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Consulting & Professional Services

The UK is a services nation, with the sector comprising 80% of the country’s GDP, second only in scale to the US. Remaining largely unaffected by Brexit, the UK’s services industry is well positioned in a global economy hungry for services; the sector is expected to account for 28% of global trade by 2030, up from 25% in 2019.

Consulting & Professional Services

Consulting, legal and financial services businesses have historically been reliant on the people employed for their customer relationships and service delivery; this reliance was often reflected by lower business valuations and extended consideration periods. Increasingly, additional value is being created with the introduction of automated systems, data gathering through APIs and other digital interfaces which deskill repetitive areas of service delivery and free human resources to provide higher level strategic thinking and decision making.

Consequently international practices are investing heavily in AI and automation to reap its associated efficiency gains; human capital and efficiency will be enhanced by the rapidly developing systems. Though the cost of developing such systems may be high, investment in appropriately targeted automation can generate genuine IP and scalability and will turbocharge valuations and enable exits.

Firms which can develop efficient scalable services and provide insight have become very valuable. This sector is ripe for investment with many funds looking to help firms transform through technology.

What Our Clients Say

We were delighted with the debt advisory support we received from Polestar. We were looking for flexible banking facilities to support the growth of People Value and Polestar lead the identification of several banking partners and supported us in tailoring the facilities

Pascal Wittet, Ethos Partners

Recent Transactions

Business Services
Exit

Advised on the sale of the business to New York-based J.S. Held

Sustainability
Exit

Advised fast-growing ESG consultancy and software provider on partial exit and development capital with funding from Bridges (impact investor), MSCI and Farview

Business Services
Exit

Sale of risk consultancy to New York-based J. S. Held

Business Services
M&A

MessageDirect's acquisition of PHD in Communications Ltd

Business Services
Debt Advisory

Debt advisory with funds raised from Clydesdale (now Virgin Money) for acquisitions

Business Services
M&A

Message Direct’s Acquisition of Internet Communications (Services) Limited

Business Services
MBO

Sale of specialist rail sector contractor, Readypower, to Primary Capital via MBO

Business Services
M&A

Assisted CP Plus with acquisitions in its buy and build

Software, Media & Technology
Exit

Disposal of IT support and distribution business to Denmark's EET Group

Software, Media & Technology
Exit

Advised vendor on sale to Danwood Ltd - a key feature of this transaction was the value attributed to the in-house software

Business Services
MBO

Disposal via MBO funded by Maven Capital and HSBC

Software, Media & Technology
MBO

Partial exit and MBO of international analytics and data science consulting business, funded by Mobeus Private Equity

Business Services
M&A

Assisted Tel Aviv-based Tefen in sourcing and completing acquisition of UK consulting business, Severn

Manufacturing & Distribution
Equity

Assisted Mobeus in its investment into logistics business Anthony Ward Thomas, Bishops and Aussie Man in a Van

Business Services
Debt Advisory

Debt advisory in relation to Barclays replacing outgoing debt syndicate partner

Software, Media & Technology
Exit

Sale of eDrive Engineering Services Limited to US tech buyer

Software, Media & Technology
Equity

Advised BGF on its growth capital investment into this fast-growing secure payment business

Business Services
MBO

Natwest-funded MBO of audio-visual equipment supplier, Shooting Partners

Business Services
Exit

Advised shareholders on disposal of travel agency network

Software, Media & Technology
Debt Advisory

Debt advisory to board of AIM-listed international travel group in its negotiations with Barclays

Business Services
Exit

Sale of PAT testing business OCS Group

Business Services
Exit

Advising on the sale of this translation business to Australia’s Appen Ltd

Business Services
Debt Advisory

Capital raising for this expanding hotel developer from ESO Capital

Business Services
Exit

Sale of IFA business to Bestinvest

Health & Education
MBO

Sale to management

Business Services
M&A

Assisted Tel Aviv-based Tefen in sourcing and completing acquisition of UK consulting business, Erskine

Sustainability
Exit

Sale of metal recycling business to market leader, European Metal Recycling

Business Services
Exit

Sale of vehicle leasing company to GKL Leasing

Business Services
M&A

Advised CTI Certification, headquartered in Shenzhen, on its acquisition of CEM International

Business Services
M&A

Advised marketing agency, Crown, on its acquisition of Acclaim

Business Services
Exit

Advised shareholders on the sale of specialist marketing communications agency to competitor, Communique

Software, Media & Technology
Equity

Advised on AIM fundraise for call centre software provider

Health & Education
Equity

Equity raising from Altitude partners for schools travel business