Who we are
Philosophy
Fides Corporate Finance is an independent financial advisory boutique based in Milan, specialising in extraordinary corporate finance transactions. We advise entrepreneurs, industrial families, investment funds and corporations across every stage of the most complex transactions: acquisitions and disposals, mergers and demergers, joint ventures, capital transactions, business valuations and financial restructurings.
Our independence is structural, not merely declaratory. We are not a division of a commercial bank or an insurance group, nor do any such institutions hold a stake in our firm: the equity is entirely held by the founding partners, who also serve as the company's directors. Our sole mandate is to protect our clients' interests. This stance enables us to provide impartial judgement, free from conflicts of interest, and to act as a trusted advisor in the most consequential strategic decisions.
Our name — Fides — encapsulates this commitment. In Roman law, fides denoted the fiduciary bond underpinning every legal and commercial relationship. Today, as then, trust is the precondition of every successful extraordinary transaction.
Leadership
Domenico Trotta
Managing Partner - Founder
Domenico has extensive corporate finance experience with a deep focus on M&A having advised many Banks, insurance, and Specialty Finance and Industrial companies.
He started his career in London where he spent significant time working at JPMorgan and Dresdner Kleinwort advising European companies in assignments such as hostile takeovers, capital increase, and mergers and acquisitions.
After returning to Italy, he founded Fides Corporate Finance with the goal of bringing international-standard advisory services to the Italian mid-market.
Graduated from Bocconi University in Economia delle Istituzioni e dei Mercati Finanziari (CLEFIN) has successfully completed Executive Courses in Strategic Negotiation from the Harvard Business School. He is registered at the Chamber of commerce of Milan, Monza Brianza and Lodi.
Advisory Board
Fides draws on a select network of seasoned professionals who support the team on transactions requiring specialist, complementary expertise. This model enables us to deliver excellence across every dimension of a transaction, while maintaining a lean structure free from unnecessary fixed costs.
Members of our Advisory Network are engaged selectively, based on the nature and complexity of each mandate, and operate under the same standards of confidentiality and rigour that define Fides's work.
Governance and Professional Ethics
Governance and Professional Ethics
Fides's independence extends beyond its ownership structure: it is embedded in a system of internal rules designed to ensure that every engagement is conducted with integrity, impartiality and full transparency towards the client.
Our Code of Ethics, binding on all professionals working within Fides and its Advisory Network, governs, among other matters, principles of professional conduct, policies for the prevention and management of conflicts of interest, confidentiality obligations and the handling of privileged information, and criteria for the acceptance and management of engagements.
Prior to taking on any new mandate, Fides carries out a systematic review to identify potential conflicts of interest — whether current or prospective — with respect to ongoing engagements. Where an irremediable conflict is identified, the mandate is declined. Where the conflict is manageable, the measures adopted are disclosed to the client with full transparency, enabling an informed decision.
This approach is not a formal exercise: it is an integral part of Fides's value proposition and the reason our clients entrust us with their most consequential transactions.