Meridian Corporate Finance and Moore Barlow collaborated and advised on the restructure of CSA Environmental (“CSA”) to facilitate management taking a greater role in the business. Established in 1998 by founder Clive Self, and joined by Aidan Marsh in 2002, CSA is a leading provider of environmental consultancy services within the areas of landscape, ecology, heritage and urban design. CSA has established itself as a trusted expert, providing the highest quality professional advice, based upon a specialist understanding of planning and the environment. With a team of over 70 skilled professionals spread across six strategic locations in Basingstoke, Brighton, Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Sheffield and Tewkesbury, CSA offers a diverse range of services tailored to meet the unique needs of clients across residential, commercial, renewables, leisure and other sectors. Meridian worked with CSA to restructure the shareholder base, allowing key management a greater stake in the business and building a platform to drive growth and succession. Under the new management structure, the management team remains committed to delivering the unparalleled service and to creating positive outcomes for people, places and nature. The transaction necessitated careful advice on tax matters from Cathy Revis at Fiander Tovell, balancing all stakeholders’ requirements to achieve their individual objectives. Aidan Marsh and Clive Self, shareholders for CSA said of the transaction, “We are delighted to complete this restructuring, which has achieved everything we hoped for in terms of succession and leaving CSA in a great position to continue its growth and evolution. With a comparatively large senior management team involved, the expert, friendly and patient guidance from Meridian has been crucial in crafting this deal. Likewise, the support from Moore Barlow and Fiander Tovell has been excellent and we have nothing but praise for everyone who has assisted us.” Philip Mettam, Director of Meridian who led the corporate side of the transaction commented, “CSA have built an exceptionally strong management team and wanted a structure that reflected the contribution they make to the company. We were challenged with creating a structure that addressed todays business, whilst also accommodating both succession and incentivization for key individuals alongside a medium term business plan. The transaction was a great example of corporate finance, legal and tax professionals working together to build a bespoke solution to meet the client’s needs. We wish the team all the best of luck in the next stage of their journey and look forward to hearing about their future successes!” Kirsty Leary, Partner at Moore Barlow, who led the legal side of the transaction commented, “CSA is a fantastic business that has been operating and continuing to grow for more than 25 years. A relatively large management team can bring its own challenges with it, however, it was a pleasure to support Clive, Aidan and all of the management team on the restructuring which puts in place a clear succession plan, enabling the company to continue to drive future growth and development with a strong and dedicated team in place. We’re excited to see what CSA will achieve next!” The deal was led by a team of local professional advisers: Philip Mettam, Director at Meridian Corporate Finance; Kirsty Leary, Partner at Moore Barlow; Cathy Revis, Head of Tax and Transaction Support at Fiander Tovell.

Meridian was delighted to advise the shareholders on the sale of their company Computer Network Consultants Ltd (CNC), an IT managed service provider based in Brighton to FluidOne, a connected cloud solutions provider, who are backed by Private Equity firm Livingbridge. Established 27 years ago by co-founders Graham Lind and Gary Jowett, CNC offers a comprehensive suite of outsourced IT support services (including server management, performance monitoring, cybersecurity, and general day to day IT support) to small and medium-sized businesses across Sussex and Hampshire in the medical, construction, engineering, environmental, manufacturing, hospitality, charity work, and professional services sectors. FluidOne, a distinguished provider of Connected Cloud Solutions, boasts a workforce of over 470 individuals spread across eight locations. At the core of its services lies the national fibre network, Platform One, which forms the backbone supporting 2,300 customers. The acquisition by FluidOne forms part of its strategy to invest in regional IT managed service providers (MSPs) and establish a network of branches for localised services to SME customers. Russell Horton, CEO at FluidOne said, “I am pleased to announce the acquisition of CNC, that builds on our strategy to create a branch network for expertly delivered IT managed services to business customers. When reviewing the business, I was impressed with the excellent service they deliver and the strength of relationships that the team build with their clients. They are a great fit to our strategy, and I look forward to working with Graham Lind, Gary Jowett and the team to grow the Brighton business.” CNC will function as a distinct branch with its dedicated management team. Co-founder Graham Lind will continue to lead as the Managing Director of the Brighton Branch, supported by co-founder Gary Jowett in the role of Operations and Marketing Director. The newly established Brighton branch will report to Steve Brown, serving as the Managing Director of the FluidOne Business IT CoE. This organisational structure aims to provide customers with the advantages of local account management and engineering while benefiting from best practices and an expanded service portfolio under centralised leadership. Russell Horton, CEO of FluidOne Group, will assume the role of Chairman for CNC. Graham Lind, Founder and Managing Director of CNC, said of the transaction, "Meridian helped CNC with the whole process, allowing us to select the right acquirer and driving a better return for the shareholders. They were supportive throughout the process and put in the extra effort when needed, so we would highly recommend them. The strong growth CNC had experienced over the previous years was recognised as an excellent fit by FluidOne and has given us the ambition to accelerate our growth and deliver quality services to even more local businesses. The FluidOne team saw a great opportunity to continue to build CNC as the trusted local IT provider whilst benefiting from expert overlay in connectivity, mobile, Unified Communications and Cyber from the wider FluidOne group.” Jeremy Over, added, “We’re proud to have been Computer Network Consultants Limited’s trusted adviser. We wish the business all the best as it enters this next phase of its life cycle, and we look forward to seeing its progress.” The transaction was led by Philip Mettam, Director and Prabin Sunar, Associate Director at Meridian. Legal support was provided by Jeremy Over, Partner at Moore Barlow. Accounting support was provided by Cos Avraam and Chris Piccos of Avraam Associates. Tax support was provided by Cathy Revis, Partner at Fiander Tovell.

Meridian was thrilled to advise the shareholders of RiskSTOP Group Limited on the sale of their company to Ardonagh Advisory. RiskSTOP Group Limited (RiskSTOP) is an award winning, dedicated provider of insurance technology and services focused on risk management within the UK market, servicing underwriters, insurance companies, insurance brokers, and policyholders. Based in Poundbury, Dorset, RiskSTOP has been providing innovative solutions to risk management for over 20 years and has become the market leader in the sector by offering a suite of products to support the entire insurance lifecycle. Ardonagh Advisory operates within the broader Ardonagh Group and is recognized as the UK’s largest independent insurance distribution platform and a top 20 global broker. This acquisition signifies RiskSTOP’s integration into a broader family of exemplary entrepreneurial and specialised brands, constituting a network spanning over 200 locations and a collective workforce of 10,000 individuals. Mirroring RiskSTOP’s inclusive ethos, Ardonagh embraces diversity, fostering a culture that empowers everyone to excel. Describing itself as "progressive, passionate, proud to drive the best client outcomes, and a place where our people matter," Ardonagh shares common values with RiskSTOP, particularly in the realms of integrity, innovation, people, society, and the environment. It is this shared purpose that attracted Ardonagh Advisory to RiskSTOP, motivating the latter to take this significant step. The RiskSTOP business will continue to be led by Managing Director, Danny Lillington alongside the existing management team. Phil Bayles, Chief Commercial Officer, Ardonagh Advisory said, “RiskSTOP is a highly regarded and pioneering risk management business that protects its clients from hazards and harm, including the growing issue of underinsurance. This is an accomplished and well established company, run by real experts in this field. We’re looking forward to supporting the team so that they can grow further and deliver even more valuable services to their clients across the market.” Danny Lillington, RiskSTOP Group Managing Director added, “For more than two decades, RiskSTOP has worked with integrity to provide information that ensures people and organisations are safe and secure. We’re now looking to see how we can achieve even greater impact and take what we do to the next level. By joining Ardonagh Advisory we will be able to continue to support our clients with the same great level of service, while also working to innovate and develop our offer for the benefit of all. Meridian, led by Philip Mettam and his team, provided an unparalleled level of service throughout our entire journey. Their exceptional expertise as negotiators guided us seamlessly through the end-to-end process. Their commitment to clear and straightforward communication made every step comprehensible and empowering. Meridian went beyond being mere advisors; they were skilled navigators, demonstrating precision and robustness in balancing negotiations with our buyer. Their dedication to excellence transformed what could have been a complex transaction into a smooth and successful experience. We express our gratitude for their exceptional service and unwavering support. A special acknowledgment to Antonia, whose assistance in the due diligence process ensured the swift and efficient finalization of the transaction, allowing us to continue running the business seamlessly. I highly recommend the Meridian Team to anyone looking to sell their business." The deal was led by Philip Mettam, Director and Antonia Roberts, Associate at Meridian. Legal support was provided by Paula Eckton and Shaun Guppy at Steele Raymond. Accounting support was provided by Hannah Justice and Phil Todd at BSN Associates.

Meridian Corporate Finance advised on the Management Buy-Out of Project Gospel, a London based specialist courier business, as their current shareholders endeavoured to hand down control to their up-and-coming management team. Project Gospel is a London based shipping and courier company, specialising in the handling of antiques and artwork. In addition to this, Project Gospel offer a state-of-the-art storage facility with a fully comprehensive security and climate control system and full coverage for high value art and antique goods. The deal was led by Prabin Sunar and Philip Mettam at Meridian Corporate Finance. Herrington Carmichael provided their legal expertise and Cathy Revis of Fiander Tovell provided tax support. Meridian, Herrington Carmichael and Fiander Tovell worked together to plan, structure and transact a management buy-out process, enabling the current shareholders to efficiently hand over the business and its future to its management team and recognise the value they had built over their years of service. One of Project Gospel’s exiting shareholders commented: “I want to give Philip and Prabin a big thank you for all they have done for Project Gospel and myself over the last 9 months. The sensitive and professional way in which they dealt with all the complexities involved in this process has been exceptional. From my side I understood how tricky this was going to be from a humane perspective but completely underestimated how complex it would be regarding the professional side; so for that, thank you!” Prabin Sunar, Associate Director at Meridian, commented: “It has been an absolute pleasure to assist Project Gospel and their shareholders in structuring and delivering this transaction. We really enjoyed the process with the shareholders and management of Project Gospel and wish the team the very best as they navigate what is inevitably a very exciting journey ahead.”

Management Buy-Out - Construction & Retail

Management Buy-Out - Marine Engineering

Management Buy-Out - Design Media

Buy-In / Management Buy-Out - Manufacturing

Realised Investment - TMT