Brian Barrett, a FOCUS Managing Director, is a leading and experienced corporate finance advisor, who provides a broad range of services from debt advisory, valuations, due diligence, strategic planning, along with buy-side and sell-side lead advisory services to clients.

Barrett’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 almost 20 years of corporate finance experience working with SMEs, large corporates, semi-state bodies and publicly listed companies.

Barrett has successfully completed many significant transactions across multiple sectors, including retail, manufacturing, technology, food and beverage, agriculture, packaging, logistics, financial services, energy and leisure.

Prior to joining FOCUS, Barrett was a Director with EY’s Strategy and Transactions practice, specialising in providing financial, commercial, and strategic advice to C-suite executives and boards of Irish and international companies.

Prior to joining EY, Barrett was an associate director with IBI Corporate Finance, an Irish M&A boutique firm, where he worked with many public companies advising CEOs and CFOs (including Glanbia plc, CRH plc, Bank of Ireland Group plc, Flutter Entertainment plc, Greencore Group plc, C&C Group plc).

Barrett spent several years working within the global funds administration industry with State Street Corporation and Bank of Ireland Securities Services, in Boston, Toronto and Dublin. In this role Barrett led and managed multiple Client Servicing Teams (over 30 staff), delivering high-quality bespoke administration and custodial service for multifaceted fund structures to leading global asset managers with assets under management of $30bn.

In addition to his expertise, Barrett is involved in his family Irish publishing business, Mercier Press, where as a director he acts as a strategic advisor and consultant.

Barrett holds an MBA from The Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business and he is a Fellow Chartered Management Accountant, holding the designation of ACMA, CGMA and FCMA. Barrett also holds a Diploma in Corporate Insolvency in Ireland and he graduated from University College Cork, with a Hons BSc. In Finance.