Quercus Corporate Finance is delighted to announce that Dane Houlahan has joined the firm as a Partner, with a focus on Business and Technology Services M&A as well as Built Environment transactions.

Dane previously held senior M&A positions in KPMG’s Corporate Finance business including UK Head of Business Services, Co-Head of Complex Real Estate and Head of the London and Home Counties region.  Over a 20+ year career, he has also worked with Zeus Capital, a capital markets and IPO boutique mid-cap investment bank, and Zenzic Capital, a specialist debt advisory firm.

He has significant experience providing strategic advice to both listed and unlisted companies, government and private equity.  Dane has advised on a large number of founder led disposals, often MBOs and is very well known to the mid-market PE community

Dane is a qualified lawyer and chairs several businesses within the Business Services and Built Environment sector which brings a unique operator / investor / industry perspective. These include being non-executive chair for construction group, Real Places, and housebuilder, Antler Homes.

Nick Standen, Quercus chairman said:

“I have known Dane for nearly 20 years and very few advisers can match the depth and breadth of his industry contacts. He has worked on some of the most important deals in Business Services and Real Estate over the past few years and I am confident that his relationships and experience will be of enormous value to our clients.”

Dane added:

“For me there is an ever-growing need in the mid-market for high quality independent advice. Quercus has offered business-owners a clear alternative to more established mid-market players for nearly a decade now, and their success speaks for itself. Business Services and Real Estate are key strategic investment areas for the firm and the partners are ambitious to grow further. Joining up with many of my previous senior colleagues and friends is a natural move I have wanted to do for some time. I am excited about working with the team to help further expand the franchise and range of clients we can serve.”  

This week we are delighted to share from our forthcoming publication ‘Moving Forward’ an interview with Keith Errey. Keith is the Co-Founder and CEO of Isansys Lifecare and in this article he discusses how Isansys’ Patient Status Engine technology is a “win / win” for hospitals on a global basis.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/034ad871-85c9-4e9d-afba-59f6895d09ed

Terra Alliance is pleased to announce the results of a record-breaking 2021 and its continued growing presence in the global M&A and corporate finance markets.  In 2021, its member firms completed 110 transactions with a combined deal value of more than US$69 billion. For the five years to December 2021, member firms completed more than 515 transactions with a combined deal value of US$112 billion. Sectors that fared particularly well include Consumer, Industrial, Technology and Services.

Quercus is the exclusive UK member firm of the Terra Alliance and Andrew Clegg, Quercus Partner, commented:

"Despite the global impact of Covid-19, member firms prospered in 2021 and these exceptional results represent an alliance record in terms of deal value. Looking forward, we believe the M&A market will remain resilient and we wish our international partners well for the year ahead."

About Terra Alliance

Terra Corporate Finance Alliance is a leading international alliance of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and corporate finance advisory firms with operations in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and South America. The alliance provides member firms with a comprehensive platform for offering clients enhanced identification of, and access to, potential transaction parties around the globe.  Terra Alliance was formed in 2002 and consists of 14 member firms covering more than 45 countries worldwide.

Rockport Software is a leading provider of Business Intelligence, Data Analytics and Information Modelling consultancy services. In this week’s extract from our forthcoming publication ‘Moving Forward’, Rockport’s founder Bob Logan discusses the importance of agility in navigating the fortunes of a smaller business and the need to be assertive in pursuing clear strategic goals.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/38e675a2-0615-4df8-b1a6-e3ed43884f8c

This week’s extract from our forthcoming publication ‘Moving Forward’ is an interview with Sukhbir Sidhu, the founder of Evergen. Sukhbir is a serial entrepreneur and reveals some of the challenges he has overcome to build the fastest growing solar energy company in the UK.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/efce0a47-4bdd-480e-82cd-91d275ed32c8

In conjunction with Decision Magazine, we are excited to announce ‘Moving Forward’, a report consisting of interviews with leading entrepreneurs from across the South East region. Participants explore the issues they face managing growth and provide insights into the strategies they adopt to stay ahead of the pack. Excerpts will be published on LinkedIn over the next 6 weeks and then the full report will be made available in e-book form via our website.

Click on the link below to read our interview with Dr Dan Daly, who discusses the importance of agility and innovation in building Occuity, a leading med-tech company.

https://indd.adobe.com/view/4aaf36b0-6f78-49ec-be34-5eff1e3f4f07

The Quercus team, led by Mark Whelan and Neil Giles, advised the shareholders of BPR Group Europe Limited trading as Paper Round (“BPR”), one of the leading independent waste management businesses in the South East, on its acquisition of Reef Environmental Limited (“Reef”), an independent provider of waste and recycling services across East Sussex and Kent.

Financial details have not been disclosed.

Reef’s customer base and geographical footprint are highly complementary to that of BPR, providing a great opportunity for the combined business in the marketplace.  The enlarged business will also offer greater opportunities for the management and staff in both businesses in Sussex and beyond.

Mark Whelan, Quercus Partner said:

“I am delighted that we have successfully advised the shareholders of BPR on its acquisition of Reef.  There is an excellent operational and cultural fit between the two businesses, and this coupled with a strong strategic rationale for the acquisition bodes extremely well for the success of the enlarged group going forward.  We wish the combined team every success in the future.”

Bill Swan, Managing Director of BPR, added:

“We are delighted to have benefited from Quercus’ counsel throughout the acquisition process, their combination of in-depth waste sector knowledge and corporate transaction management facilitated a smooth acquisition process, allowing our management team to focus on the strategic and operational steps to successfully integrate Reef into the BPR family.”

Quercus is pleased to announce that it has advised the shareholders and management of Hunter Healthcare Resourcing Ltd, a fast-growing healthcare and life sciences recruitment business, on a management buy-out supported by Agathos Management LLP. The Quercus team was led by Ed Groome.

Hunter Healthcare is a London-headquartered, specialist healthcare recruitment business that places interim and permanent candidates into roles in the NHS, private healthcare and life science sectors. Hunter is known for its niche sector focus, high calibre candidates, depth of market knowledge, and the strength of its relationships with clients.

Hunter has developed an exceptional position in healthcare recruitment for non-clinical roles, with revenues growing to £44m in the current financial year. Agathos’s investment will facilitate the management buy-out of Hunter Healthcare and support the senior leadership team in delivering ambitious growth plans.

Charles Oakshett, Partner at Agathos, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with Ben, Damian and the team at Hunter. The business has consistently delivered an excellent service to clients seeking to attract the best talent in the market, and as a result has achieved rapid growth. We see an opportunity for Hunter to build its core business with its existing clients and candidates whilst also breaking into new, growing markets.”

Discussing the outcome of the transaction, Ben James, CEO, said:

“We were in a fortunate position to have choice in who our private-equity partner could be, and it was clear early on that Agathos’s values, business ethics, operational experience and their genuine interest in our needs set them apart. We have worked incredibly hard to build Hunter to the business it has become, and we are hugely excited about what our exceptional team can deliver over the coming years as we pursue continued domestic and international growth along with personal choice for our employees and shareholders. We’re delighted to be joining forces with Charles, Will and the wider Agathos team.”

Ed Groome, leading the transaction for Quercus, commented:

“I’m delighted with the outcome of this process, for both the exiting shareholders and the management team who are going on to partner with Agathos for the next stage of their exciting growth journey. To echo Ben’s comments, we were pleased to have choice in the private equity sponsor to back Ben and the team, and I’m sure that Agathos will prove to be an excellent partner. It’s been a pleasure working with the Hunter team throughout the process and I wish them well for the next chapter.”

Commenting on Quercus’ role in the process, Gavin Johnstone, founder of Hunter Healthcare, said:

“We selected Quercus to advise us on this process due to their experience working with SMEs and particularly in the recruitment sector. Ed and the team guided us through the transaction process and his knowledge and experience were a key factor in ensuring a successful outcome, which all the shareholders are delighted with.”

Quercus Corporate Finance LLP is delighted to announce that one its deals has been nominated in the 2021 Thames Valley Deals Awards.  The nomination, in the mid-size deal category, is for the sale of Camo Limited (trading as Simply Waste) to Biffa Plc, a high profile transaction in the UK waste sector.

Nick Standen, Chairman of Quercus, commented:

The Quercus team, led by Andrew Clegg and Mark Winkler, advised the Board of Dri-Pak Limited (“Dri-Pak”) on the sale of the company to Finfenario Limited.

Headquartered in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, with manufacturing and packing operations in Manchester, Dri-Pak is a leading supplier of branded and retailer own brand cleaning and laundry products and the UK’s largest independent salt packer. Dri-Pak’s product portfolio includes table salt, dishwasher salt, soda crystals, white vinegar cleaner and liquid soap, which it sells into the UK and European retail sector.

With a 50-year heritage, Dri-Pak is a third-generation family business and Quercus has been working closely with the family since 2019 to formulate an exit strategy and prepare the business for sale. Following receipt of unsolicited approaches, through our extensive relationships we identified Finfenario as a logical buyer for the business and managed the sale process from start to finish.

Bruce Maxwell, Managing Director of Dri-Pak said:

 “My family and I are delighted that Dri-Pak has joined forces with the Finfenario team and we are confident that the business will thrive under their ownership.  The sale is the culmination of a two-year journey with Quercus who have guided us sensitively every step of the way. The quality of the advice and service we received throughout was a significant factor in a successful transaction and we are delighted with the outcome.”

Andrew Clegg, Partner at Quercus added:

 “To have been trusted by Bruce and his family to deliver a successful sale process after fifty years of family ownership has been a rare and satisfying privilege. Dri-Pak is a highly-respected British business with a reputation for producing high-quality products and exceptional customer service. With the injection of energy that comes from new ownership I look forward to seeing the company prosper in the coming years.”