Aaron Lowery

Aaron Lowery is a seasoned M&A and investment professional based in Leeds with over nine years of experience spanning corporate finance advisory, transaction support, and direct private equity investing. He began his career at EY (Ernst & Young) in the Transaction Services team in Leeds, where he worked closely with management teams and entrepreneurs on a range of transactions, primarily in the industrial and consumer products sectors. His time at one of the Big Four firms gave him a strong grounding in financial due diligence and deal execution across the mid-market.

In January 2020, Aaron joined YFM Equity Partners as an Investment Manager, where he was responsible for sourcing new investment opportunities, project managing the investment process, and working closely with key stakeholders to deploy funds into growing businesses at points of transformational change. At YFM, he worked across the firm's buyout funds and venture capital trusts (VCTs), supporting portfolio companies such as Checkmate Fire (a passive fire protection specialist that doubled its revenue under YFM ownership) and was involved in evaluating investments like Matillion, an enterprise data integration company that grew from sub-GBP 1 million revenue to over USD 20 million in annual recurring revenue. Aaron emphasised the importance of strong management teams, noting that YFM looks for leaders "who have the capability to scale a business and have a well-thought out business plan."

In 2023, Aaron transitioned to Translink Corporate Finance, initially as Assistant Director and subsequently promoted to Director in the Leeds office. At Translink, he leads the execution of client engagements across disposals, MBOs, and growth capital fundraises, serving as the key day-to-day contact for clients and potential acquirers. He has sector expertise in TMT, Food and Beverage, Industrials, and Business Services. Under his tenure, Translink Corporate Finance was named Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year at the Insider Media Yorkshire Dealmakers Awards 2025.

During his time at YFM Equity Partners, Aaron focused on growth capital investments in UK SMEs, typically deploying GBP 3-15 million into businesses at transformational inflection points. Key themes included:

In his current advisory role at Translink Corporate Finance, Aaron focuses on mid-market M&A advisory, helping owner-managed businesses and PE-backed companies with sell-side mandates, MBOs, and growth capital fundraises, with particular strength in the TMT sector.

• Management-first approach: Prioritising the quality and scalability of leadership teams over rigid financial metrics; willingness to invest in pre-revenue or early-revenue businesses with exceptional management (e.g., Matillion at sub-GBP 1 million revenue).
• Sector breadth: Industrial and consumer products, business services, technology-enabled services, advanced manufacturing, retail and brands, and life sciences.
• Growth capital and buyouts: Supporting established businesses through management buyouts (via YFM Buyout Fund III, closed at GBP 95.5 million) and backing early-stage, high-growth companies through British Smaller Companies VCTs (GBP 90 million committed).
• Hands-on portfolio support: Working with management teams post-investment to drive organic growth, bolt-on acquisitions, and operational improvements.