Published: March 3, 2026 at 6:59 am
Ruth Percival is at the helm of one of UK’s fastest growing companies.
In just 18 months, built environment consultancy Contollo Group has grown to 230 staff and £35m turnover on the back of five acquisitions.
Percival is also married to legendary dealmaker Jonathan Boyers and co-host of the Dealmaker Uncut podcast.
In the latest episode of the Dealmaker Uncut podcast, she opened up about the highs and lows of her remarkable career.
Percival has enjoyed a 20-year career in M&A and made her name as a partner at BDO, where she had a track record for advising clients on exits and buy and build strategies.
She said: “I really hope there is less misogyny today than there was then. However, most of the challenges are exactly the same.
“To succeed you need to win work. If you don’t play golf or have a passion for sport, it’s tough. You need to be doubly good at building trusted relationships within the professional environment.
“A culture of boozing doesn’t help women trying to get on at all either. Alcohol is generally not an ally for a woman trying to get on.
“My focus was really on selling businesses for entrepreneurs. I think you have to perform out of your skin to compete with an average male counterpart.”