Rick Palmer

Founder first

Rick's career began in design. A graduate of Central Saint Martins, he built his first digital business in the 1990s and sold it to a UK PLC in 1999. He went on to found one of London's most awarded digital agencies of the 2000s, building it to 90 people across two offices and working for global brands, and to build and exit further ventures in media and broadcast.

That is the experience most founders want from an advisor: someone who has made payroll, won and lost pitches, built a leadership team, taken an approach from a buyer and decided when to sell. It is the basis of the founder-first way we work at Motion Advisory Partners.

Dealmaker

Rick has spent 13 years advising on M&A at founder and investor level. As Global Senior Partner at an M&A firm dedicated to the creative industries, he led numerous transactions, including the USD 50 million sale of a US marketing technology business, advising founders and investors on deals across the UK, the US, Europe and Asia.

He combines commercial strategy, creative insight and digital fluency with a precise understanding of the levers of value inside modern creative, marketing and technology businesses, and of how to make them work harder when the stakes are highest.

At Motion

Rick co-founded Motion with Rob Reid to help founders and investors in marketing, creative, digital and technology businesses work through growth, funding, acquisitions and exits. He works directly with every client, from the first conversation to completion, and leads on strategy, positioning and negotiation. On 53Six's acquisition by FUEL, Rick and Rob worked directly with both sets of founders to advance commercial discussions and carry the transaction through to completion.

Beyond the deal table

Rick is a long standing supporter of the arts. He is an investor in and owner of AMP Posters, the world’s largest curated collection of alternative movie posters and its most prominent community of movie poster artists, followed by film, art and design audiences around the world. It keeps him close to the creative talent and culture that the businesses we advise are built on.

Focus

• Helping founders decide what is next, and move forward with clarity.
• Sell-side and buy-side M&A, investment and strategic options for agencies and marketing technology businesses.
• International relationships with buyers, investors and founders across the UK, US, Europe and Asia.