Primary is pleased to announce it has supported the management buy-out of GatenbySanderson for an undisclosed sum from founder Graham Goodwin.
GatenbySanderson is a market-leading provider of permanent and interim executives across public services and the not-for-profit sector. The business has a particular expertise in headhunting chief executives, senior management teams and non-executive board members within complex, highly-visible and regulated markets that frequently undergo change. It has a national reputation for its work in Local and Central Government, Health and Social Care and is rapidly expanding within the Education and Not-for-Profit sectors. Executive search, interim leadership, assessment services and digital solutions form the core of the company’s product offer.
Joint Managing Partners, Mark Turner and Martin Tucker, will continue to lead the business, supported by the existing board members. GatenbySanderson employs a high quality and committed team of over 90 people based in Leeds, London and Birmingham.
Martin Tucker commented: “As a market-leading business that has grown significantly in the last few years, we are delighted to complete this deal and have the opportunity to realise further expansion, be that greater sector depth, broader public services coverage or rolling out new products as part of our technology-led innovation. We are incredibly fortunate, across the business, in having a very talented team with a heartfelt desire to grow faster and further. This deal puts that ambition directly into our own hands and we intend to make the most of it. Finding new talent is our first priority.”
The deal was led and structured by Alistair Armstrong and Oliver Melliss at Primary, who both join the GatenbySanderson board as non-executive directors. Alistair Armstrong commented: “GatenbySanderson is an excellent example of a truly differentiated executive resourcing firm. The business’s relentless focus on quality, its strong team-driven culture and impressive proprietary technology produce consistently outstanding results for its clients. Management have identified some compelling areas for further investment and innovation and we very much look forward to working with them to help the business achieve its ambitious growth plans”.
A team from Deloitte Corporate Finance Advisory, led by Katie Folwell-Davies, advised Primary Capital on the acquisition. Katie commented: “GatenbySanderson represents an excellent platform for Primary in the professional recruitment sector. GatenbySanderson has a leading brand and a dominant position in a growing market with the right combination of scale, quality and a dynamic management team. The Primary team have a unique blend of skills and are ideally placed to support the management team to deliver the future plans for the business.”
GatenbySanderson’s Mark Turner concluded: “We have a very clear plan of our future direction and we will remain committed to public services. Above all, we will stay focused on what we do best, which is identifying and delivering top talent where it’s needed most.”
Contact Neil Wallace for more information