Private equity firm announces string of promotions
Palatine Private Equity has made six promotions reflecting a successful business and portfolio performance over the past 12 months.
The new senior investment directors include James Gregson, Kieran Lawton and James Winterbottom.
James Gregson joined Palatine in 2017 to assist partners Beth Houghton and Zoe Clements with the deployment of its £100m Impact Fund, which invests in businesses with a positive social and/or environmental impact across the UK.
He has played an integral role in numerous transactions, including e-days, an employee absence management tool, and Veincentre, a clinic specialising in treatment for varicose veins.
Kieran Lawton has worked at Palatine for four years having previously worked at BDO in corporate finance.Kieran is involved in a number of Palatine’s consumer facing businesses and currently sits on the boards of the restaurant chains Gusto and The Alchemist, as well as Zyrofisher, a cycling parts and accessories distributor.
He also sits on the board of Lucion Services, a multidisciplinary risk management group which he transacted in 2019 alongside James Winterbottom.
James Winterbottom has been with Palatine for almost 12 years, working with management teams to help them grow organically and through bolt-on acquisitions both in the UK and overseas.
James previously sat on the board of WHP, a provider of end-to-end services for all the major UK mobile operators, before it was sold to Equistone in March 2018 for a 3x return on investment. He now sits on the boards of Lucion Services and Character World.
James Painter, who joined the firm in February 2016 from KPMG’s corporate finance team, has been promoted to investment director. He has been involved in a number of transactions at Palatine including the buyout of holiday park operator Verdant Leisure; an investment in housebuilder Westleigh, which achieved Palatine’s largest ever return on exit; and an investment in TTC Group, a provider of road user and cycling education courses.
London-based Rupert Brown has also been promoted to investment director. Working alongside partners Tony Dickin, Zoe Clements and senior investment director Andy Strickland, Rupert has supported Cyberfort’s buy and build strategy to develop an end-to-end cyber security managed service business.
Having been at Palatine since 2016, he has developed a breadth of experience across a range of sectors, and leads Palatine’s financial services deal origination strategy.
As investment directors, they will be responsible for sourcing and executing new investment opportunities, whilst also working alongside Palatine’s portfolio companies to support their organic and acquisitive growth, as well as overseas expansion.
Nigel Moss has been promoted to portfolio director. Since 2018, Nigel has worked with portfolio businesses across both the buyout and impact fund to help them achieve their targets by ensuring they have the financial tools to fulfil their growth plans. Nigel works alongside the investment team to provide support to management with strategy, financial forecasting and reporting.
Founded in 2005, Palatine is an independently owned private equity firm that is headquartered in regions and has successfully raised four funds, investing in the lower-mid market. The firm now employs 36 staff across offices in Manchester, London and Birmingham.
Ed Fazakerley, Partner at Palatine Private Equity, said: “These promotions not only demonstrate the talent we have at Palatine, but also the strength of the business and our portfolio.
“Each individual has proven they are able to deliver excellent results for our investors and create value in our portfolio through building strong rapport with management teams. We are proud to reward their efforts with these well-deserved promotions, and we expect to see further developments within the investment and operations teams later in the year.”
