We’re thrilled to welcome Paul Joyce to the LAVA partnership team, joining existing partners Simon Woodcock and Hamish Martin, and bolstering leadership and origination capacity ahead of our next exciting growth period. Paul brings more than two decades of M&A and corporate finance experience, as well as a genuine passion for building and scaling brilliant businesses, with brilliant people.
Paul joins us from Forvis Mazars, where he spent the last eight years building and leading their London M&A team. Prior to that, he worked across corporate finance and professional services at Deloitte, Credit Suisse and PwC, always gravitating towards roles where people, culture and client relationships came first.
Paul wasn’t seeking a new role, but had met the LAVA team on a few occasions and been struck by our unique offering and strong, supportive culture. So, when the opportunity arose, he was more than ready to consider it.
What drew me to LAVA was the chance to get back to something really entrepreneurial, people-led and exciting. I’ve always loved working in teams with great culture and chemistry, where you ride the highs and lows together. The LAVA team had been on my radar for a while as doing things a bit differently, and when I spoke to Simon and Hamish, it just clicked. There’s mutual respect, shared values, and a fresh M&A approach that puts people at the heart.
Paul Joyce LAVA Partner
With a strong track record in the financial and professional services space, and particular specialisms in fund and trust admin, administrative services and people-centric businesses, he brings exciting new experiences and expertise to complement the diverse backgrounds of the LAVA team.
Recognising the power of LAVA’s unique culture and bespoke approach to dealmaking, Paul’s excited to get stuck in and help LAVA continue to grow with purpose, staying true to what makes the firm special.
There’s a huge opportunity to be the boutique advisor of choice for real people – founders, investors and teams who want something more thoughtful, more human, and more transparent than the usual M&A experience. And being able to deliver that is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Paul Joyce LAVA Partner
The whole team is energised and enthused by the new perspectives and experiences Paul will bring, and none more so than Simon and Hamish.
It’s fantastic to have Paul with us, and especially in such an exciting period of growth. We’ve been flirting with him for a while, and it’s testament to everything we’ve built that such an experienced partner is so keen to join us and bring his skills to bear for the benefit of the team, and our clients. We’re really pleased to welcome him to LAVA and have no doubt he’ll fit right in!
Simon Woodcock LAVA Partner
Paul’s a great addition to the LAVA team and his diverse set of skills will be invaluable in helping us navigate this next growth phase. Our first five years have been a blast, building a rich and varied team of unique individuals, and working with a huge range of fantastic clients. It’s really invigorating to be heading into the next five years primed for growth and stronger than ever.
Hamish Martin LAVA Partner
Born and raised in Norwich, Paul‘s rural-adjacent upbringing was characterised by both the joy of the great outdoors (read beer gardens), and the frequent heartbreak of being a lifelong Norwich City fan. When not deep in deal conversations, he’s usually planning his next gig or festival (he’s a veteran of Coachella, and a 90s Britpop loyalist), or adding to his eclectic clothing collection. In support of this, Paul’s long-suffering wife, Rosie, was recently convinced to convert their spare room into a walk-in wardrobe, little suspecting that 90% of it would be dedicated to a trainer collection to rival most streetwear stores. Luckily, their little daughter Ottilie keeps them out of – or in – too much trouble to worry about it.
Welcome, Paul!
