Chief Executive Officer

Robert Adams

Robert is one of Ireland’s leading Corporate Finance Advisors with a wealth of experience in Debt Fundraising and M&A at FOCUS Capital Partners. He is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. He has developed a strong reputation for financing and refinancing business and property-based portfolios, working across a broad range of Corporate Finance activities. He has significant commercial experience in undertaking M&A, Business Reviews, Due Diligence and Strategic Advisory for Corporate clients. Robert has developed a large client base across a broad range of sectors throughout Ireland.

Industry experience:

Robert has experience in the Hospitality, Real Estate, Aviation and Retail sectors.

Managing Director

Martin Higgins

His core specialist skills in operating fast-growing businesses have been developed over 25 years as a Managing Director/CEO of commercial trading companies. Martin brings commercial business turnaround, growth, and restructuring expertise to FOCUS Capital Partners. He is currently spearheading a number of significant business growth planning and funding transactions.
Martin has gained a wide range of experience in a broad range of companies, Private, PLC and Multi-National.
Martin has developed a recognised reputation for business strategy, rapid growth, and business turnarounds in the European arena (Ireland/ UK/ Italy/ Denmark). He is known for his commercial, real estate, operations, IT, and financial skills. He has led the business acquisition, disposal, and restructuring transactions. Martin has strong relationships with a wide range of Private Wealth Funds, Private Equity groups, and commercial business leaders.

Industry experience:

Energy & renewables; Information technology; Retail and franchising.

Managing Director

Alan Kelly

Alan has 25 years’ experience working in start-ups, SMEs and multi-million euro organisations.
Having started his career at Deloitte, Alan then worked as FC of KWE Ireland, a Japanese Logistics Company specializing in services to the Pharmaceutical and Electronics Industries. Alan was appointed General Manager of KWE Ireland in 2003 and oversaw revenue growth from €12m to €20m in 2.5 years.
Alan then joined Fonua, Europe’s largest mobile phone distributor as Commercial Director with responsibility for Operations, Finance & Business Development.
Since 2016, Alan has been a Director of FOCUS Capital Partners and has led a number of equity fundraising projects in multiple sectors.
He currently heads up the M&A Department and has successfully completed transactions (sell side & buy side) in multiple sectors including technology, software, healthcare, manufacturing & distribution.
Alan is an active member of M&A Worldwide and is a co-leader of the Healthcare Industry Group.

Co-leader of the Healthcare, Biotech & Pharma Industry Group. 

Industry experience:

Business services; Clean technology; Education and training; Electronics; Energy & renewables; Healthcare; Information technology; Telecom; Transport & logistics.

Associate Director

Brian Barrett

Brian’s expertise is in providing strategic advice to entrepreneurs, business owners and companies to assist them in achieving their strategic ambitions and preparing for significant value events. He has over 16 years of corporate finance experience working with SMEs, large corporates and semi-state bodies across Ireland.

Brian has successfully project management and completed many significant transactions across multiple sectors, including retail, technology, food & beverage, agriculture, logistics, banking, energy and leisure.

Brian joined FOCUS Capital Partners in 2019 and is a leading and experienced corporate finance advisor, who provides a broad range of activities from debt advisory, valuations, due diligence, and strategic planning to buy/sell side services to our clients.

Brian previously worked for IBI Corporate Finance and EY Transaction Advisory Services.

Co-leader of the Agri, Food & Beverages Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Building & construction; Business services; Electronics; Energy & renewables; Financial services;  Hotels & restaurants; Leisure; Media, printing and publishing; Telecom; Transport & logistics.

Managing Director

Owen Hackett

Owen holds a Bachelor of International Commerce & Irish degree from University College Dublin and is an associate of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Prior to joining FOCUS Capital Partners in 2017, Owen worked in Grant Thornton’s Corporate Finance and Corporate Advisory departments specialising in M&A and transaction services. Owen completed his accountancy traineeship in Deloitte and Touche’s corporate audit department.
Owen specialises in M&A and equity finance and has managed the successful execution of several equity fundraise and M&A transactions with a particular focus on high-growth indigenous Irish software and technology companies. In addition, Owen specialises in providing a range of transaction services including due diligence, company valuations, and IBR and has extensive experience in providing strategic advice to leading Irish corporates.
Owen has gained significant exposure to various industries while working in corporate finance including software, artificial intelligence, manufacturing, pharmacy, leisure & hospitality, waste management, renewables, retail, and property.

Member of the Internet, Software, and Technology Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Healthcare; Information technology; Leisure; Retail and franchising.

Managing Director

Barry Madden

Barry is a Chartered Accountant with over 12 years of experience between corporate finance and audit & advisory. Barry holds a Bachelor of Business Studies degree (Accounting & Finance major) from the University of Limerick. Before joining FOCUS Capital Partners, Barry spent 4 years in the assurance department of PwC including two rotations in PwC San Francisco.

Barry has substantial experience in the areas of the buy side and sell side of M&A transactions as well as having managed a large number of banking transactions. Areas of speciality include M&A advisory, sourcing external capital, corporate & personal debt restructuring, and project management. This ranges across various industries including retail & leisure, healthcare & pharma, renewables, logistics, and Real Estate. Barry also has extensive experience in the areas of financial modelling and valuations, financial planning & analysis, and financial due diligence.

Member of the Healthcare, Biotech & Pharma Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Energy & renewables; Healthcare; Leisure; Real estate & facility management; Retail and franchising; Transport & logistics.

Senior Manager

Hazel Slattery

Hazel is a Fellow Chartered Accountant, holding a B.A. in Law & Accounting from the University of Limerick and a Diploma in Leadership & Management from University College Dublin.

Hazel has worked with FOCUS Capital Partners since its establishment, bringing extensive experience and knowledge across a wide range of advisory services and sectors. Hazel’s particular skillsets include fundraising, mergers & acquisitions, and due diligence.

Prior to joining FOCUS Capital Partners, Hazel worked in Audit & Assurance at BDO for 3 years. During this time Hazel worked directly with clients undergoing transactions, the experience of which sparked her interest in Corporate Finance.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Building & Construction; Electronics; Energy & renewables; Hotels & restaurants; Plastics; Recycling; Retail and franchising.

Member of the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Group.

Senior Manager

Dermot Brennan

Dermot joined FOCUS Capital Partners in 2019 and since then he has advised on numerous Debt, Equity and M&A transactions across a wide range of sectors.

Previously he spent 4 years in PWC’s International and Domestics Business Assurance department which included a secondment to PWC’s New York office.

Dermot is a Chartered Accountant and graduated with a first-class honour’s degree in Business Studies (specialising in Finance) from DCU. He has completed a Diploma in Corporate Finance and the Chartered Tax Consultant Qualification from Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Industry experience:

Automotive; Food; Healthcare; Telecom.

Senior Manager

Orla Devlin

Orla joined FOCUS Capital Partners in 2017 and since then has predominantly advised on Equity transactions across a wide variety of sectors as well as several M&A transactions.

Previously, Orla spent 5 years working in business development and management positions in both start-ups and small businesses in the e-commerce and retail sectors respectively.

Orla graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor in Commerce, specialising in Finance. Orla subsequently completed a Masters’s in Finance and Capital Markets at Dublin City University.

Industry experience:

Financial services.

Managing Director

Johnny Dillon

Johnny has 15 years of experience in corporate finance and advisory roles. Since joining FOCUS Capital Partners in 2013, Johnny has managed several of the Company’s key transactions. Johnny has managed €400M of fundraising transactions across numerous sectors including property, energy, healthcare, hospitality and food service. He has worked with many of the main banks, alternative lenders, and corporate and family office investors in Ireland & UK in the process.

Prior to joining FOCUS Capital Partners, Johnny trained as an accountant in the Advisory Department of Grant Thornton in Dublin. Johnny is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree from the University of Limerick.

Industry experience:

Beverages; Food; Leisure; Real estate & facility management.

Head of Renewables/Infrastructure

Jack O’Keefe

Extensive background in banking, funding, investments and corporate finance across a broad range of sectors. Jack held senior executive positions in many Irish financial institutions both in Ireland and overseas and led and executed transactions ranging in size from €5 to €100m. Now primarily focused on the Renewable Energy, Infrastructure and Sustainability sectors.
In recent years, he has been involved in several fundraisings covering equity and debt. He has an established network across private, family office and institutional investors which enables alternative funding solutions & investment insights to many clients and efficiently matches investors with projects & promoters.
He has taken deals from initiation, and structuring to full execution across property, social housing, renewable energy & hospitality sectors and gained extensive knowledge in these particular areas and has led innovative fundraising transactions for a number of clients across different jurisdictions.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Energy & renewables; Financial services.

Leader of Energy, Environment & Cleantech Industry Group.

Marketing Coordinator

Anwesha Ghoshal

Anwesha joined FOCUS Capital Partners as a Marketing Coordinator with over 3 years of experience in pharmaceutical sales, retail sales, brand management and product marketing. She has cross-functional expertise across a variety of divisions, working both with customers and in a team environment.
She began her professional career with Novartis India as a Medical Representative, where she was in charge of managing, planning, and analysing sales data and business development. She has been effective in broadening the customer universe for Novartis’ pain management segment through strategic prospecting and engagement with healthcare physicians, pharmacists, and distributors.”

Managing Director - Equity

John O’Sullivan

John is a Managing Director of Equity at Focus Capital with responsibility for capital raising, family offices and growth capital / PE funds. John has 20+ years of investment experience in private equity, venture capital and private debt. Previously John was Chief Investment Officer, an Investment Committee member, and Co Head of Ireland at Beechbrook Capital. He was a founding member of Beechbrook Capital Ireland taking the business through the regulatory journey, fund raising first and final closes and then deployment of the fund.
For 10 years John was Senior Vice-President at Enterprise Ireland co-managing the direct equity portfolio, primarily responsible for late-stage venture and PE deals in high growth companies. John has worked on 7 IPOs, 100+ exits and 300+ syndicated transactions.
He has gained a wide range of experience across many sectors including technology, Pharma, Medical devices and other high growth industries, working closely with founders, funds and professional management teams.
John is a regular panellist over the last 14+ years at leading European PE and VC conferences where he has built a network of contacts across funds, institutions and family offices.

Industry experience:

Aerospace & defence; Business services; Energy & renewables; Life sciences.

Head of Debt Advisory

Michael Lalor

Michael has 25 years of experience in Financial Services and previously led HSBC’s Corporate Banking business in Ireland. Michael will primarily be involved in debt financing and enhancing our product offering in this area, covering Mid to Large Corporates, Real Estate and PLC clients.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Beverages; Building & Construction; Education and training; Energy & renewables; Engineering; Food; Government; Healthcare; Hotels & Restaurants; Information technology; Life sciences; Plastics; Recycling; Retail and franchising; Security.

Managing Director

Eoin O’Keeffe

Eoin has over 18 years’ experience assisting privately owned business across Ireland and the UK access debt and equity markets. Eoin has extensive debt advisory experience having spent over 10 years in corporate banking environments in both Dublin and London. More recently Eoin has worked in professional services firms advising companies in MBOs, Trade Sales and Private Equity transactions
Eoin has built strong deal experience across a wide variety of sectors including insurance, logistics, technology and business services. Eoin’s experience opens access to private equity and financial institutions across Ireland and the UK helping business owners achieve their long term strategic objectives.

Industry experience:

Building & construction; Information technology; Insurance; Telecom.

Managing Director

Donal Cantillon

Donal holds an MBA, a BSc. Finance Degree and is a Chartered Accountant with c.20 years of banking and commercial/corporate finance experience working with SMEs, large corporates, and semi state bodies.
His expertise is in the area commercial finance solutions helping companies to achieve their financing and long term strategic aims.
During his career, Donal has worked across and successfully completed many transactions in various sectors including retail, hospitality & leisure, healthcare, manufacturing, engineering, technology, logistics, renewables, and property.

Industry experience:

Advertising, PR & marketing; Agriculture; Automotive; Business services; Chemicals; Engineering; Financial services; Healthcare; Hotels & restaurants; Information technology; Leisure; Real estate & facility management; Recycling; Retail and franchising; Telecom; Trade; Transport & logistics.

Manager

Ruairi McEntee

Ruairi joined Focus Capital Partners in 2022 and has worked on a number of Equity and M&A transactions to date.
Ruairi arrived at Focus Capital Partners having spent 3 years in PwC’s audit department (International and Domestic Business) working on a range of clients from large tech firms to smaller indigenous companies. After PwC, Ruairi spent 2 years abroad working in Financial Accounting roles in a couple of ASX listed companies and on his return to Ireland, worked as a Financial Accountant for one of the largest vehicle distributors in the Country.
Ruairi qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2017 having graduated from UCD with a BComm and subsequently completed the Msc in Accounting in DCU.

Industry experience:

Automotive; Business services; Retail and franchising.

Senior Manager

George Hardie

George holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Modern Languages from Newcastle University and is a Chartered Accountant. Prior to joining Focus Capital Partners in October 2022, George was part of the Corporate Finance team in Grant Thornton Ireland after having moved from the Transaction Advisory Services Team at the Grant Thornton London office in 2019.

George specialises in M&A advisory. He has significant experience in successfully executing transactions and providing a range of other transaction services, primarily in due diligence and capital markets assignments and to a lesser extent in company valuations and independent business reviews. George has gained substantial experience in various industries in his corporate finance career to date including in the technology, engineering, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage sectors.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Beverages; Building & Construction; Engineering; Financial services; Food; Healthcare; Hotels & Restaurants; Information technology; Leisure; Media, printing and publishing; Real estate & facility management; Retail and franchising.

Manager

Paul Meade

Paul joined FOCUS Capital Partners in 2019 and has substantial experience in the areas of M&A, debt and equity fundraising. He has significant experience in providing a range of transaction services including due diligence, valuations, financial modelling and strategic planning. Paul has gained exposure to various industries including technology, pharmacy, hospitality, renewables, retail, and property.
Prior to joining FOCUS Capital Partners, Paul trained as an accountant across several departments including Transaction Services, Corporate & Personal Tax, and Audit in Moore. Paul is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business and Finance from Dublin University College.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Energy & renewables; Engineering;  Hotels & restaurants; Information technology.

Manager

Edel Mulvihill

Edel joined FOCUS Capital Partners in early 2020 as a Management Accountant on the internal Finance team. During this time, Edel worked primarily on managing several hospitality assets, compliance, and financial business performance. As of the start of 2023, Edel pivoted to the Corporate Finance division of FOCUS Capital Partners and has gained valuable experience in a number of M&A transactions.

Prior to joining, Edel spent over four years working in the Audit and Advisory Department in Crowe Ireland working on a range of clients from large national companies to SME’s across a variety of sectors.

Edel graduated with a first-class honours’ degree in Theology and Business from GMIT. She holds a Diploma in Taxation from Chartered Accountants Ireland and a Professional Diploma in Financial Advice (Qualified Financial Advisor) from UCD. She is a member of the Institute of Bankers. Edel qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2019.

Industry experience:

Beverages; Building & Construction; Financial services; Food; Retail and franchising.