Pers

PIA Group and acquisition specialist Aquis join forces.

Charlotte Backelandt

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16 juni 2023

GHENT, 15 JUNE 2023 – PIA Group has added M&A expertise to its services by acquiring Aquis, a company specialising in acquisition consultancy and mediation. "Aquis is the perfect complement to our accountants' current acquisition knowledge and expertise. Our new partner can assist our firms and clients in acquisition processes," says Steven Brouckaert, founder and executive chairman of PIA Group, Belgium's third largest accountancy and advisory group.

A partner in acquisition consultancy is acquired itself by PIA Group

Since 2013, Francis Gevaert, who began his career as an M&A associate at Omega Pharma with Marc Coucke and Jan Boone, has been the driving force behind and owner of Aquis. Initially, Aquis was founded in 2011 by Julius Sanders (a partner at PIA Group) and Axel Despriet. Today, the corporate finance firm has branches in Bruges and Ghent and has 8 members of staff offering comprehensive consultancy services for company takeovers. They focus mainly on providing support and advice on the acquisition of SMEs and their underlying corporate real estate. Aquis assists both prospective buyers and sellers with specialised know-how and an extensive network of contacts.

Aquis distinguishes itself by adopting a no-nonsense approach and making it very easy for clients to get in touch and access its services. "Aquis knows that entrepreneurs want to spend their time running their business. They don't want to lie awake at night wondering what else needs to be done. That's why we think it's important to provide a full-service solution," Francis Gevaert adds.

The next logical step in PIA Group's acquisition strategy

Founder and executive chairman Steven Brouckaert adds another non-accountancy firm, Aquis, to PIA Group. "As an accountancy partner, we have found that in addition to pure accountancy and taxation, our advisory services are becoming increasingly important. With Aquis, we now have a specialist on board who can offer complementary assistance to our firms' clients during acquisition processes. It offers a nice platform for us to serve our customers even better as a one-stop shop in the future," Steven Brouckaert says.

Useful added value

Nathalie Calle, CEO of PIA Group, adds: "Even though the PIA Group firms already have extensive M&A knowledge, sometimes there's a need for more specialisation in this area. Acquisitions are about more than just the financial picture. We mustn't underestimate the relational aspect. Finding the right buyer or seller is often very time consuming. Aquis knows how important it is to establish connections and develop relationships between people. This will definitely add value to PIA Group."

PIA Group: the right choice

Aquis and PIA Group got in touch with each other several months ago. "When I got a call from Steven Brouckaert, I was charmed immediately," Francis says. "With its current growth rate and a reference shareholder like Baltisse, PIA Group exudes professionalism. It has a wonderful range of accounting firms, which service a wide variety of clients. That is also very appealing. I look forward to working with these quality firms very much," Francis Gevaert says.

Retention of identity and independence

Steven Brouckaert: "As an acquisition specialist, Francis Gevaert handles acquisitions day and night, so the fact that PIA Group is now taking over its own business made him even more critical than usual in the discussions about our collaboration. However, because we guaranteed that we would leave Aquis' DNA completely untouched, Francis didn't have to think long to jump on board the PIA train."

Francis agrees: "Our current team has 8 staff members, so we're too small to be big and too big to be small. By joining PIA Group, we hope to grow our market and see our transactions increase. It is a magnificent opportunity to be able to become one of the largest M&A boutiques in Belgium whilst maintaining our own identity and independence as a PIA member."

Entrepreneurship

Both Francis Gevaert and Steven Brouckaert are very satisfied with their collaboration. "I had a great feeling about Francis right from the start. We are both growth-driven entrepreneurs who believe it's important to keep entrepreneurship where it should be. It's clear that Aquis is a valuable addition to our current services," Steven Brouckaert adds.

About PIA Group

In a market based on economies of scale, PIA Group aims to be a leading provider of accountancy and advisory services whilst retaining the personal connection between its staff and clients. We therefore drive our growth forward with continuously expanding partnerships with enterprising associates. The mutual interaction between those partners and our expert teams enables each PIA firm to offer entrepreneurs and individuals up-to-date services and expertise that really contribute to their professional success and personal happiness. PIA Group was founded in 2012 by Steven Brouckaert. The group comprises nearly 50 firms and more than 1000 employees in Belgium and the Netherlands.

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