&A and corporate finance advice. Comparable to Highbury as a senior-led boutique serving similar corporate and institutional clients in Australia.
• Carnegie Wylie & Company: Australian boutique M&A advisory firm focused on domestic mid-market and large-cap transactions. Directly comparable in scale, business model, and target client base to Highbury Partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xlinkedin.com/in/alan-young-b390a648/?originalSubdomain=au
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highbury-partnership

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Highbury Partnership