Rockpool Investments funds wealth management group’s MBO and acquisitions

PKF Francis Clark advised Rockpool Investments on its investment in Finitor Wealth, a financial planning and wealth management group with over 3,000 clients and £750m of assets under advice (AUA).

Rockpool’s investment has enabled a management buyout (MBO) and the simultaneous acquisitions of two financial planning businesses – Leamington Spa-based Ascent Financial Consulting and Cumbria-based Financial Management Bureau (FMB) – with additional target firms in the pipeline.

The acquisitions bring AUA to over £1.1 billion, with the aim to continue expansion during Rockpool’s investment hold. ThinCats provided senior loan facilities to support the initial and future acquisitions.

A team at PKF Francis Clark – comprising Sam Phillips, Tom Slade, Adam Kefford and Callum West – provided financial and tax due diligence for Rockpool on its investment in Finitor.

PKF Francis Clark added value and insight through their pragmatic and collaborative approach with both us and the management team, and through their commercial insights which brought the financials to life in clear and focussed reports.

Sam Phillips, transaction services director at PKF Francis Clark, said: “Having supported Rockpool with previous transactions, it was a pleasure to work closely with the team again on this complex deal. With the MBO of Finitor paving the way for the acquisitions of two adviser firms, there were a lot of moving parts which made this an extensive due diligence process.

“This investment has been transformational for Finitor, and we look forward to continuing our strong relationship with Rockpool in future.”

Ben Hutchinson and Ollie Taylor led the investment for Rockpool.

Investment director Ben Hutchinson said: “It was a pleasure to work with Sam, Tom and the team at PKF Francis Clark who provided financial and tax due diligence on our investment in Finitor.

“PKF Francis Clark added value and insight through their pragmatic and collaborative approach with both us and the management team, and through their commercial insights which brought the financials to life in clear and focussed reports.

“We look forward to working with PKF Francis Clark again on future transactions.”

Find out more about PKF Francis Clark’s transaction support services.