Employee-owned Corporate Advisor Rebrands to Reflect Unique Approach to Sell-Side Corporate Finance
Corporate finance advisor, BCMS, which specialises in advising the shareholders of ambitious privately owned businesses, has announced that it is rebranding to Initium® with immediate effect. The move is designed to reflect significant changes in the business over recent years and builds upon its strong Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vision and values, as well as the organisation’s impressive track record of high-profile, high-value business sales transactions across multiple sectors.
An employee-owned company, Initium is an independent sell-side corporate finance advisor, providing valuation and growth consultancy services, succession/exit planning advice and business sale transaction advice. The rebrand reflects operational, structural and cultural changes at the business since the appointment of current CEO Jonathan Dunn in 2018. Specialising in advising owner-managed businesses with an enterprise value of at least £10m, Initium’s high-profile transactions have included the £80m sale of Geotek to Judges Scientific plc and the sale of CIA Insurance to Assured Partners in late 2023.
The business transitioned to employee ownership in 2022 when the founders of BCMS sold the business to the employees via an Employee Ownership Trust. This has led all staff to have a meaningful stake in the company’s direction and strategy with the appointment of a diverse leadership team of directors. Alongside Jonathan Dunn, the business is led by Liz Jackson MBE, Debbie Henderson and Andy Denny.
“As we become Initium, we are building upon a 35-year history that has shown us that value goes way beyond the deal itself. We want both our clients and colleagues to experience a more fulfilling and caring journey than you would find anywhere else in the corporate finance industry,” said Jonathan Dunn, CEO at Initium. “We work with ambitious entrepreneurial clients where we can add exceptional value – before, during and after an engagement. For us, our clients and our communities, we strongly believe impact beyond the deal really matters.”
Impact beyond the deal initiatives supported by Initium include paying a proportion of revenues to a range of charitable organisations, with a stated vision to distribute 30% of profits to impact causes by 2030. The business has a long history of giving back: causes supported include The Snowdrop Foundation – a charity established by the company’s founding family – which supported the construction of the three-storey St Mark’s School in Kakinada, India, and educates over 500 children from the lowest tier of Indian society.
Director Liz Jackson MBE added, “At Initium, we aim to transform, not just transact. For many corporate finance advisors, a business sale transaction is an end point for their relationship with clients. For Initium, it’s just the beginning, as we look to help entrepreneurs find their freedom and new opportunities in the next stage of their lives. That’s why Initium is the perfect name for us: each day is a starting point to unearth something special, to make a measurable and meaningful difference, for clients, colleagues and communities.”
As an employee-owned business, every single Initium employee was involved not just in the strategic decision to change the name, but in choosing and developing the name and brand values, via a series of workshops and sessions. This inclusive, all-hands rebranding process is highly unusual in any industry, least of all corporate finance. It has helped the business to crystallise its vision and values, while also informing the direction and tone of the new brand.
About Initium Corporate Finance
Initium is a specialist corporate finance advisor, partnering with privately owned businesses up to, during and beyond a business sale transaction. A proudly employee-owned business working exclusively on the ‘sell side’, Initium specialises in transactions with a typical deal value between £10m-£100m, and has unlocked over £3bn of value for clients throughout the organisation’s 35+ year history. The advisor has noted expertise in the Healthcare, Telecoms, Media and Technology (TMT), Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance (TICC) and the Industrials/Manufacturing sectors.
Initium also assists business leaders on their next-stage strategies via a unique network of over 250 former clients, The Fellows, which helps shareholders to unlock personal and professional development opportunities post sale. In addition, the organisation has been a key player in the development of Diamonds, a network for women-led businesses providing peer-to-peer advice and mentoring to help secure more female representation at the board level of companies of all sizes, across all sectors.
The business was recently recognised as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024.
For more information visit www.initium.com