Celerant names PE and M&A head

UK management consultants Celerant has appointed David Axon as head of private equity and M&A.

Axon joined Celerant from global accounting and consulting firm Grant Thornton where he was the partner responsible for the operations and post-deal services team. Before this, he worked in the operations transaction services team at PricewaterhouseCoopers, moving there after a career as a senior manager in industry and management consultancy, which included a spell at Peter Chadwick, Celerant’s forerunner.

In his new role, Axon will advise across the whole transaction lifecycle, from pre-deal operational due diligence through all aspects of post-acquisition support. Axon said: “Finding the right deal for investment is paramount, but an immediate focus for private equity houses must be on improving the overall operational performance of acquisitions and existing portfolio companies, rather than relying on leverage to create value.”