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THE PERSON BEHIND THE PROCESS

There are M&A advisors who understand business in theory. For 35+ years, Mark Carmichael has built, run and sold them. That is not a small distinction.

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A FOUNDER WHO BECAME AN M&A ADVISOR

He’s also not a fan of About pages written in the 3rd person…

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column el_class=”padding-col-left”][vc_column_text el_class=”x-text”]Born and raised in New York, Mark has spent the past 35 years living and working internationally – building companies, navigating exits, and developing a deep understanding of what it takes to create and transfer extraordinary value.

Long before advising founders on their exits, he started and exited five businesses himself. He knows what it feels like to sit exactly where you are sitting now – weighing timing, uncertainty, and the future of something you built from the ground up.

For the past 18 years, he has brought that entrepreneurial perspective to M&A advisory as Global Managing Director at STS Capital Partners International, one of the world’s leading mid-market sell-side firms with a presence in 26 cities globally. He holds an MBA from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, where he is also a regular guest lecturer on sell-side M&A.

Mark is the award-winning author of The Intelligent Exit, runner-up for International M&A Thought Leader of the Year, and a sought-after speaker for organisations including Oxford and Harvard Universities, Family Offices, YPO, and private banking institutions worldwide.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section el_class=”x-section-dark –no-over” css=”.vc_custom_1617939005751{background: #ded9da url(http://markcarmichael.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/meet-mark-testimonial_img.jpg?id=2145) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}”][vc_row content_placement=”middle”][vc_column width=”5/6″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-1″][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text el_class=”x-text”]

WHY FOUNDERS RELATE TO MARK DIFFERENTLY

Most investment bankers and M&A advisors have never built a business. They have advised on transactions – but they’ve never experienced what is at stake when it’s your business, your team, your life’s work.

Mark has. And that changes everything: how he communicates, how he structures a process, what he prioritises, and how he represents founders at the table. He doesn’t translate the entrepreneurial experience. He shares it.

He is also deeply aware of how the industry operates – and where it typically falls short for founders. Volume-driven models. Templated positioning. Narrow buyer outreach presented as global strategy. His approach has been shaped in deliberate contrast to those norms.

Before any discussion of process, mandate, or fees, his focus is on understanding your situation and offering genuinely useful advice and insights. Because trust is built through perspective – and because that is the only basis on which he chooses to work.

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“VanMoof has become one of the most successful e-bike brands in the world. As a co-founder, it’s important to have others around me who challenge assumptions and offer fresh perspectives and strategies. Mark is absolutely that type of individual… and serves as a great sparring partner on all matters related to our corporate finance needs. He’s down to earth, passionate, very creative and seems to know everyone.”

Taco Carlier
Co-founder and CEO, VanMoof (www.vanmoof.com)

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Oxford University – MBA, Saïd Business School
Christ Church College, Oxford
Syracuse University – B.S. Economics and Business

Global Managing Director (longest-serving), STS Capital Partners International – 18 years
Regular guest lecturer, Oxford Saïd Business School for MBA, Executive MBA, Executive Education

Expert speaker: YPO, Facebook, SAS, Oxford, Harvard, family offices, private banks globally

Award-winning author: The Intelligent Exit: The Business Owner’s Guide To A Winning Strategy For Selling Your Company

Winner: Paris Book Festival, Best Business Book
Runner-up: New York, Los Angeles & London Book Festivals, Best Business Book

Runner-up: International M&A Thought Leader of the Year, Alliance of M&A Advisors

Trusted advisor to billionaire entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses, institutional investors and growth-stage CEOs globally[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section el_class=”x-section” el_id=”family-section”][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_single_image image=”2430″ img_size=”full” el_id=”family-photo”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text el_class=”x-text –pad-left” css=”.vc_custom_1772138949799{margin-bottom: 50px !important;}”]

BEYOND THE DEALS

When he is not working with founders, Mark spends his time between his home near the sea and dunes in the Netherlands and his home in Azenhas do Mar, Portugal, with his wife Marije and their three children, Maximilian, Mason and Amelia.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][/vc_section][vc_section el_class=”x-section”][vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″ offset=”vc_col-sm-offset-2″ el_class=”x-boxed”][vc_column_text el_class=”x-text –steps –last”]

START WHERE YOU ARE

If you’re considering an exit – or simply questioning whether now is the right time – begin with perspective, not pressure. Insights, not sales pitches.

  • 01 Read  The Intelligent Exit: The Business Owner’s Guide To A Winning Strategy For Selling Your Company
  • 02 Access The Exit Academy video course (by request)
  • 03 Start with Perspective – a no-cost, 1:1, tailored conversation with Mark

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