Catalyst expands in the East Midlands to capitalise on growth
CORPORATE finance advisor Catalyst is expanding its operation in the Midlands to capitalise on growth opportunities.
The company has moved into new premises at the NG2 Business Park, Nottingham, following what was a highly successful 2010 for the firm with a number of high profile deals being led from the region.
Chief among these were the MBO of Synseal and the £64m sale of Vision Security Group to Compass Group.
The firm said the East Midlands offered major potential and the five-man team in Nottingham would be focussed on leading similar deals as 2011 progressed.
Keith Pickering, Partner at Catalyst and head of the East Midlands team, commented, “This move demonstrates our continued commitment to investing in the East Midlands, the place of Catalyst’s birth back in 1998.
“Not only have we invested in this new office, we will continue to grow our team to support our clients here, and I am looking forward to prospering in the new surroundings at ng2.”
The firm said the move had also seen Simon Peacock, head of Catalyst’s food & drink sector team, relocate to the Nottingham office.
“This together with the recent recruitment of deal executive Chris Wright, demonstrates a significant investment by Catalyst in the region,” said the firm.
The two deals mentioned indicate the level of opportunity offered by the region.
The Synseal MBO saw Catalyst successfully advise both the management team and their equity backers, HIG Capital.
Synseal is the UK’s leading manufacturer of conservatory roof kits and extruded PVCu profile for window and door systems. Operating from north Nottinghamshire, the business supplies more than 700 independent window and door fabricators and installers across the UK and employs over 500 people, making it one of the largest employers in the region. The business achieved sales of £76m.
The VSG transaction was supported by a team of advisors which included Andy Currie and Justin Crowther at Catalyst. Judges of TheBusinessDesk.com’s Deal of the Month were sufficiently impressed by the transaction to make it their inaugural award winner in September.
