UK mid-market private equity investor LD has strengthened its London team with the appointment of two new investment directors.
Joseph Fison and Joe Tager have joined the 11-strong team, supporting Head of London, Yann Souillard, and directors, Christian Bruning and Steve Aston, to help identify new investment opportunities across the capital, lead transactions and support the growth ambitions of LDC’s portfolio of companies.
Joseph Fison joins from Cumulus Asset Management, where he was a partner and Director of Principal Investments, leading a number of investments into technology businesses internationally. He has more than 15 years’ experience supporting the growth of technology firms. Joseph previously held investment roles at Berkeley Partners and CapVest Equity Partners and also has corporate finance experience from his time at Close Brothers.
With more than 16 years’ experience, Joe Tager began his career in PwC’s Business Recovery Services practice and went on to support business development and M&A activity at well-known bakery chain The Bread Factory and Gail’s. From 2010 to 2018, Joe led investment activity for the private office of Luke Johnson, where he worked on leisure sector transactions including Draft House Pubs, Majestic Bingo and the reverse takeover of The Brighton Pier Group PLC.
The two new hires follow a successful year for LDC in London, which saw the team complete four investments and four exits. LDC’s London team is focused on identifying and supporting ambitious businesses looking to drive growth, whether through a buy and build strategy, organic growth or international expansion.
Yann Souillard, Head of LDC in London, says: “LDC is committed to investing GBP1.2 billion over the next three years to support the growth ambitions of small and mid-sized firms across the UK. Bringing Joseph and Joe on board gives us the added firepower to help us achieve that.
“Offering a wealth of specialist sector expertise between them across technology and leisure, as well as a track record in supporting management teams, they will play an important role in strengthening LDC’s offering in London, as well as driving value from within our portfolio.”
Joseph Fison, LDC Investment Director, says: “London remains a global hub for technology and innovation with an abundance of fast growing firms. I am looking forward to working closely with ambitious management teams helping them realise the potential of their businesses and accelerate growth.”
Joe Tager, LDC Investment Director, adds: “With a mandate to continue to drive investment in the capital and beyond, it’s a really exciting time to be joining LDC in London. The team has a proven track record of supporting the growth of market-leading businesses, and the focus will now be on identifying the next wave of management teams looking to take their firm to the next level.”
In 2018, the team invested in designer and manufacturer of premium high-performance loudspeaker systems, Martin Audio, vehicle insurance specialists Right Choice Insurance Brokers, global events company FC Business Intelligence and gift designer and wholesaler Paladone. The team also exited its investment in market leading intelligence company PEI Media Group and macro-economic research firm Capital Economics. LDC subsequently completed minority reinvestments in PEI and Capital Economics to continue to support their respective management teams on the next stage of their company’s growth journey.
To date, the LDC London team has supported more than 240 management teams and deployed more than GBP1.4billion of equity capital across a wide range of sectors, from manufacturing and technology to leisure and travel, enabling ambitious management teams to fulfil their growth potential.
