Testimonials

Positive feedback from just a few of our happy clients.
“I instructed Philip and Optima on the sale of our pharmaceutical business. At the time we had both private equity and trade offers. Philip’s insight was invaluable in selecting the right path for Trinnovo Group. Throughout what was a highly complex process of hiving out one of our brands from a group structure, Philip was logical, methodical, systematic in his process and uncovered any issues well in advance of the acquirer uncovering them, leading to a fluid and straightforward and successful process – there were some very late nights involved and Philip was absolutely on point throughout. I would highly recommend Philip and Optima’
Ashley Lawrence
Group CEO of Trinnovo

“Philip Elis and the Optima team worked with us from the start of this transaction all the way through to Completion. They assisted us with evaluating the business, drafting and negotiating the offer, leading through to Heads of Agreement, assisting with reviewing the Due Diligence findings, negotiating the detailed financial terms and working with our lawyers on relevant provisions in the legal agreements. Their support, experience and guidance was invaluable and definitely assisted us with securing this acquisition.

This was the second deal that we completed with Optima, having acquired i4Pay in July 2022. Philip played a crucial role in that transaction, helping to negotiate the financial terms of the transaction and advise on some complex Due Diligence matters which proved central to the overall deal negotiation.”

Adam Fletcher
Group CEO of IPE Ventures

“We first met Philip when he spoke at the Recruitment Agency Expo several years ago, however, it wasn’t until we were ready to make our first acquisition late in 2019 that we approached Philip to be our advisor. During this time Philip has always been accessible and ensures there is progressive communication between parties. He is articulate, thorough, and remains calm and rational when it is most needed. He is responsive to the deal’s needs and works tirelessly to ensure things continue to progress. It is clear he is always looking for pragmatic solutions.

We have been extremely happy to have enlisted Philip’s services and have no reservations in recommending Optima. It would be foolish to approach any sale or acquisition without an advisor and Philip has proved indispensable to us.”

Marios Georgiou
Chairman & Co-Founder – Step Teachers
“Philip has been a trusted advisor to us and has really held our hand every step of the way. It’s a daunting prospect selling a recruitment business, but Philip has guided and advised us in a very constructive manner, ensuring that he has protected our interest but also balancing this with what the buyer has been looking to achieve. I would have no hesitation in recommending Philip it was the best decision we made to appoint him as our adviser.”
Nicky Pusey

MD – Signet Resources

“I have known Phil for several years. Recently Optima was successful in introducing Rota, where I was CEO, to a successful buyer. Phil quickly understood the business and shareholders requirements, backed up by a depth of knowledge across the sector, ensuring the right Buyer was introduced. The Rota business acquisition went forward after the introduction and has been successfully sold.

Phil and Optima are very knowledgeable, always available to discuss queries that arose, and discuss very competently options and solutions based on their breadth of experience and expertise. It has been a pleasure working with Optima and Phil.”

Stephen Segel

CEO – Rota

“MMA Healthcare is an International Recruitment company, we have worked with this Philip Ellis since 2019. To date, our experience has been nothing less than first-class. Philip and his team have been stellar in preparing our business memorandum, their efforts have been relentless. His communication in the process has been key in our relationship. Always accessible, always reaching out to identify opportunities, or just to let me know the status of each of our engagements with potential buyers. On regular basis, Philip also provides us with general business advice and he introduced me to valuable connections in my industry.

I have found everyone at Optima CF to be super professional. They really know their clients and presents deals to us in a clear and thoughtful way, making the process of assessing a joy. I highly recommend this company and look forward to continuing working with them.”

Melinda Moolman
Managing Director – MMA International Healthcare
“Optima were our corporate finance advisors when we sold Grovelands. I didn’t appreciate how crucial a corporate finance advisor is in a deal process, but having now been through a transaction it is clear that this is a key role. We relied on Philip to guide us, manage some unexpected issues, negotiate some key commercial terms at the latter stages of the process and coordinate the final aspects of closing the deal. He and his team worked extremely closely with us, our lawyers, accountants and tax advisors and their expertise and responsiveness made a real difference to the outcome. I would highly recommend Philip and Optima to any recruitment owners considering selling their business.”
Ben Wilson
CEO of Grovelands
“Philip supported us through the marketing, negotiation of terms, due diligence & contract negotiations when Easypay was acquired by Workr Solutions. His professionalism, knowledge & general calm demeanours during, at times, a very stressful process, were invaluable. I would wholeheartedly recommend Philip’s expert guidance to support any business seeking to acquire or be acquired, especially in the Recruitment sector.”
Amanda Hobson & Sarah Shaw
Directors of Easypay
“….It’s also the first deal we did where a Corporate Finance advisor was involved, and not for lack of trying! I have to give a nod to Philip Ellis of Optima Corporate Finance, who we found to be a man of integrity who understands how to get deals done.”
Stephen Mix
CEO of Workr Group (not our client)
“Having researched the market to find an organisation who could support & assist me in the sale of my business, I contacted Philip at Optima as a specialist in my field. From the very first communication, Philip was knowledgeable, proactive and diligent. Philip used his extensive network to find a number of prospective purchasers and obtain the best possible fit for the business. Philip worked very closely with me to ensure the process was as smooth as it could be and was there with advice at every juncture. Philip’s knowledge of the legal process is vast and he became an important member of the team when negotiating the complex agreements. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Philip to anyone who is seeking an experienced, industrious and personable advisor to drive their business sale.”
Sarah Sanderson
Director – Xpress Solutions Recruitment
“Having built up a strong trust with Philip over many years, he was an obvious choice to handle our transaction the sale of RZ Group to Outsource UK. I thought the process of finalising Heads of Terms would be straightforward, however Philip really opened our eyes to the level of detail required. On reviewing the offer, he advised that there were a number of areas requiring further clarification and negotiation and by the time Heads of Agreement were signed, some of the terms had been greatly improved. The deal process itself was far more complex than we had imagined. Throughout this, Philip remained calm and clear in his advice. He really cared about securing the best possible outcome for us and has all the right values. I would advise anyone selling a recruitment business to use Philip without hesitation.”
Andy Barton
Former shareholder – RZ Group
“We engaged Optima to prepare a valuation of Spencer Ogden as the basis for agreeing a share price for the sale and purchase of shares between the two founding shareholders. The business is in a transitional phase meaning that a simple multiple-based approach to valuation was not appropriate. We were impressed with Optima’s approach and their report, which incorporated a range of valuation methodologies and drew on their extensive knowledge of the recruitment sector. Working with Optima we were able to agree a valuation between buyer and seller without incurring the unnecessary expense of a larger traditional advisor. Optima is a professional boutique providing well researched corporate finance advice and I would happily recommend any recruitment business seeking corporate finance advice to work with Optima.”
Sir Peter Ogden
Co-Chairman – Spencer Ogden Limited