David Wood

EXPERIENCED resources investment bankers Neville Gardiner and Jeremy Carlberg are preparing to launch a new corporate advisory outfit in Perth called Torridon Partners, adding further diversity to the sector in Western Australia.

Miners are looking to shore up their positions following a volatile 2011.

THREE corporate advisory firms, each with a very different profile, stood out as market leaders in the mergers and acquisitions sector last year.Macquarie Capital, Hartleys and UBS were the top performers, judging by the number and value of Western Australian transactions handled.

Competition in the state’s investment banking sector is hotter than ever despite a fall-off in takeover deals and capital raisings last year.

The sale of 16 private businesses worth an estimated $500 million helped to sustain activity in what was otherwise a depressed market for mergers and acquisitions in the September quarter in Western Australia.