Raising the main sail on M&A: Lucas Couper talks high performance in corporate advisory

Meet Lucas Couper: Director, sailor, and dealmaking pro

Director and co-founder of Nash Advisory, Lucas Couper has been an avid sailor for the last twenty years. 

"I sail with two others on my boat and compete against about eight or nine other boats. The competitiveness of sailing is why I do it. There's not a lot of relaxation that goes on the boat every Saturday afternoon," says Lucas.

Lucas, in partnership with his co-founder Sean, has created a high-performance team centred on entrepreneurial spirit and balance.

"The one thing about working at Nash is we work with high performers each and every day. And if you wanna be a high performer, this is a culture where you can succeed. Certainly people put the hours in here, but it's not your classic investment bank where people are up till five in the morning or they're sleeping underneath their desks. I think we have that edge of an entrepreneurial spirit here at the firm, but also a firm of, you know, have fun. Corporate Advisory, it's it's a really interesting sector to be in. You get to meet with lots of different people, lots of companies. You get to travel around Australia."

It's this attitude that helps Lucas and his team solve problems and work through challenges. "You get put into some very challenging situations that you have to work through. Any deal that you think is easy is is never easy. There's always a complexity. There's a financial piece you need to manage. There's a personality piece that you need to manage. There's a lot of relationships involved, and there's a lot of stakeholders and counterparties. Transactions are always chaotic. Ansarada brings a lot of order to the the chaos when you're running an M&A transaction."

"Buyers want rich data, how they make their decisions. There's the financial diligence piece. There's the commercial piece. Now we're seeing there's the ESG piece and businesses are using more sophisticated data systems, the reality is there's a lot of information that it can be extracted, and therefore analyzed." 

"We've done a lot of deals on Ansarada, and having everything in one central depository is something that we advise. Even me as the director working on a deal - and the analyst and the manager working on transaction - makes it a lot easier. Questions are logged and are answered effectively. It's incredibly useful."
 

Nash Advisory is an enterprise Ansarada customer

At Nash Advisory, the ethos revolves around fusing innovation and tenacity to yield unparalleled results for their clientele. The team comprises seasoned business owners and savvy investors, offering a comprehensive portfolio of services. These range from astute business advisory and meticulous business valuations to adept handling of business sales.

The firm's directors are not merely experts in their respective domains; they are seasoned practitioners endowed with a wealth of real-world business acumen. This equips them with the unique blend of professional and personal insights essential for navigating the complexities of the mergers and acquisitions landscape.

Integral to Nash Advisory's success is its expansive global network of potential buyers. This network stands as a testament to the firm's holistic approach to business strategy. Client engagements are not merely transactional; they are personalised, always guided by an unwavering focus on outcomes. Through this tailored methodology, Nash Advisory consistently facilitates client growth, thereby solidifying its position as a leader in the field.