H1 2026 M&A Talent Trends & People Moves Report
Pearse Partners is pleased to present our latest M&A People Moves Report, focusing on H1 of 2026.
Our report tracks 333 moves across London investment banking and advisory firms in H1 2026, including full name, seniority level, gender, firm, and specialism. Our findings highlight an active, increasingly precise hiring market concentrated in specific sectors, skewed toward junior to mid levels, and dominated by US headquartered institutions. These findings are set against the broader M&A deal environment, drawing on market intelligence from PwC, BCG, and Pearse Partners’ own analysis.
Key themes we found:
Gender cliff at VP: Female representation holds at ~19-20% at Analyst and Associate level but drops sharply at VP/AD (8.7%). Director/ED recovers partially to 13.0% before collapsing again at MD level (2.9% – one female MD across 34 senior hires).
EB now leads BB: Elite and mid-market boutiques (141) have pulled ahead of bulge brackets (130) for total tracked moves, highlighting a structural shift in where London M&A talent is choosing to go.
US dominance continues: 65% of tracked moves are into US banks or boutiques. European banks account for just 20.8%, reflecting candidate preference for US compensation and a more active US growth posture in London.
Healthcare – senior skewed profile: 30 healthcare moves tracked, with Director/ED hires (7) outpacing VP/AD moves (4) – the most senior skewed sector in the dataset. JP Morgan leads with 4 moves. Biopharma deal value exceeded $65bn in Q1 2026 alone (PwC).
TMT/Tech leads on volume: TMT/Technology accounts for 84 tracked moves, being the most active sector by volume. Evercore leads with 8 hires. Global TMT deal values rose 48% to $472bn in the first five months of 2026.
FIG boutiques dominate: Specialist FIG boutiques (Ardea, Continuum, Hines) account for nearly half of all FIG lateral moves – the most concentrated boutique dominance of any sector tracked in this report.
To explore these insights in more detail and see the full list of movers within H1 2026, request our report below.
For a full discussion or a follow-up of enquiries for the information enclosed, please reach out to our team. Equally, to discuss how Pearse Partners could support your hiring objectives or conduct a comprehensive compensation appraisal, please email us directly on info@pearsepartners.com.
Our dedicated M&A and Corporate Development team brings over 20 years of combined experience and a track record of successfully hiring for elite boutiques, mid-tier investment banks, and specialist mid market firms. We pride ourselves on being a trusted and exclusive partner for M&A recruitment, with long term relationships and comprehensive maps of market talent.
