Dunedin, the UK mid-market private equity house, today announced that it has joined the Alliance for Global Growth. The Alliance for Global Growth is a newly launched global network of ambitious lower mid-market private equity firms and the first of its kind to operate across Europe and the USA.
The Alliance for Global Growth currently includes ten members drawn from Western Europe and the United States. In addition to Dunedin, which targets buyouts of market-leading companies headquartered in the UK with a deal size of £20 -100 million, the network includes Nordic mid market specialist, Axcel; Finatem, a German private equity fund focused on the “Mittelstand”; French mid market house Nixen; Nazca, a leading Spanish mid-market firm; and US investors Harris Preston Partners, Brentwood Associates, Stone Goff, Wincove and Silver Oak Services Partners.
The formation of this network is driven by a continuing trend towards globalisation and comes at a time when significant opportunities exist for UK businesses to capitalise on increasing inbound and outbound investment.
The Alliance for Global Growth intends to support growth within its members’ portfolios of companies during the investment period, but also to enhance opportunities for sale to international buyers at the point of exit. In addition, shared knowledge and intelligence across the network will benefit member firms and contribute to members’ deal origination and the identification of overseas investment opportunities.
Internationalisation is one of the primary growth strategies that Dunedin adopts in order to add value to the businesses that it backs. This strategy is shared by other members of the Alliance for Global Growth. Of Dunedin’s last four exits, three were to international trade buyers. These were UK headquartered businesses with a market leading position in their niche, which, with Dunedin's support, achieved greater scale and operational efficiency, ultimately attracting the attention of international trade buyers. Dunedin has had particular success in helping its portfolio companies to establish a presence in international markets.
The Alliance for Global Growth is the only global alliance spanning Europe and America. Future plans include establishing relationships with new members in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America. The current member firms collectively back a total of 122 companies across Western Europe and the US. A dedicated person will be recruited to manage the day to day business of the Alliance.
Shaun Middleton, Managing Partner of Dunedin commented: “We are constantly looking for ways to add value to our companies and ultimately to our investors and this initiative illustrates our commitment to the international growth of the businesses we back.”
“Globalisation is a continuing trend and local knowledge and relationships are a critically important factor in the internationalisation of any business. Joining this newly formed Alliance gives Dunedin and its portfolio companies the benefit of a global perspective and a strong international network. We are very excited by the opportunities that the Alliance represents, especially since it is the first to secure members from Europe and the USA. We hope to bring in new international members in the coming months.”
In addition to joining the Alliance for Global Growth, Dunedin has also announced three senior appointments to its international advisory board. These include:
David Lockwood OBE - the current CEO of Laird PLC with extensive experience of international operations. He is also Non-Executive Chairman of Knowledge Transfer Network Limited and formerly held senior positions in B.T., Thales and GEC.
Gerard Lavery – President of Xoepia Investments. He has a proven track record in delivering strategic initiatives, driving organisational change, profitable growth, operational excellence and sustainable productivity. Gerard was formerly CEO of GKN Land Systems and transformed the business to become a $1.5 billion plus global business. Prior to that he held senior executive positions at Ingersoll Rand in the US where he led global operations for the Climate Solutions business, Trane, General Electric and GEC Alstom.
Angus Cockburn - Chief Financial Officer of Serco, and formerly Aggreko plc. He brings a wealth of experience gained across a variety of sectors in high growth competitive global environments. Prior to Aggreko, Angus spent three years as Managing Director of Pringle of Scotland, five years at PepsiCo Inc and several years at KPMG working in the UK and USA. Angus is also an experienced Non-executive Director, currently serving on the Board of GKN Plc.