Rodford on acquisition trail after buyout

THE boss of James Grant Group, is on the acquisition trail after the £20.75m buyout by private equity firm Gresham.

Neil Rodford, who was chief executive of AIM-listed Hale Barns-based Formation Group until leaving to lead the five subsidiaries bought by Gresham last month, said he is “very excited” for the firm’s prospects.

The former managing director of Fulham Football Club also revealed that James Grant has hired ex Professional Footballers’ Association executive Mick McGuire to head its UK football business, Proactive Sports Management.

As well as the football agency business in the UK and the US, Gresham bought talent agency James Grant Media, accountancy firm O J Kilkenny & Co, and Formation Sports Capital, which advised football clubs on commercial deals.

James Grant’s clients include TV presenters  Ant & Dec, Philip Schofield, who is also a shareholder, Bryan Adams, Lily Allen, Sir Bob Geldof, Vernon Kay, Piers Morgan, and Manchester United footballer John O’Shea.

Mr Rodford told TheBusinessDesk: “The deal itself was quite challenging and I’m sure both parts of the business can now progress.

“We have got a focused business and are now looking to make some acqusitions, which is exciting.

“We believe there are opportunities in entertainment, particularly in the field of comedy, where we are hoping to add to the management side. It’s early days but there are opportunities across the group.”

He revealed that he would be relocating to James Grant Group’s head office in Kew, London, but said the group would continue to have a presence in the North West with an office in Cheshire, adding: “We have a big history in this region and it’ll always be important for us to have an office here.”