Lucy Stapleton

Lucy Stapleton serves as Global and UK Head of Deals at PwC, a position she has held since 2022 as UK Head of Deals and from July 2024 as Global Deals Leader. She oversees a diverse team of over 20,000 professionals globally and is responsible for Transactions, Lead Advisory, Value Creation and Realisation, Restructuring and Forensics businesses.

Stapleton began her career in audit in London where she qualified as a chartered accountant (ICAEW) before completing a two year secondment to the New York Deals team. She returned to the UK in 2001 to join the London office's transaction services team and built up her transaction services experience with pharma and life sciences businesses. One of the first assignments back in the UK was a strategic review for Roche, which led to the sale of its vitamins and fine chemicals businesses to Dutch chemicals company DSM for €2.25bn in 2003. She also advised on the £1.9bn sale of Boots to Reckitt Benckiser in 2005.

Stapleton was the founder of the firm's market leading healthcare transaction services practice. She was tasked with building a team starting with two people, and the London team now has more than 100 people. She has been UK pharmaceutical and life sciences leader, chief operating officer for deals and people leader for transaction services. She also advised Unilever on its €6.8bn disposal of its spreads business to KKR, completed at the end of 2017, and on its $5.1bn sale of its tea division to CVC.

Stapleton studied at the University of Exeter and has been a UK partner since 2006. She sits on the Global Advisory Leadership Team in her role as PwC EMEA and Global Deals Leader.

Career history

• Global and UK Head of Deals at PwC (2022–present)
• UK Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences Leader at PwC (2006 onwards)
• Transaction Services partner at PwC, London (2001 onwards)
• Deals team secondment at PwC, New York (two-year assignment)
• Audit role at PwC, London (early career)

What Lucy Stapleton could bring to her roles as Global and UK Head of Deals: Her 30+ years at PwC and deep expertise in building and scaling the healthcare transaction services practice from inception positions her to drive strategic growth across PwC's global deals portfolio. Her track record advising on multi-billion dollar transactions for major corporates and private equity firms, combined with her investment in workplace diversity and retention initiatives, demonstrates her ability to lead complex global teams while fostering inclusive organizational culture in a high-stakes advisory environment.