Hans-Christoph Stadel, Managing Partner of MCF, said: “In our mandates, we deal with succession issues on a daily basis. Therefore, it is only logical to address this issue early on and reliably within our own company. I am convinced that with our new structure, we have found an excellent way to rejuvenate the operational management and take the development of MCF to the next stage. Stefan has been instrumental in implementing all critical and key strategic projects of the past years – he is the right person to continue these initiatives and tackle new milestones. I look forward to continuing to support him in the future with my experience and advice.”
Stefan Mattern, Partner at MCF, added: “I thank Hans-Christoph for his trust and am very pleased that he will remain with us as an experienced market specialist and sparring partner. I look forward to his strategic input in the new constellation going forward, thus ensuring that MCF will continue to stay true to its entrepreneurial DNA. Our titles and roles may change, but we will continue to work as one team across all boards and locations – as partners and as investment professionals, for the benefit of our clients and for our employees.”
Expansion of the partner group and deepened sector expertise
With Sven Harmsen and Rita Lei, MCF is also expanding its partner group from 14 to 16 individuals. Harmsen (47) has more than 20 years of M&A experience with a focus on the industrials sector. He will join MCF’s Frankfurt office effective October 1st, moving from Alantra, where he most recently served as Managing Director and Head of Industrials Germany. Together with Stefan Mattern he will build up an M&A team in Frankfurt and take over its management as Partner. Currently, six professionals are working in Debt Advisory in Frankfurt, with the goal of expanding the office to 10-15 professionals in M&A and Debt Advisory by the end of 2024.
In July 2023, Rita Lei (41) was appointed Partner at MCF in London, where she is strengthening the technology sector team. She has more than 13 years of investment banking experience in the technology sector and previously served as Managing Director at Torch Partners, a leading M&A and private capital markets adviser to the software and technology sectors.
With the expansion of the partner group, MCF deepens its expertise in two of its core sectors even further. Following MCF’s business philosophy, Lei and Harmsen will contribute their respective sector expertise across all locations. The five European offices provide clients with a local presence in their respective home markets as well as a cross-border network in their target markets. For maximum client orientation, all fees are pooled into a common financial result, regardless of location and team.
A new chapter in a 20-year success story
Since the establishment of MCF in 2003, the company has grown from 12 to approximately 80 professionals today. Following the opening of offices in Helsinki and London in 2003, MCF continued its expansion with the acquisition of Keystone Advisers in Stockholm in 2016 and the strategic partnership with D.A. Davidson in 2018 to expand its transatlantic advisory business. In this collaboration, 15 transactions have been successfully completed to date.
In 2023 the fifth office in Frankfurt am Main was added as part of the acquisition of Cubus Partners, where MCF expanded its offering to include Debt Advisory. Currently, MCF is handling five combined M&A and Debt Advisory mandates, with four having already been completed in the past eight months. In total, MCF can point to references from more than 1,000 M&A and Debt Advisory mandates. About one-third of clients are medium-sized companies, one-third are corporates and one-third are private equity firms.
Additional information for editors:
Hans-Christoph Stadel
Hans-Christoph Stadel has more than 30 years of international M&A experience. In 1994, he led a management buyout together with Hans Hermann Münchmeyer, which later became MCF Corporate Finance. Prior to that, he was an M&A executive for Finnish and German transactions at Enskilda Securities in London and Managing Director of Enskilda GmbH Germany. Stadel holds an MBA from the European School of Management Studies (ESCP) in Paris, Oxford, Berlin and previously completed two years of training at Vereins- und Westbank, Hamburg. Key transactions in his career include the acquisition of STAHL CraneSystems by Konecranes and its subsequent sale to Columbus McKinnon, the acquisition of MÜPRO by IK Partners, the sale of Deutsche See to Parlevliet & Van der Plas and fundraising (equity and debt) for TeamVet.
Stefan Mattern
Stefan Mattern joined MCF in 2007 and became Partner in 2016. He previously worked in the M&A advisory team at Berenberg Bank and began his career in Private Banking at Deutsche Bank, including serving as an Assistant to the Managing Director of Deutsche Bank SpA in Italy. Mattern is a graduate of Harvard Business School, where he completed the General Management Program for executives, and holds a degree in business administration from the University of Hamburg. Notable transactions include the acquisition of Rameder by FSN Capital and Ankerkraut by EMZ Partners (both FSN’s and EMZ’s first transactions in the German market), the sale of Pumpenfabrik Wangen to Silverfleet Capital and its subsequent resale to Atlas Copco, and the sale of Duvenbeck to Waterland Private Equity.
Sven Harmsen
Sven Harmsen is a recognised expert in the Industrials sector with more than two decades of M&A experience. He joins from Alantra, where he served as Managing Director & Head of Industrials Germany since 2021. Prior to that, he was Managing Director in the European Industrials division at Raymond James from 2019. His previous experience includes over ten years at the investment bank Robert W. Baird and seven years at Houlihan Lokey (then Drueker/Leonardo). Harmsen holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin and earned his doctorate at the Institute for Banking, Stock Exchanges, and Insurance at Humboldt University in Berlin. Throughout his career, he has advised on more than 50 transactions, including the sale of SimonsVoss to Allegion, the sale of Plumettaz to Invision, the acquisition of Semecs and Syncron for SERO/DBAG and the acquisition of Starline Pools for Chemoform.
Rita Lei
Rita is a senior investment banker bringing over 13 years of experience in technology investment banking. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and a PhD from the Sainsbury Laboratory. Prior to joining MCF, Rita was Managing Director at Torch Partners, a leading M&A and private capital markets adviser to the software and technology sectors.
She is highly experienced in marketplaces, classifieds, travel, education, as well as human capital management, digital experience, and e-commerce enablement software. Throughout her career, Rita has advised many renowned European technology companies including Zoovu, Lodgify, GoHenry, Bizay, nu3, DaWanda, Emagister, Clustree, Clavis Insight, Teamwork, Friendscout24, Zoopla Property Group, Secret Escapes and Everli.