• Maximise The Value of Your Growing Media Business


    You’ve created great information, media or events products. You’ve built a loyal team, and your customers love to work with them. Revenues are growing.

    Now it’s about creating value: quality of earnings, maximising core market share, raising barriers to entry, having a focused plan for growth. That means making better strategic plans and decisions. It means taking your products to the next level, optimising your sales structure and strategy, building a robust finance function and creating the governance structures that support it all.

    And if you’re thinking about exit, have you made the investments, resourcing decisions and strategic plans that will maximise the value of your business?

    Contact Us

  • Dedicated to entrepreneurs. Centuries of experience.


    Since 2006, Collingwood Advisory has been working with media, events, information and membership entrepreneurs on strategy, scaleup, value creation, exit planning and M&A.

    Our team has centuries of experience across the sector. We’ve built and sold our own companies, we’ve worked on dozens of M&A deals both as buyers and sellers, and we’ve run big businesses for major corporates. We have specialist expertise in leadership, product development, marketing, sales and finance.

    Collingwood Advisory works exclusively for entrepreneurs. We translate best practice from corporates into tools that work for independent owners. We’re trusted by the major buyers, but we are never conflicted.

    And we’re here for the journey: advising you as Founders and CEOs, supporting your senior teams. We don’t write elegant reports and then leave you to implement. We stay the course. We work with you to create value.

“You ensured we got the best possible deal from the best possible buyer... My only regret is not asking you to help us 12-18 months before our target sale date, when we would have had more time to implement your value adding ideas”

Kieron Osmotherly, CEO, TowerXchange (sold to Euromoney)

Growing Value Together

We know that you aren’t just doing this for the money: you want to build a great company, create value and legacy, and achieve your life goals. 

We break down the value creation process into programmes to develop your core products, optimise your sales structure, build strategic plans and ultimately prepare for sale. Our highly experienced CFOs can restructure and professionalise your finance function. And we’re unafraid of rapid change: our Digital Pivot programme supported many media and events businesses through the impact of the Covid crisis.


Understanding the DNA of your business

Our directors are entrepreneurs like you. We know that every company is different, and that your customers will have specific needs. We’ll work closely with you to understand how your business ticks, and make sure you have a strategic plan and structure that makes the most of your company's unique character.

Sharing best practice from corporates

As you scale up, you can find yourself reinventing the wheel. Our advisory team has a wealth of experience, templates and techniques honed from centuries of experience. It’ll all help you to scale more quickly and with less risk.


We’re changing the way entrepreneurs grow and sell their businesses.

"Collingwood have worked with us on governance, decision-making and value propositions, which has helped us to increase our revenues and retention rates. Collingwood understand the DNA of our business. They provide very human, practical support, and they challenge us. It’s changing our business for the better.”

Ruth Yarnit, CEO, White October Events

“Collingwood's vast advisory and M&A experience give them an excellent eye for maximising value. Within two years of the launch of one of our businesses, they secured us a 7-figure exit.”

Alex Williamson, Founder & CEO, Bio-Based World Founder & CEO, SmartRail World (sold to DVV Media) and Managing Director, Tank World Expo (sold to Easyfairs)

"We asked Collingwood to help us to streamline the business and build a new plan. Working with them helped us to quickly adapt our product set and reshape our teams. They see every challenge as an opportunity and have got a deep understanding of where we've been, where we're at and where we need to get to. They're part of my business."

George Rockett, CEO, DataCentre Dynamics

The Scaleup Toolkit

Freeing Yourself to Build a Valuable Company

It’s hard to make long-term strategic decisions when your focus is on the day-to-day challenges of sales and client delivery. What you do as CEO today will change the future profitability, resilience and value of your company. Download The Scaleup Toolkit now for advice on how to avoid running up against your own limitations, break free of the day-to-day and build value in your company.

Request a copy - The Scaleup Toolkit

“We’ve been working with Collingwood Advisory for the past year, which has had an immediate and significant impact on our business. Through regular and structured board meetings, and ad-hoc support, they have helped us rethink how we grow our business, retain more clients and increase our operating margins. We view them as an integral part of our Board.”

Toby Daniels, Founder & CEO, crowdcentric - owner and operator of Social Media Week

"Collingwood Advisory has been extremely beneficial to us as we chart our direction of travel. The business has changed significantly thanks to the advice of Julian, Fergus and the wider management at Collingwood – it’s always useful to have an impartial, and often non-emotional, view of the business decisions we are making."

Eoin McManus, CEO, Lyrical Communications

Selling your business


Putting you, the entrepreneur, first

Learn More

Matching your company’s brand and values to the buyer

Learn More

Advising on profit growth and creation, not just brokering the deal

Learn More

Getting inside the mind of the buyer

Learn More

“Collingwood's approach is deep and detailed. It's refreshingly honest and candid, but they hit the right note between support and challenge. Working with them has been fast-paced, results-driven and even pretty enjoyable. We've learned a lot - they are real experts, with drive and enthusiasm.”

Tom Dunkerley, CEO, Sift

“You really want to know what ‘good’ looks like. That’s where Piers is an invaluable adviser and partner. He has great experience in all stages of development, mapping out growth to create a sustainable, valuable company.”

Alex Johnson, CEO, GFC Media Group

About us


Decades of experience launching, growing and selling media businesses

Piers Bearne

Piers is an entrepreneur and investor who has built and sold his own media businesses, and who has worked on M&A for major buyers, both as CEO and consultant.

Full Bio →

Rewa Bouji

Rewa has 15 years of experience advising on and delivering large-scale, complex, IT-enabled change and business transformation in blue-chip organisations, through new and innovative approaches to collaborative delivery and commercial models.

Full Bio →

Julian Graves

Julian has worked across a wide variety of industry sectors and in a number of capacities, from content to marketing and business leadership.

Full Bio →
Daniel_Pitchford

Daniel Pitchford

Daniel is an entrepreneur and tech VC whose first business was acquired by Informa within 18 months of launch.

Full Bio →
Fergus_Gregory

Fergus Gregory

Fergus is an experienced B2B media business leader who has spent over 15 years in the world of media, subscriptions, and events.

Full Bio →
Rebecca King

Rebecca King

Rebecca has over 17 years' experience in global B2B media as a marketing and project management leader.

Full Bio →

Jenefer Thoroughgood

Jenefer is an expert in engaging customers to develop great products. She has over 20 years' experience in digital media and SaaS.

Full Bio →

Andy Baker

Andy has over twenty years’ experience of building digital media businesses, including start-ups, turnarounds and acquisitions.

Full Bio →

Darren Johnson

Darren has over 20 years’ experience within international B2B media, events and service businesses, latterly as CEO of Reed Exhibitions UK.

Full Bio →

Andrea Davies

Andrea is an experienced business leader and strategic advisor and has spent over 20 years driving transformation at the forefront of B2C media.

Full Bio →

Debra Chipman

Debra is an entrepreneur and C-suite executive with deep expertise blending strategy, digital transformation, M&A, and operational skill sets in private and public B2B events businesses. She has been a founder, a buyer and a seller of event companies.

Full Bio →

Peter Lukac

Peter has a wealth of experience in M&A, starting his career in transaction services with PricewaterhouseCoopers before moving into the private equity investment world.

Full Bio →

Dominic Bolton

Dominic is a corporate finance adviser to SME’s, the mid-market and entrepreneur owned businesses with 25 years’ experience in all forms of Mergers and Acquisitions (“M&A”) and Private Equity including disposals, fundraisings and management buy outs/ins with a particular focus on the Media Sector.

Full Bio →

Carolyn Morgan

Carolyn has over 25 years' experience as a media and events executive and adviser. She has successfully led media businesses to profitability and taken brands onto new media platforms including print, TV, digital and events.

Full Bio →

Vasu Majumdar

Vasu has over 15 years of corporate finance experience having worked previously at NM Rothschild & Sons Limited and Grant Thornton UK LLP. He has completed 35 M&A deals with a combined deal value of over £5bn.

Full Bio →

Karen Forster

Karen has worked in B2B media marketing since 2001 and has vast experience across multiple business sectors globally.

Full Bio →

Chris Downham

Chris is a Chartered Accountant and experienced CFO with extensive SME experience.

Full Bio →

Rebecca Allen

Rebecca is a strategic business leader with 20 years of experience driving the growth of digital marketing businesses across media, SaaS, martech and agency services.

Full Bio →

Allen Gibbons

Allen is an experienced senior executive and board director, and an expert in business transformation. His experience covers strategy formulation, new product development and M&A.

Full Bio →

Chris Kilbee

Chris is an internationally experienced business leader with an extensive background in large-scale, global exhibitions and B2B media across multiple sectors and regions.

Full Bio →

Corinne Cunningham

Corinne has over 25 years experience in Finance and Commercial roles in the international sport, media and events industry.

Full Bio →

Anthony Belloir

Anthony is an experienced leader in specialty information products and services. He was previously Managing Director of CEB’s (now Gartner) Marketing and Communications practice and has led teams in North America, Europe and India.

Full Bio →

Julian Rose

Julian is a B2B information entrepreneur who has focused on high value subscriptions and enterprise memberships offering regulatory and market intelligence.

Full Bio →

Vicky Macey

Vicky has twenty years’ experience spanning B2B, consumer and specialist media.

Full Bio →

Brian Sherwood

Brian has established himself as a global thought leader in the marketing science of quantitative and qualitative research that leads to actionable insights used to drive business growth.

Full Bio →

Julia Borispolets

Julia is a strategy and M&A director with 15 years’ experience in the business information, events and media sectors.

Full Bio →

Pauline Coulter

Pauline has held senior roles within B2B events companies in a career spanning 25 years

Full Bio →

Karin Hausmann

Karin is a strategic marketing leader with over 15 years’ experience across the subscriptions, media and events industries.

Full Bio →

Tim Porter

Tim Porter is an experienced exhibition industry professional with over 30 years' experience.

Full Bio →

Amanda Wigginton

Amanda is a customer strategy, data and insight specialist and has 25 years experience of using customer knowledge and understanding to drive business growth.

Full Bio →

Linda Blackerby

Linda has over 20 years of global operating C-suite experience, including growing start-ups, commercializing data & analytics subscription businesses in a large publicly traded company, and serving on advisory boards.

Full Bio →

Rosalyn Cropper

Rosalyn is a highly experienced B2B market research, competitor intelligence and new product development specialist.

Full Bio →

Ian Tournes

Ian has held senior positions in both media agencies at Mediacom and Starcom, and on the media owner side at IPC Media, Time Inc. and Time Out.

Full Bio →

Phil Garner

Phil has over 22 years of STM publishing experience, working in leadership roles and across many functions.

Full Bio →

Paul Franklin

Paul has a 22 year history in the media industry, having worked for Auto Trader, Future, and also for 15 years at Dennis Publishing, latterly as Group Publisher across both B2B and B2C titles.

Full Bio →

Jonathan Goor

Jonathan has 24 years experience building subscription businesses in the news, data analytics and event space.

Full Bio →

Josephine Andrews

Josephine is a growth marketing specialist with a specialism in aligning sales goals with performance marketing campaigns, technology and culture.

Full Bio →

Julian Lloyd Evans

Julian has spent the last 28 years developing market-leading media client solutions across a number of international markets as one of media’s most successful CROs.

Full Bio →

Katie Murphy

Katie has 20 years’ experience in international B2B events.

Full Bio →

Dan Londero

Dan is a business leader with over 30 years experience working across the manufacturing and services sectors.

Full Bio →

Rosalind Hill

Rosalind has over 15 years of experience working in B2B media and STEM publishing as a content and community leader.

Full Bio →

Sarah Walkley

Sarah is a strategy and product development specialist with a strong track record of using research to provides individuals at all levels of the organisation with the knowledge they need to act. She has over 25 years’ experience in business information.

Full Bio →

Simon Anam

Simon joined Acuris as a start-up, developing through a series of subscription and event management roles.

Full Bio →

Ade Allenby

Ade works with clients to assess, deploy and maximise the benefits of Digital Engagement and Event Technology to increase Revenue and NPS.

Full Bio →

Michelle Graves

Michelle has over 20 years experience in B2B media working across a broad range of products and services covering events, subscription BI tools, publishing and digital.

Full Bio →

Alison Finnegan

With over 25 years’ insight experience, Alison expertise is using customer understanding and data to build actionable insight which delivers revenue and sustainable growth.

Full Bio →

Greg Hughes

Greg has enjoyed a career in media and publishing across the globe spanning nearly three decades.

Full Bio →

Contact us


-