Tag Archives: private equity
Survey exposes shocking conflicts of interest and unhealthy relationships between the corporate finance and private equity communities
Unhealthy relationships between multi-disciplinary corporate finance firms and the private equity community have been revealed by research undertaken by Bluebox Corporate Finance. The survey shows 58 per cent of corporate lawyers believe UK entrepreneurs are not always treated fairly where their corporate finance adviser enjoys a previous relationship with the private equity sponsor in a transaction[1].
The study exposes conflicts of interest that exist between corporate finance advisers and certain private equity sponsors in the UK mid-market; an issue that is preventing UK entrepreneurs from getting fair, impartial advice.
95 per cent of lawyers surveyed agree it would be in the best interests of UK entrepreneurs to know about existing relationships between their chosen corporate finance advisers and relevant members of the private equity community. 94.5 per cent say it is not in a client’s best interests for a corporate finance adviser to work on both sides of a transaction.
A requirement for obligatory disclosure of previous significant relationships between corporate finance advisers and the private equity would be supported by 96 per cent of lawyers, the survey confirmed.
In a move to stimulate more transparency in the UK mid-market, Bluebox is leading a call for a Register of Interests to be introduced for corporate finance firms to allow better decision making from UK entrepreneurs when selecting their adviser.
Paul Herman, CEO and founder of Bluebox said: “Our research confirms that the current system of ‘ethical walls / firewalls’ is not fit for purpose and is open to abuse. We believe UK business owners deserve better. Bluebox is demanding an immediate end to these unfair practices through a transparent system where corporate advisors must disclose existing and previous relationships with equity firms. The relationships between multi-disciplinary accountants and swathes of the private equity community are far too close, and this has a direct and adverse impact in the impartiality of the advice that many UK entrepreneurs are receiving.
“We believe honesty and trust should be the core values upon which business sale advice is given, but this simply cannot be the case where financial consultants have a vested interest in the other side of a deal.”
Bluebox Corporate Finance is an award-winning corporate finance firm based in London with an enviable track record in selling businesses and raising finance. Founded in 2012 by Paul Herman and James Caan, the team is skilled at selling companies valued between £5m and £150m to a range of financial and strategic buyers.
The team has worked with over 500 clients and sold more than 100 businesses, including the investment in CPMS, one of the UK’s largest railway businesses; the sale of Artisan du Chocolat, one of the UK’s leading luxury chocolatiers, to Mohamed Elsarky, former President and CEO of Godiva; and most recently advised on the sale of Devonshire Healthcare Services to Uniphar plc.
[1] Survey of 55 legal professionals via Survey Monkey, February 2022
Thames Valley deals team upbeat after ‘great year’
The Thames Valley region’s credentials as the ideal location for dynamic and ambitious companies to thrive will mean it will continue to attract investor interest in 2022, according to Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Reflecting on an “outstanding” 2021 for deals, Peter Jennings, Corporate Finance Partner at Grant Thornton is confident the high concentration of entrepreneurial and technology-focused businesses in the region – which after London is the UK’s fastest-growing regional economy – will lead to further activity this year.
During 2021 the team advised on 15 deals with a cumulative value of more than £750m. Over half of the deals were cross-border transactions, including the sale of defence consultancy Harmonic to US company KBR Inc, the sale of compliance software company Hamilton Grant to US based FoodChain ID and the investment in BAFTA-winning Surrey-based games developer Supermassive Games by Danish group Nordisk Games.
Peter says: “After an outstanding 2021 we are confident of maintaining our momentum this year.
“Private equity firms continue to be very active in the mid-market and ready to pay good multiples for the right business, particularly those in business support services, TMT, including digital infrastructure and data.
“In 2021 there was also a marked uptick in overseas trade buyers, especially from the US, acquiring UK assets and competing very strongly with Private Equity, and this is something we are continuing to see this year. There are several factors for this including the need to access the UK market post Brexit.”
He adds: “With close proximity to London and its outstanding talent pool and global connectivity, and a cluster of fast-growing and innovative mid-market technology-focused businesses, I am very confident the Thames Valley region will continue to be a deal-making hotspot in 2022.
“With concern over potential changes to capital gains taxes persisting, I believe many business owners will continue to review their options, which will also drive volumes in the near term.”
Nationally, after a record year of activity, Grant Thornton has been ranked the UK’s number one financial adviser by deal volume, in the latest Experian MarketIQ M&A Review.
The firm’s deals and business consulting practice completed 295 transactions overall with a disclosed transaction value of over £10bn.