WestBridge made a £9.8 million investment, in equity and loan notes, to fund the purchase as well as the APEM’s continued growth, as it develops new service lines for its clients. Executive directors Dr Adrian Williams and Dr Stuart Clough, will continue their roles in the company, while founder Dr. Keith Hendry has retired.
APEM was established in 1990, and provides environmental consulting for a variety of sectors, including power, water, engineering, construction and transport. Its services include water quality and pollution analysis, species and habitat surveys, and aerial surveys, all of which assess the potential impact of developments and operations on the surrounding environment.
APEM works with DEFRA and the Environmental Agency, as well as blue chip companies, and is regarded as a thought-leader in its field. It has a turnover of over £10million, eight offices in the UK, one in Germany, and a USA office opening soon, and over 100 staff.
Valerie Kendall, a WestBridge Partner who lead on the deal said:
“APEM is a unique business with great growth potential. We were delighted to have Capital Law as our trusted partner to help us complete the MBO – their ability to field a team of specialists to support each element of the transaction is invaluable, and the fact that they are universally pragmatic and commercial makes a huge difference when working with a number of different counterparties. We look forward to an exciting future for APEM, and know that our professional advisors will support us along their growth journey.”
Tom Kelleher, a Private Equity Partner at Capital Law, who lead the Capital team on the deal said:
“We have had a strong and close relationship with WestBridge over many years – this is our ninth deal for them – and greatly enjoyed supporting them on this transaction. In APEM, WestBridge has again backed impressive individuals and a great business. The WestBridge team, with Adrian and Stuart, can now build on the very strong platform built to date by APEM and its management; we look forward to working with both as the business continues to grow.”
