Kalos Transaction Advisory: The Firm Organised for Transactions

Built by alumni of the Big 4, Kalos is an independent North American transaction advisory firm headquartered in Calgary, Canada, with offices in Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto, New York and Los Angeles. Organised for transactions instead of service lines, Kalos advises financial sponsors, strategic buyers and sellers, business owners, lenders, and management teams throughout the transaction lifecycle. As it is named Best Financial Due Diligence Firm 2026 – North America in this programme, Mackenzie Regent, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Kalos, caught up with us for more.

In ancient times, ‘Kalos’ was a term used to describe only the most honourable, morally virtuous soldiers on the battlefield. Whilst its work thousands of years later is a far cry from this, Kalos Transaction Advisory has nevertheless chosen this name as a reflection of the high standards it sets for itself across everything it does. For its clients, the name of this leading transaction advisory firm speaks to its integrity, excellence, and the pursuit of doing things well – for its clients, colleagues, and across the transactions it is entrusted with.

With capabilities spanning financial due diligence, valuation and financial modelling, transaction tax, transaction accounting advisory, transaction agreements and closing mechanisms, and closing and post-closing advisory, Kalos is building an integrated advisory platform designed to steward better transaction outcomes for clients. These better outcomes begin with good judgement, exercised by good people. Kalos realises this through a differentiator it calls Connected Judgement: the belief that better transaction outcomes require professionals who understand not only their own technical disciplines, but also how their work connects to the broader transaction and its commercial consequences. This transaction-first approach distinguishes Kalos from traditional professional services firms, which are typically organised around siloed, individual service lines.

Another concept integral to Kalos is Transaction Stewardship, which reflects the firm’s commitment to carrying important issues through the lifecycle of a deal. Rather than allowing insight to become disconnected from consequence as the deal moves between disciplines, advisers or transaction stages, Kalos ensures matters are appropriately carried forward. Again, this comes back to the belief that clients experience transaction outcomes, not service lines, and that this is where the firm needs to position itself to add the most value for them.

Exploring this in more detail, Mackenzie told us: “An issue identified in financial diligence may affect tax, the purchase agreement, working capital, accounting treatment, valuation, or post-closing matters. Our model is designed to connect those implications rather than leave the client to bridge the gaps.​” This requires more than technically correct work. It means understanding the consequences of its findings and helping clients to make better decisions. And this is something that starts right from within.

The blend of real technical depth and an understanding of where their work fits into the firm as a whole is the basis of a team and a culture that are both highly collaborative and intentionally humble. Quick growth has followed, but the firm has worked hard to preserve an environment where people can ask questions, challenge one another, share unfinished thoughts, and pull in the right expertise, all without people having to worry about hierarchy or boundaries.

“Culture is not separate from performance in transaction advisory; it directly affects it.”

Transactions move quickly, often involve imperfect information, and require professionals to exercise sound judgement under pressure. In that environment, trust, responsiveness and collaboration directly influence the quality of advice and the outcomes achieved. To cultivate these qualities across Kalos, the firm invests heavily in coaching and in-person time, allowing people from across disciplines and even offices to build relationships with one another. For Kalos, this is what success looks like: delivering successful outcomes whilst building a place where talented people can do the best work of their careers.

Building on its technical quality, culture and the trust of its clients, Kalos has focused on preserving these foundations while scaling rapidly to meet the evolving needs of the market. Over the past 12 months, the firm has expanded its advisory capabilities into four new areas, welcomed six new partners, established a five-office North American presence and completed its first eight-figure capital raise, while continuing to invest in the infrastructure required to support approximately 200 transactions annually.

Underpinning these developments is a deliberate approach to growth, including a willingness to step back from opportunities that do not align with the firm’s long-term vision. Mackenzie added: “Growth is valuable only if the firm becomes stronger as it grows.​” Rather than pursuing geographic expansion for its own sake, Kalos has focused on opportunities that strengthen its capabilities, deepen its client relationships and support its long-term vision. For clients, this promotes further trust.

Detailing some of the plans defining Kalos’ pipeline over the next five years, Mackenzie spoke of its goal to become the most trusted transaction advisory firm in North America, and how this starts with it continuing to build a transaction advisory platform that is genuinely integrated across the continent. This involves connecting financial due diligence, valuation, tax, transaction accounting, purchase agreement advisory, closing mechanisms and post-closing execution around the way clients actually experience transactions.

It is also impossible to ignore the role technology will play in the future of almost every business, and Kalos is no exception. The firm is thus continuing to invest in data, automation, and AI-enabled workflows, enabling it to improve speed, consistency, and insight, all whilst being deliberate about preserving the professional judgement its clients expect.

Mackenzie summarised: “Over the next five years, we will continue to deepen our presence in key Canadian and US markets, attract exceptional senior talent, and build the commercial and technology infrastructure required to scale – all without losing the entrepreneurial culture and senior-level client experience that distinguish Kalos today.”

As this standout transaction advisory firm in North America continues to work towards its long-term vision, Mackenzie was excited to share with us that 2026 has itself been full of milestones, including continued development of its integrated advisory platform and expansion into New York and Los Angeles. The expansion into New York and Los Angeles represents more than the establishment of new offices. By bringing experienced transaction advisory leaders into the platform, Kalos is strengthening its ability to connect financial diligence, transaction agreements, negotiation, closing mechanisms and post-closing execution across jurisdictions.

This reflects a broader trend within Kalos, with clients increasingly engaging multiple disciplines on the same transaction. By carrying issues from financial due diligence through negotiation, closing and post-closing execution, the firm seeks to reduce fragmentation and provide greater continuity of advice throughout the transaction lifecycle. With this in mind, we asked Mackenzie to take a step back from Kalos’ position now and explain how someone just starting out in the world of transactions could begin to establish themselves. She replied: “Learn how transactions work on a broader level. Understand what matters to buyers, sellers, lenders, management teams and other stakeholders, and learn to translate analysis into consequences and decisions.​ I would also encourage people to be curious beyond their immediate workstream. Ask why a diligence finding matters to the purchase agreement, how working capital affects value, or what happens to an issue after closing.”

“Transactions are a small world, and trust built early in a career can follow you for decades.​”

A transaction-first firm set apart by a mix of deep expertise, a unique philosophy, and a commitment to upholding the values associated with its name, Kalos Transaction Advisory is more than deserving of being recognised as the Best Financial Due Diligence Firm 2026 – North America as part of this year’s Corporate Excellence Awards feature.

More on the service, deals, and professionals behind this title can be found at the link listed below.

Contact Details

Contact: Mackenzie Regent

Company: Kalos Transaction Advisory

Web Address: https://www.kalostransactions.ca/