People: LDC recruits investment directors; Funder bolsters support for larger SMEs with director appointment; and more
Private equity firm LDC has boosted its Manchester team with two new senior hires.
LDC said the recruitment of Guy Bagshaw and John Clarke investment directors is part of its commitment to invest £1.2bn of equity in Britain’s small and medium sized companies over the next three years.
Bagshaw joins from Rothschild, where he led the firm’s regional debt advisory practice and was responsible for originating and delivering all debt advisory mandates across the North. He has more than 13 years’ corporate finance experience and has completed deals with leading North West businesses such as EuroGarages and Holidaybreak.
With more than 10 years’ M&A advisory experience, Clarke joins from Clearwater International, where he was a director. He has worked across the UK mid-market advising entrepreneurs, private equity investors and their portfolio businesses, and corporate PLCs on the full deal lifecycle.
Jonathan Bell, director and head of LDC in the North West, said: “We’ve not only had a strong start to 2017 with our investments in Fishawack and ChargePoint, but we’ve continued to support the ambitions of some of the region’s most exciting businesses. Having invested more than £250m and completing 13 new transactions out of the Manchester office alone in the last three years it’s clear that the region offers a number of quality investment opportunities, and it’s vital that we have the right people on board to help us support management teams looking for growth.”
The news follows a strong start to the year for LDC in the North West, which has already seen the team back the £38m management buyout of Fishawack, the specialist provider of scientific communications services to global pharmaceutical companies, and the multi-million-pound management buyout of ChargePoint Technology, the high growth manufacturer and innovator of specialist high containment and sterile transfer valves.
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Ben Smith
Ben Smith has been appointed by business funder Bibby Financial Services (BFS) as UK corporate sales director, as the company looks to strengthen its support for larger SMEs.
First joining BFS from British Nuclear Fuels in 2010, Smith has held a variety of roles including corporate manager, head of West Midlands Business Centre and, most recently, head of corporate for the Central region.
Smith said: “We’ve made huge strides in the corporate funding space in recent years and are well placed to develop our support for intermediaries and businesses at this end of the market even further.
“Our corporate offering has never been as comprehensive as it is now and we have written some significant deals over the past year, during a time when other funders are retreating from the market. We are now also able to provide a wider range of funding options to our customers and their advisors following the addition of foreign exchange and stock to our already market leading capability.
“Protecting against currency volatility and unlocking working capital for growth from assets, such as stock, receivables or plant and machinery, have been key consideration for many businesses over the past year.”
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Peter Gaunt
Business Growth Hub, part of the Manchester Growth Company, has hired Peter Gaunt as a relationship manager to connect Greater Manchester SMEs and encourage collaboration across its network of over 170 organisations.
Gaunt will lead the development of the hub’s partner offer and long-term strategic relationships with key stakeholders. These include Greater Manchester’s 10 local authorities, national partners such as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Innovate UK and the Department for International Trade (DIT), and suppliers drawn from private businesses, such as UK Fast, The Landing, and the public sector.
The Hub’s network of partners has continued to grow since it was formed in 2011. Each provides essential expertise to complement the Hub’s services and contributes to the organisation’s role of supporting individual businesses and growing the city region’s economy.
The hub works with this extensive network of public and private partners, and established businesses that make up the city region’s commercial fabric, to actively support enterprises to overcome barriers to growth and exploit Greater Manchester’s business and academic expertise.
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Bury & Bolton based law firm Clough & Willis has strengthened its private client team with the recruitment of solicitor Suzy Bhaker.
Bkaker joins from Brearleys Solicitors which is a large firm with five offices across the West Yorkshire region. Her new role will see her focus on a variety of core work including wealth and succession planning, inheritance tax advice, trust creation and administration, wills, lasting powers of attorney and estate administration.
She will be based at the firm’s Manchester Road head-office and will report into Sally Cook who is head of the crivate Client department.
Cook said: “We are delighted to welcome Suzy to the team. She has some fantastic experience and is already adding value to our clients and the wider firm.”
Suzy added: “I was ready for my next challenge and Clough & Willis seemed like the perfect fit due to its reputation, its focus on delivering for clients and its ambitions to grow the Private Client department.”
