The Ascendant Advantage

Ascendant was established in November, 2003. Initially based in Zagreb, Croatia, the company is now present in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia. We are now the leading independent M&A advisors in the region of Southeast Europe with over €300m in transaction volumes in 19 different deals.

Our staff of sixteen individuals is a real force in the sector. We have extensive deal experience, sectoral knowledge and a proven track record in identifying the best financial and strategic partners for our clients.

Each country operation consists of at least one deal maker supported by a strong analytical team. Our regional foot print affords us the flexibility to mobilise sectoral and technical expertise from different countries to match the client's needs more appropriately.

Four Pillars support our work in the region :

1. A complete team present on the ground delivering maximum support to our client
   
   
   • Our entire operation is located in the region: our four offices are each designed to take on full M&A mandates. We supplement this with specific deal and sectoral support from the other offices as needed.
   • Our approach is to work extensively with the client on delivering to the market a real opportunity: our goal is to work with the company over a period of time and help them to ready their companies for a M&A process. We focus on financial management, strategic management, operational analysis and human resource management.
   • Focused expertise: Our staff come from a variety of backgrounds, what is consistent is that they have all had acquisition experience, rather than Banking experience. Our teams are highly specialised in delivering successful transactions where the focus is on corporate strategy, corporate finance and management required to buy, sell and combine different companies so that a company in a given industry grows rapidly.
   
   
2. A thorough understanding of the regional business challenges
   
   
   • Transition challenges: our economies are developing fast with new institutions and practices being introduced.
   • New economy challenges: we understand the operating environment and the challenges faced by companies
   • Investor challenges: Our region is still realtively undiscovered. At the end of theday limited financing has to find a home and our aim is to put the region on the investor map.
   
   
3. We are supported by three independent global networks and databases
   
   
   • IMAP: We are members of IMAP, International Mergers and Acquisition Partners, the world’s leading international network of M&A advisors, specialized in the sector for mid-sized companies with $11bn in deals in 2010.
   • M&A Data: We use an independent Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) intelligence service which specializes in providing forward-looking origination and deal flow opportunities integrated with a comprehensive deals database – our staff provide you with the latest global view on acquisition activities in your sector.
   • Company data: We use an independent database and research firm that contains comprehensive information on over 15 million companies across Europe to give our clients a baseline on financial performance and trends.
   
   
4. Ascendant balances its reach and local knowledge with a blend of expertise underpinned by four principles
   
   
   • Commitment: Committed to our clients throughout assignment.
   • Independence: Ascendant is independently owned and managed by us. It is not part of any banking or brokerage group or fund and does not have any other objective than to provide the best solutions and services for its clients.
   • Excellence: We strive to achieve the highest level of quality and excellence in all of our assignments, without regard to the size of the assignment
   • Integrity: Integrity, honesty and confidentiality form the basis of our reputation. We carry out all of our assignments with complete discretion. We accept only exclusive mandates where we can add value to the transaction. We will not work for competing firms in the same industry at the same time. We will never represent or advise different parties within the same transaction.