EXCLUSIVE: Former Gresham men launch new private equity firm

TWO former executives at private equity house Gresham have teamed up to launch a new investment business.

Paul Franks, who ran Gresham’s Birmingham office and Andy Marsh, his counterpart in Manchester, have launched Beech Tree Private Equity.

The pair have secured institutional backing from Access Capital Partners and Adam Street Partners and are now ready to hit the deals trail in the coming weeks.

Marsh and Franks worked with Adam Street and Access previously at Gresham where they were responsible for a number of successful investments such as Minivator, Giles Insurance, Investis and Skelmersdale-based Hotter Shoes.

During their time at Gresham it is understood Marsh and Franks oversaw a £300m return to their investors.

The funding deal with Adam Street and Access will give Beech Tree the firepower to invest between £40m to £50m a year.

The firm will be focused on investing in high growth companies in specific sectors across the UK, effectively following the successful strategy they executed at Gresham