Major New Hire: Martin Watson Joins DealFlowAgent as Senior Building Services and FM Advisor
Martin Watson, Chairman of the FIA and BSIA, joins DealFlowAgent as Senior Building Services and FM Advisor to support owners planning an exit.
DealFlowAgent is a leading specialist in niche building services, with dedicated M&A advisory and brokerage coverage for electronic security businesses across the UK and US. We help owners secure multiple acquisition offers at higher valuations.
Sell your security systems businessMartin Watson has joined DealFlowAgent as Senior Building Services and Facilities Management Advisor.
Martin is Chairman of both the Fire Industry Association and the British Security Industry Association. He is the only person in the UK to hold both roles simultaneously. He also spent more than a decade in senior leadership at Mitie, latterly as Industry Liaison Director for its fire and security division.
Deep sector experience
Martin is one of the most well-connected figures in UK fire, security, building services and facilities management. During his time at Mitie, he helped scale the fire and security business past £500m in revenue and played a role in the £366m acquisition of Marlowe plc's testing, inspection and certification assets.
That experience matters. Most advisors understand deal mechanics or they understand the industry. Martin has worked inside a major consolidator, understands how strategic acquirers assess businesses, and remains closely connected to the trade bodies that shape standards across fire and security.
In recognition of his industry roles, Martin acts with DealFlowAgent in a personal, non-partisan capacity.
What Martin brings to business owners
Martin works alongside our M&A team across three areas.
Valuation reality
He helps pressure-test what a business is genuinely worth in its niche, based on its recurring revenue, accreditations, customer quality, management depth and strategic fit. Owners can also review our fire safety valuation guide, security systems valuation guide and compliance, testing and inspection guide.
Exit readiness
He helps identify the operational changes that can strengthen a business before sale. These include reducing dependence on the founder, strengthening the management team, protecting recurring contracts and making technical or regulatory capabilities clear to buyers.
Buyer quality
Martin's sector knowledge helps distinguish credible strategic acquirers from buyers whose interest is unlikely to produce a completed transaction.
Why DealFlowAgent appointed Martin
Owners in fire, security, building services and facilities management deserve advice from people who know their market. Martin brings operating experience, buyer insight and a network built over decades in the sector.
His appointment strengthens DealFlowAgent's ability to support owners from early exit planning through valuation, buyer identification and transaction preparation.
Start planning your next chapter
Business owners can request a free valuation report, generate a free list of relevant acquirers, or book a confidential call with the team.
You can also read about our new industry partnership with Nick Barker and FM Talent Partners in our article on valuation gaps and key-person dependency.
Verify Martin's credentials
Martin Watson MIET MIFSM is Industry Liaison Director at Mitie Fire & Security, Chair of the Fire Industry Association and Chair of the British Security Industry Association. He is the only person in the UK currently holding both chairs. His career in fire, security and engineering spans four decades, including national operations leadership at Contract Fire Services and a decade at Mitie.
- Martin Watson on LinkedIn: his own account of joining DealFlowAgent as Senior Industry Advisor.
- Fire Industry Association Board: Martin listed as Chair, Mitie Security Ltd.
- BSIA Leadership: Martin listed as Chair of the British Security Industry Association.
- BSIA appoints Martin Watson as Chair, May 2024, following seven years chairing the Security Systems section.
- Professional Security Magazine: New BSIA chair.
- International Fire & Safety Journal: the FIA's expanded programme for the Fire Safety Event 2026, where Martin's association led the largest stage schedule it has run at the show.
- Emergency Services Times: FIA leadership coverage, June 2026.
- Mitie: where Martin serves as Industry Liaison Director for the fire and security business.
What Martin works on here
Martin advises owners of fire, security and wider building services businesses across the United Kingdom and United States on exit readiness, buyer selection and the operational detail acquirers actually price. If you want a view on where your business sits, start with a free valuation, read the fire safety valuation guide, or book a confidential call.
Experienced Dealmakers Lead Your Exit
A senior M&A bench, plus a sector specialist recruited for your industry on every deal.
Head of M&A
Joining 22 August 2026, name announcing soon
Joining full-time on 22 August 2026 from the largest M&A advisory firm in the UK, owned by K3 Capital. As an ex-Director he managed teams of M&A advisors, analysts and associates, working daily with business owners, buyers and stakeholders on live acquisition deals. Selected from 260 applicants alongside colleagues from investment banking backgrounds, he brings that experience and network to lead the advisory bench across Building Services, Facilities Management, and Healthcare.
Joining full-time on 22 August 2026 from the largest M&A advisory firm in the UK, owned by K3 Capital. As an ex-Director he managed teams of M&A advisors, analysts and associates, working daily with business owners, buyers and stakeholders on live acquisition deals. Selected from 260 applicants alongside colleagues from investment banking backgrounds, he brings that experience and network to lead the advisory bench across Building Services, Facilities Management, and Healthcare.
Martin is one of the most well-connected figures in UK fire, security, building services and FM. He is Chairman of both the Fire Industry Association and the British Security Industry Association, the only person in the UK to hold both roles simultaneously. Martin spent over a decade in senior leadership at Mitie, latterly as Industry Liaison Director for its fire and security division, helping scale the business past £500m in revenue and playing a role in the £366m acquisition of Marlowe plc, which created one of the UK's largest compliance, fire and security services groups. He joined DealFlowAgent because owners in these sectors deserve a genuine sector-specialist advisor across valuation, business optimisation and buyer access. In recognition of his industry roles, he acts in a personal, non-partisan capacity.
Martin is one of the most well-connected figures in UK fire, security, building services and FM. He is Chairman of both the Fire Industry Association and the British Security Industry Association, the only person in the UK to hold both roles simultaneously. Martin spent over a decade in senior leadership at Mitie, latterly as Industry Liaison Director for its fire and security division, helping scale the business past £500m in revenue and playing a role in the £366m acquisition of Marlowe plc, which created one of the UK's largest compliance, fire and security services groups. He joined DealFlowAgent because owners in these sectors deserve a genuine sector-specialist advisor across valuation, business optimisation and buyer access. In recognition of his industry roles, he acts in a personal, non-partisan capacity.
Nick leads FM Talent Partners, the facilities management and real estate leadership search firm, and is a leading specialist in building services and FM management talent. He partners with DealFlowAgent on two-way referrals: helping business owners and acquirers fill the key roles that decide whether a business is sellable, and introducing owners who are thinking about their next chapter to a team that knows their industry and their market. Key-person dependency is one of the two most common reasons a sale collapses, and Nick fixes it at source.
Nick leads FM Talent Partners, the facilities management and real estate leadership search firm, and is a leading specialist in building services and FM management talent. He partners with DealFlowAgent on two-way referrals: helping business owners and acquirers fill the key roles that decide whether a business is sellable, and introducing owners who are thinking about their next chapter to a team that knows their industry and their market. Key-person dependency is one of the two most common reasons a sale collapses, and Nick fixes it at source.
James Duboullay
Senior M&A Advisor
- •25+ years across investment banking, M&A and fundraising
- •Sector focus: essential services and software
- •Long-standing relationships with private equity buyers and growth funds
- •Personally advising DealFlowAgent founders for the past four years
- •25+ years across investment banking, M&A and fundraising
- •Sector focus: essential services and software
- •Long-standing relationships with private equity buyers and growth funds
- •Personally advising DealFlowAgent founders for the past four years
Emerson Patton
Sector Specialist: Building Services & Facilities Management
- •20+ years advising owners in building services, fire safety, HVAC, plumbing, and construction
- •Guided 200+ companies through growth, profit improvement, and exit planning
- •Builds equity value and operational structure long before a sale
- •Partners with DFA to prepare owners for exit while the advisory team runs the sale
- •20+ years advising owners in building services, fire safety, HVAC, plumbing, and construction
- •Guided 200+ companies through growth, profit improvement, and exit planning
- •Builds equity value and operational structure long before a sale
- •Partners with DFA to prepare owners for exit while the advisory team runs the sale
Kaya Kesici
M&A Advisor, Fire Safety, Security & Compliance
- •17 completed M&A transactions over the past six years across UK SME fire safety, security and compliance-led services
- •Sell-side and buy-side experience, buyer research, acquirer mapping, outreach and live process coordination
- •Information request lists, databook prep, IC-style summaries and EV-to-equity bridge work
- •Direct sector exposure across fire protection, security systems, CCTV, access control and intruder alarms
- •17 completed M&A transactions over the past six years across UK SME fire safety, security and compliance-led services
- •Sell-side and buy-side experience, buyer research, acquirer mapping, outreach and live process coordination
- •Information request lists, databook prep, IC-style summaries and EV-to-equity bridge work
- •Direct sector exposure across fire protection, security systems, CCTV, access control and intruder alarms
Previously
Ranger Fire & Security · Complete Building Services · Compliance Group
- •22 completed M&A transactions
- •Direct relationships with hundreds of strategic and financial acquirers
- •Previously built a mobility and field services business to 30 staff and 6 UK warehouses, then sold via competitive process with an EY M&A partner
- •Raised £2m in funding; placed 3rd of 1,900 at OnStage (the "Y Combinator of Europe")
- •Full-stack developer of advanced agent systems and second-brain tooling for the M&A process
- •22 completed M&A transactions
- •Direct relationships with hundreds of strategic and financial acquirers
- •Previously built a mobility and field services business to 30 staff and 6 UK warehouses, then sold via competitive process with an EY M&A partner
- •Raised £2m in funding; placed 3rd of 1,900 at OnStage (the "Y Combinator of Europe")
- •Full-stack developer of advanced agent systems and second-brain tooling for the M&A process
Sector Expert
Industry-Specific Advisor
For every engagement we add a sector specialist from your industry to the core team: a 15–25 year operator or advisor with direct relationships in your niche. Recruited per deal so you get the right fit, not a generalist.
For every engagement we add a sector specialist from your industry to the core team: a 15–25 year operator or advisor with direct relationships in your niche. Recruited per deal so you get the right fit, not a generalist.
The bench is growing. Two senior M&A hires confirmed for late July 2026, selected from 200+ applicants out of Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, KPMG and leading boutique M&A firms. See open roles →
The AI layer behind every advisor
Two in-house AI systems work alongside the human bench. They are software, not people, built and supervised by the advisory team.
Sage
AI Deal Concierge
Available 24/7. Monitors every signal in your deal and keeps the advisory team one step ahead. Trained on thousands of M&A transactions.
Sterling
Buy-Side Deal Origination Agent
Engages 13,000+ acquirers to surface live mandates and intent, then feeds your advisors with warm, ranked buyer matches.
The Exit Readiness Scorecard
Score your business across the factors acquirers underwrite, including key-person dependency, contract quality, customer concentration and earnings quality. Complete it below, print it, or download the PDF and work through it with your leadership team.
Watch the intro from our founder, Joe
Two minutes on how DealFlowAgent runs a confidential, competitive sale process for owners of building services, facilities management and healthcare businesses.
Security Systems M&A Specialists
Thinking of selling your security systems business?
DealFlowAgent is a leading specialist in niche building services, with dedicated M&A advisory and brokerage coverage for electronic security businesses across the UK and US. Our trusted advisors leverage industry knowledge, buyer relationships and proprietary technology to help business owners secure multiple acquisition offers at higher valuations.
Joe Lewin
Exited entrepreneur and M&A advisor who has guided 20+ business owners through successful exits. Joe built and sold his first company after scaling to 80,000+ users and raised over £2M in funding. He founded DealflowAgent to combine traditional M&A expertise with AI technology, creating aligned advisory solutions for SME business owners. Joe regularly speaks on exit planning and M&A trends, and has built a network of thousands of strategic acquirers across UK and US markets.
What is your business actually worth?
Sector by sector benchmarks built from real completed transactions, with the valuation bands acquirers underwrite against.
- Fire Safety Business Valuation & EBITDA MultiplesWhat fire alarm, extinguisher, sprinkler and passive fire protection businesses sell for, band by band.
- Security Systems Business Valuation & EBITDA MultiplesCCTV, access control, intruder alarms and monitoring: the multiples acquirers are paying in 2026.
- Compliance, Testing & Inspection Valuation GuideWhy recurring statutory inspection revenue attracts the highest multiples in building services.
- Electrical Contracting Valuation & EBITDA MultiplesNICEIC, EICR and EV infrastructure: how electrical contractors are valued and sold.
- HVAC, Refrigeration & Cooling Valuation GuideService contract density, engineer retention and the multiples HVAC consolidators pay.
