We are delighted to have advised Phoenix Health and Safety on their sale to Wilmington plc
Phoenix Health and Safety was one of the leading independent providers of accredited and bespoke health and safety training courses to blue-chip corporations and industry professionals.
Having taken investment from Future Planet Capital (FPC) in 2011 and grown rapidly over its recent history, Phoenix’s CEO, Nick Higginson and the board decided to pursue a transaction that would provide an exit for FPC and support Phoenix through its next phase of accelerated growth.
The board wanted to explore both trade buyers and private equity, and Grant Thornton was chosen to support the shareholders, based on its leading credentials in both the skills and training space, and within the governance, risk and compliance space, as well as international reach and leading position within the M&A mid-market.
Our Corporate Finance team worked closely with Phoenix to prepare the business for sale and ran a highly competitive dual-track process, resulting in significant levels of interest and offers for Phoenix from both trade buyers and private equity.
Leveraging our extensive knowledge of Phoenix and its sector, we identified Wilmington as the key strategic partner for the company. The transaction was also supported by our Vendor Due Diligence, and Financial Modelling teams, which overall resulted in a deal that significantly exceeded the shareholders’ expectations.
