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— The Firm

We are a boutique
by design. Senior advisors
do the work.

Cannar was founded in 2014 on a straightforward premise: the owner selling a life's work deserves a senior advisor from first call to signed close, not a pitch team that disappears once the mandate is signed.

Cannar M&A advises owners on the sale, purchase, and valuation of privately held businesses in the lower middle and core middle markets. We were founded in Toronto in 2014 and have advised on transactions across North America, Central Asia, and Far East Asia.

Our clients are typically founders, families, and closely held companies with enterprise values between $2 million and $200 million. Most are approaching a transaction for the first and only time. Because buyers in this market transact regularly, an owner without experienced representation is at a structural disadvantage. Removing that disadvantage is the purpose of the engagement.

A business is not sold in the negotiation. It is prepared long before it reaches the market.

Every mandate is led by a partner from the first conversation to the signed agreement. We accept a limited number of engagements each year so that this remains possible, and we assess whether a business is ready for the market before agreeing to take it there. Where it is not, we say so.

Our partners bring ~140 years of combined experience across investment banking, corporate finance, business valuation, and commercial advisory. Several have built, owned, and sold their own companies.

— How we work

Four commitments,
made in writing.

01
Partner‑Led

The senior advisor on the first call is the senior advisor at the signing table. No juniors running deals. No one earning their stripes on your transaction.

02
Selective Mandates

Our engagement letter is our reputation. If we accept, we believe we can deliver. The discipline is in the saying no.

03
Unconditional Discretion

Staff do not find out. Competitors do not find out. The process protects the business throughout — and if we cannot guarantee that, we do not take the file.

04
Aligned Fees

The majority of our compensation is success-based and tied to close. The incentive is simple: we make money when you do.

— The team

The People
Behind the Work

A combined ~140 years of advisory tenure across the senior group. Backgrounds in investment banking, corporate development, chartered business valuation, and, most importantly, operating the businesses we now advise.

Syed M. Irfan
~40 yrs · CFO | CPA | Corporate Dev.

Syed M. Irfan

Founder & Managing Partner

Syed Irfan is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cannar M&A, a boutique advisory firm serving lower mid-market business owners across Canada and the United States. With more than three decades of global finance and operational leadership, he has executed over $210 million in M&A transactions—$170 million on the sell-side and $40 million on the buy-side, including a successful management buyout (MBO) in the UK and UAE.

Having managed budgets exceeding $175 million within multi-billion-dollar companies, Irfan brings a rare operator’s perspective to M&A—combining financial discipline, growth strategy, and risk management. He partners with CEOs and Boards to craft and execute strategies that strengthen governance, accelerate growth, and increase enterprise value before and after a transaction.

Irfan’s expertise spans manufacturing, distribution, food services, technology, and professional services, with a focus on SMEs generating up to $10 million in annual revenue. Beyond transactions, he also coaches and mentors CFOs and CEOs, helping them sharpen leadership, improve decision-making, and navigate complex transitions with confidence.

A lifelong learner and avid reader of history, Irfan enjoys exploring new restaurants with his family and stays fit through long walks that help him reflect, recharge, and stay grounded.

Rizwan Chaudhry
~25 yrs · CBI | CFC | CIPS | Commercial Avisory

Rizwan Chaudhry

Co-Founder & Director

Rizwan Chaudhry is the Managing Partner at Cannar M&A, with more than 25 years of experience in mergers & acquisitions, business advisory, and international investments. He works closely with entrepreneurs, mid-market companies, and investors to guide them through confidential business sales, acquisitions, valuations, and exit strategies.

Alongside his core M&A expertise, Rizwan has extensive knowledge in franchise consulting, international real estate, and ethical financing solutions, giving clients a broader perspective when navigating growth or transition. This combination of skills allows him to structure deals that are not only financially sound but also strategically sustainable.

Holding certifications as a Certified Business Intermediary (CBI), Certified Franchise Consultant (CFC), and Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS), alongside an MBA in Business Strategy & Development, Rizwan brings both technical depth and global insight to every engagement.

Under his leadership, Cannar M&A continues to be recognized as a trusted partner for clients seeking confidential, strategic, and value-driven M&A solutions.

Wani Alali
~25 yrs · Business Growth Advisory

Wani Alali

Partner & Advisor

Wani Alali is an M&A advisor and strategic growth partner to post-traction and lower mid-market companies across Canada and the United States. With more than a decade of M&A and entrepreneurship experience, he has participated in buy-side and sell-side transactions exceeding $80 million across manufacturing, home services, business services, automation and controls, and technology. His work blends rigorous analysis with practical operating judgment to help owners grow, systematize, scale, and exit on their terms.

Wani’s advisory approach is rooted in three pillars: value creation before and after close, efficient capital structures, and disciplined process management. On the financing front, he brings deep fluency in creative capital solutions—ranging from 240+ pre-LOI & post-closing creative financing strategies to SBA-backed structures—designed to reduce cash drag, align incentives, and widen the set of viable deals. On the deal table, he is a hands-on negotiator who structures offers to balance price, risk, and certainty, while protecting relationships critical to post-close success.

Beyond transaction execution, Wani is a leverage strategist who installs scalable growth strategies that translate into leveraged sales, bankable profits and transferable value. He regularly partners with leadership teams to pressure-test strategic fit, refine pricing and packaging, optimize revenue engines, and design post-close value-creation plans that drive momentum.

His training spans economics, acquisition entrepreneurship, public policy, and applied & computational mathematics—an interdisciplinary foundation that informs his market assessments, financial modeling, and decision frameworks. He serves on the boards of both for-profit and non-profit organizations and is passionate about helping business owners increase their wealth scale, expand their impact, and move toward self-actualization through thoughtful ownership transitions.

At Cannar M&A, Wani’s mandate is simple: deliver confident outcomes. Whether guiding a first-time buyer through diligence or preparing a founder for a strategic exit, he brings a calm, methodical style, clear communication, and a playbook built on experience—so clients can focus on the legacy they are building, not just the deal they are closing.

— Begin

Meet a partner.
Not a pitch.

Every initial conversation is with a partner.
Thirty minutes, confidential.

Schedule a call →