This week’s ThriveEDIT member Q&A spotlights Advisiom Global M&A, a Gibraltar-founded, AI-enabled network connecting independent boutique M&A advisory firms across borders.

It is a business with a truly international remit, but one that remains rooted in Gibraltar, bringing investment bankers from Australia, Singapore, the USA and Europe together through its first Deal Summit hosted in Gibraltar very recently.

What does your business do, in one sentence?

Advisiom Global M&A is an ai-enabled, M&A network of founder-led boutique M&A advisory firms, structured so members keep their independence while executing cross-border deals together, sharing best practices and growing their firms. It’s like the GFSB but for global M&A boutique investment banks.

What made you start, join or grow the business?

I spent ten years running a global M&A network before founding Advisiom. That gave me a fairly unfiltered view of what works in this model and what doesn’t. The version I wanted to build had a great tech stack from the outset, country-by-country exclusivity, founder-led proactive firms only, and a structure that pushes members towards real mandates rather than simply a directory. So I built it.

What is one thing people might not know about what you do?

Before any of this, I joined the RAF at 18 and worked the Russian desk, learning Morse code, which I still understand. People tend to assume running an M&A network is mostly spreadsheets and data analysis. Honestly, it’s closer to intelligence work: read the people, gather the intelligence and know when to act and when to wait.

What has been your proudest business moment so far?

Closing the twelfth founding member of Advisiom, eleven weeks after launch. Twelve founder-led firms across four continents, all of whom said yes to a network that didn’t yet exist. Also bringing the first Deal Summit to Gibraltar where Advisiom was born and where it exists as the only M&A network in the country. That brings me great pride as I can showcase my country at the same time.

What is one challenge you think many Gibraltar businesses are facing right now?

As a Chartered Marketer, pivoting, adapting and visibility outside the Rock are where businesses should be focussing now. Gibraltar has serious operators in finance, gaming, and professional services, which all have their own challenges, but retail businesses in particular need to be more adaptive to change. Closing that gap is everyone’s job, not just the GFSB’s.

What has being part of the GFSB community meant for your business?

Running a business from Gibraltar with a global remit can feel a bit lonely, and the GFSB is where I can find other founders and joining the events that are held, in particular for me the women entrepreneur events, are vital to share your own battles, wins and losses. As a lifelong introvert, the collegiate side is what I didn’t realise I needed.

What’s one connection, opportunity or piece of support you’ve gained through the GFSB?

Slowly getting to know the team at the GFSB has been a great support, we use their room bookings for larger meetings, I can bounce ideas off the committee members and just knowing that the members exist, and are one referral call away, is always good to have as an entrepreneur in a small jurisdiction.

You can get in touch with Advisiom Global M&A through its website at advisiom.com, or by email at office@advisiom.com and amanda@advisiom.com. You can also connect with Amanda Simmons and follow Advisiom on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

This Q&A was answered by Amanda Simmons, CEO & Founder.

Thank you to Advisiom Global M&A for taking part in our ThriveEDIT member Q&A series. We’ll be spotlighting more businesses from across the GFSB membership in the weeks ahead, sharing the people, stories and ideas that make Gibraltar’s business community so interesting.

If you’re a GFSB member and would like to get featured, email editor@gfsb.gi with a few words about your business and we’ll be in touch!