Leeds Corporate Finance team expands with new hire

James joins from KPMG, where he started as an apprentice in 2019, working across several service lines, including audit, tax, and consulting. Having gained his ACA qualification in 2025 and as a member of the ICAEW, James has been predominantly working with financial services clients.

As a member of the Leeds-based corporate finance team at DSW, James will work with business owners, entrepreneurs, and management teams on cross-border trade sales, acquisitions, buyouts, and debt and private equity fundraisings.

This appointment comes at a busy time for the Yorkshire & North East Corporate Finance team, having had an exceptionally strong run of deal completions in 2025 and more recently advised on the sale of the Access Buildings Products Group to Röko AB, the sale of Tidal Training to Realise Training Group and a buyout in the veterinary services sector. With a robust pipeline of deal activity going for 2026, further deal completion announcements by the team are expected in the coming weeks and months.

James Clarkson, Corporate Finance Associate at Dow Schofield Watts, said: “Having gained valuable experience throughout my career at KPMG, starting as an apprentice and gaining an ACA qualification, it felt like the right time to join such an entrepreneurial Corporate Finance team at DSW. With a strong focus on the regional mid-market, I am eager to support ambitious businesses going through complex transactions”.

Roger Esler, Partner at Dow Schofield Watts, added: “James is a great addition to the team, bringing expertise across a range of areas. We are seeing strong levels of activity across our region as businesses navigate strategies for growing and realising shareholder value, while international buyers, private equity investors, and debt providers remain active”.

From L – R: Paul Herriott, Roger Esler, James Clarkson, Harry Martin, Mike Barker