Private equity firm exits specialist education recruitment investment
The East Midlands team of LDC, the private equity investor which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, has exited its investment in The Edwin Group to Quad Partners, following a three-and-a-half-year partnership.
The Edwin Group is education recruitment firm. It is one of the UK’s largest providers of supply teachers to primary, secondary and special educational needs schools across the Vision for Education, ABC Teachers and Smart Teachers brands.
LDC backed the management buyout of The Edwin Group in December 2020 from Tes Global. Following the carve-out, the management team, led by CEO Liam Roberts and the core team of Darren Starling, Will Washington and Fiona Baker, grew through four acquisitions. The business now works with over 4,500 schools across the UK and opened nine new locations during the investment period.
US-based specialist education investor Quad Partners will now support The Edwin Group on the next stage of its exciting growth journey, as the business continues to broaden its support for schools to address challenges linked to the recruitment and retention of teachers.
Liam Roberts, CEO at The Edwin Group, said: “With the team at LDC’s support, we are now better equipped than ever to meet schools’ and multi-academy trusts increasingly complex needs. Importantly, we’ve been able to grow the business and expand our range of products and services without losing sight of our values or our commitment to excellent customer service. We’re looking forward to embarking on this next chapter, working with more schools and multi-academy trusts, to positively impact the lives of young people.’
David Bains, partner and head of the East Midlands and East of England at LDC, added: “We were delighted to back a team who had a strong vision for an education services business. Almost four years later the same team has created a business that helps schools and multi-academy trusts with their evolving needs and challenges, whilst it has invested in its people, acquired and diversified its services and bolstered its ESG credentials. I wish them every success in the future.”
LDC was advised by Grant Thornton (corporate finance), EY Parthenon (commercial due diligence), BDO (financial due diligence) and Browne Jacobson (legal due diligence).
