Capstone Partners Wins Professional Services Deal of the Year at 24th Annual M&A Advisor Awards

Boston, MA – Capstone Partners, a leading middle market investment banking firm, announced its recognition at the 24th Annual M&A Advisor Awards, held In New York City on November 19, 2025. The firm was honored with the Professional Services Deal of the Year (over $100 million) award for its work advising PKF O’Connor Davies—one of the nation’s largest accounting and tax advisory practices—on its strategic growth investment from Investcorp and PSP Investments.

Capstone served as sole financial advisor to PKF O’Connor Davies, leveraging deep sector specialization and seamless collaboration across its Business Services and Equity Capital Markets teams. The transaction was led by Capstone’s Founder & President John Ferrara, Head of Business Services Investment Banking Bob Balaban, Head of Equity Capital Markets Chris Hastings, and Director Erik Larson.

The transaction reflects a broader trend of elevated private equity interest in the accounting and advisory sector, a topic Capstone explored in a recent article. The piece highlights how financial sponsors are increasingly partnering with high-quality accounting firms via alternative practice structures to strengthen balance sheets, fund M&A initiatives, and modernize compensation structures.

“We are honored to be recognized for our work with PKF O’Connor Davies,” said Bob Balaban, Head of Business Services Investment Banking at Capstone. “This serves as a reflection of our deep expertise in the accounting, legal, and professional advisory space, a market we’ve significantly penetrated. Our team is pursuing multiple active engagements in this space, where we continue to see strong private equity interest and mounting growth opportunities.”

The M&A Advisor Awards celebrate the industry’s top deals, firms, and professionals shaping the global M&A landscape. Capstone’s recognition underscores its commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for clients in the Professional Services sector.

Four Capstone professionals were also named Emerging Leaders at The M&A Advisor’s 16^th Annual Leadership in Dealmaking Summit this fall. The Emerging Leaders Awards recognize the accomplishments of young professionals in the M&A and capital markets industries who have displayed exceptional innovation, leadership, and community contribution.

2025 Capstone Partners Emerging Leader Award recipients:

• Brian Gerner, Director
• Brianna Conway, Vice President
• Scott Alvarez, Vice President
• Nick Devine, Vice President

Capstone is deeply committed to cultivating exceptional talent and takes pride in being recognized for its dedicated professionals, who consistently deliver outstanding client value with grit and integrity. As the firm advances along its growth path, it remains steadfast in its mission to nurture the next generation of industry leaders.

ABOUT THE M&A ADVISOR

The M&A Advisor was founded in 1998 to offer insights and intelligence on mergers and acquisitions, establishing the industry’s leading media outlet. The organization is recognized as the world’s premier leadership organization for mergers & acquisition, restructuring, and corporate finance professionals. For more information, visit www.maadvisor.com.

ABOUT CAPSTONE PARTNERS

For over 20 years, the firm has been a trusted advisor to leading middle market companies, offering a fully integrated range of investment banking and financial advisory services uniquely tailored to help owners, investors, and creditors through each stage of the company’s lifecycle. Capstone’s services include M&A advisory, debt and equity placement, corporate restructuring, special situations, valuation and fairness opinions, and financial advisory services. Headquartered in Boston, the firm has 175+ professionals across the U.S. With 12 dedicated industry groups, Capstone delivers sector-specific expertise through large, cross-functional teams. Capstone is a subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares Incorporated (NASDAQ: HBAN). For more information, visit www.capstonepartners.com.

For More Information Contact:

Rebecca Levesque
Head of Demand & Lead Generation
press@capstonepartners.com

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