Argentis Financial Management

David Taplin, who led the deal for Argentis said, “I turned to Mark Ledger-Beadell because I knew I required a creative and robust adviser who had the ability to come up with a creative, viable solution in our complex situation and Meta Corporate Finance have a strong reputation in this regard.”

Argentis had been approached by a predator who had offered a proposal which suited some, but not all of the shareholders. Meta was tasked with evaluating Argentis’ strategy and structuring a transaction to suit all shareholders and secure the opportunity to continue to develop the business. Both private equity and corporate venturing routes were evaluated. Whilst a pure private equity solution was available, the more intricate transaction which resulted was selected as it offered the perfect mix of private equity and corporate synergy.

A strategic stake was taken, providing both cash out and future capital for growth, by a limited partnership formed under Martin Hughes’ Tosca Fund and managed by Penta Capital. The synergies the transaction offered were augmented by Tosca’s interest in Cheviot Asset Management, led by Michael Kerr-Dineen. The resulting structure therefore brings together Argentis’ strong personal financial planning offering with Cheviot’s wealth management business.

Mark Ledger-Beadell of Meta commented, “David’s vision to roll-out the Argentis business model, working closely with Cheviot, leads the market. The model is robust and proven and will form the basis for further organic or acquisitive growth in the future.”