James Sheridan

As Chief M&A Officer, James leads Knights’ acquisition programme and investor relations activity, while also providing leadership across the corporate service lines within Client Services. He is responsible for identifying high-quality acquisition opportunities, building relationships with business owners and guiding transactions from initial engagement through evaluation, execution and integration.

A corporate finance professional since 1995, James has advised on many of the North West’s leading mid-market transactions. Having built and subsequently sold his own Manchester-based business to Knights in 2018, he brings the combined perspective of an adviser, business owner and acquirer. This breadth of experience gives him a distinctive understanding of what makes a business valuable, what motivates its owners and what is required to create confidence in its future. James combines deep transactional expertise with an instinctive ability to engage people and communicate opportunity. He understands that successful acquisitions depend not only on financial alignment, but on trust, shared ambition and a clear vision for what can be achieved together.

Within Client Services, James leads the continued development of the corporate service lines, helping strengthen collaboration, performance and connectivity across disciplines. His understanding of clients, markets and transactions enables him to bring focus to their collective growth and ensure that Knights’ corporate capability continues to evolve.

James is also a leading voice with investors, communicating business performance, direction and acquisition strategy with clarity and conviction. His contribution is defined by entrepreneurial judgement, persuasive communication and an ability to convert opportunity into action.