Expert. Independent. Specialist.
VCA Partners is a leading independent corporate advisory firm who has led over $30 billion in transactions across Australia
About Us
What we do
Trusted advisors to leading private equity firms, public and private companies leveraging our expertise on some of Australia’s most complex transactions with a focus on the mid-market
VCA Partners is an independent corporate advisory firm based in Sydney. We provide domestic and cross-border advisory services to public and private companies, on strategy, valuation, mergers, takeovers, acquisitions, divestments, capital market activities, and restructuring.
We specialise in sourcing private equity for private companies, and our experience extends to most sectors of the Australian economy. Over the courses of our careers, we have advised on and completed transactions in infrastructure, defence, healthcare, industrials, professional services, consumer and retail, telecommunications, media, financial services, engineering and construction, employment services, and agriculture.
References
Trusted by
Core Services
Services
We deliver end-to-end corporate advisory services, tailored to complex business needs.
Corporate & strategic advice
M&A, Takeovers & Divestments
Private capital-raisings
Debt capital markets advice
Equity Capital Markets advice
Independent. Trusted. Expert.
Our Approach
Our model is based on providing independent, conflict-free advice of the highest quality.
Independence & objectivity
Advice is our only business. We do not sell products, we rarely work for multiple clients in a sector, and we derive many of our new clients through referrals from existing clients. Our business model ensures that our sole focus is to achieve the best possible outcome for our clients: we live by the quality of our advice and our ability to achieve our clients’ objectives.
Our model is based on providing independent, conflict-free advice of the highest quality.
Quality of advice
Our model does not require us to pursue every transaction in a sector. We are selective in the mandates that we accept. We execute a small number of transactions at any time, in situations in which we can contribute specialist knowledge. Our clients receive our complete attention, and our focus ensures that all advice is considered and comprehensive. We do not delegate: every piece of advice that we provide to our clients is provided by senior investment bankers with over 30 years of combined experience.
Specialisation
We are rarely retained in situations that require an advisor only to provide resources or execute a standard process. We act in situations that are complex or which require specialist knowledge, and our advice and the processes that we design reflect transactional and sector expertise. We optimise the results of our transactions by creating commercial, flexible processes that engage counter-parties in a way that is adapted to specific markets and situations.
Collaboration
We believe that we are able to deliver our best advice when we work as an integral element of our clients’ teams. We recognise that this level of trust is a privilege that is earned over time. We seek to develop collaborative, day-to-day working relationships with owners, management and directors, so that the advice that we deliver is given in a relationship of candour, transparency and respect.
Confidence & discretion
We seek always to build long-term relationships that are based on trust. We do not seek publicity or recognition for our work, and we are not motivated by the need to achieve annual budgets. We hold the interests of our clients paramount and their confidentiality and privacy absolute.
A Multidisciplinary Team of Experts
Our Team
Christian Nicks
Managing Director
Ben St Claire
Director
Nick Ekanayake
Director
Noah Rooney
Associate
References
Testimonials
In raising capital for First Pharma, VCA were attentive, the quality of their work and advice was excellent, and their access to institutional investors and family offices secured the funding that we required, at the valuation and on the terms that we had sought.
Andrew Howden
During my 10 years at KKR I worked with Christian and the team at VCA on multiple transactions. I work with VCA because of the quality of their networks, commercial acumen and creative approach to unlocking deals. More importantly however, I saw VCA as a trusted advisor that would always give us what they thought was the right advice regardless of the outcome. Having worked with many advisors over the years, I can say the team at VCA are of the highest quality and would welcome the opportunity to work with them again in the future.
Ed Bostock
I have known and worked with Christian for over a decade. He consistently provided Ramsay Health Care with thoughtful advice, advanced our interests before all others, and he always holds client confidentiality sacrosanct. He is diligent, trustworthy and hard-working.
Chris Rex
On behalf of our 46 shareholders, we wish to express our sincere appreciation of the dedication and professionalism of VCA in selling 100% of the shares of South Pacific Laundry to Anchorage. Your guidance, advice and, above all, work in assuring the quality of financial information prepared us to stand up to relentless scrutiny with flying colours, enabling the transaction to be completed as scheduled.
Choon Ming Tang
We’ve been working with Christian on both sides of transactions over the last decade. As a buy-side advisor, Christian brings differentiated and valuable angles and networks to a deal opportunity. He is an astute sell-side banker who greatly adds to the strategic and tactical aspects of a sale process. The team at VCA exhibit a high level of dedication and work ethic in all they do. In sum, it’s a high-quality product.
David Brown
I worked with Christian on numerous projects over many years during my time as CEO of Symbion Health and CEO of Healthscope. His discretion is without parallel and his tenacity remarkable. His experience allows him to look far ahead and see potential deal challenges that others don’t, and he always brings creativity and an “outside-the-box” approach to problem solving – an essential but rare skill.
Robert Cooke
Christian has been a trusted advisor of Harris Farm Markets and the Harris Family for over 10 years. His guidance on acquisitions, financing and general counsel has helped our business grow quickly and profitably. It is good to know that he is but a phone call away when needed.
Angus Harris
Christian is a loyal advisor and a skilled deal maker. When I was CEO of Cochlear he helped us successfully complete our first major international acquisition and guided us with aplomb on the entire journey.
Chris Roberts AO
Christian provided advice over a number of years on various transactions that included the sale of Inghams in 2013. This was a complex and demanding corporate commercial transaction which involved a substantial commitment over a sustained period of time.
Christian did an exceptional job for us and his personal commitment and advice played a significant part in bringing about the successful final outcome. I found Christian efficient, competent, client responsive, guiding, patient, always professional, personal and always available when needed with the ability to provide options and solutions with successful outcomes.
John Hexton
VCA were awesome.
Adam Cornell
We were approached by VCA Partners to assist with the sale of Spotless’ commercial laundry business, given their experience in the area. Once appointed, Christian and Nick demonstrated their extensive knowledge of the sector and the likely buyers. They built strong relationships with the team, produced quality information and worked tirelessly throughout the process. In the end, as a result of COVID, the deal took over two years to complete, but they remained committed and were instrumental in adjusting the transaction structure to achieve a strong outcome for Spotless. Christian and Nick added significant value to the process and I hope to have the opportunity to work with them again in the future.
Jon Newbery
Contact Us
Get in touch with us today. Email us or use our contact form to speak to a team member.