Deloitte has announced today the appointment of Stuart Sparkes, corporate finance director, to its Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) specialist M&A team.

Mark Pacitti, Head of Deloitte’s London corporate finance practice, commented: “We are delighted that Stuart has joined the team.  He brings a wealth of expertise to our M&A practice, particularly in the business media sector.  Stuart has worked as an adviser on some of the foremost deals in this area in the last few years, notably the buy-out of Clarion Events, the buy-out of Ocean Media and the sale of MSM to Incisive Media.  Stuart’s appointment is an important milestone in our ambition to build our TMT business into the leading player in the mid-market, acting for entrepreneurs, corporates and private equity houses.”

Jolyon Barker, lead partner for Deloitte’s TMT practice, comments: “Stuart's appointment brings valuable industry experience to Deloitte’s media clients, bolstering our TMT M&A team. Stuart's reputation in business media compliments our already strong profile across the media sector. We expect that deal activity will be strongest in media sub sectors including online display-based advertising, independent television production and data based b2b businesses."

Stuart Sparkes, corporate finance director, added: “I am excited to be part of Deloitte’s ambitious plans.  This new role will give me the opportunity to apply my skills in the business media sector and also expand my horizons into the broader media sector.  We are expecting to see continued M&A activity in the media sector, although the balance of this activity is likely to shift, with well capitalised corporates able to bypass difficult credit markets to fund bolt-on acquisitions.”