Leading accountancy and advisory services provider to the SME market, the Dains Group (“Dains”), announces that it has made its second acquisition since securing private equity backing from IK Partners (“IK”) in a move that demonstrates its intention to build the leading SME advisory business in the UK and Ireland.

Barnes Roffe, one of the UK’s top 50 accounting firms, will join the Dains Group on 4^th June 2025, significantly strengthening the client proposition in financial advisory, corporate tax, audit, and corporate finance. The Barnes Roffe team has over 29 partners and more than 200 employees in the London area.

The acquisition, which is the largest yet by the Group, means Dains will now have established four key regional hubs across the UK and Ireland — in the South-East, Midlands, Scotland and Ireland — and are on target to become a top 20 firm by the end of 2025.

Barnes Roffe has a strong reputation as a highly customer-centric and proactive business with a talented team. It has built a reputation for delivering outstanding value and service to its clients for over 125 years, since its establishment in 1899.

Stephen Corner, Senior Partner at Barnes Roffe, commented, “By partnering with Dains we are joining a firm with the same values and underlying service proposition we have been delivering to our clients for many years and together we will deliver a truly market leading proposition for our clients. Becoming part of a national firm widens our service proposition and increases the range of specialist services we can deliver whilst at the same time greatly enhancing the career opportunities for our talented team. We look forward to significantly growing the Dains business in the South-East.

We are thrilled to welcome Barnes Roffe to the Dains Group.” said Richard McNeilly, CEO of Dains Group. “It’s not often we encounter such a dynamic and client-centric leadership team. Together, we see significant opportunities to grow our presence in the London area and expand across the UK and Ireland. The addition of Barnes Roffe strengthens our national footprint and aligns perfectly with our strategy to deliver exceptional client service and outstanding career opportunities.

With a team now exceeding 1,000 professionals, we remain committed to enhancing the value we provide to clients and investing in the development of our talented people.

Our ambition is to work in partnership with clients, offering timely, thoughtful advice rooted in a deep understanding of their goals. This approach has underpinned Barnes Roffe’s impressive growth and makes them a natural strategic partner for our group.”

Pete Wilson, Partner at IK Partners added “This strategic acquisition demonstrates our ambition to continue building Dains into the leading UK & Ireland SME advisory business by establishing a strong presence, led by an outstanding team at Barnes Roffe, in London and the South-East.  We look forward to continuing to back further acquisitions as part of this exciting partnership.”

Dains were advised by CMS (Legal), Eight Advisory (Financial and Tax Due Diligence), Forward Corporate Finance (Financial Modelling), Deloitte (Tax Structuring), PDW (Customer Referencing), Cyber Crowd (IT Due Diligence), Mercia (Technical Due Diligence).

Barnes Roffe were advised by KPMG CF (Corporate Finance) and KPMG Legal (Legal).

For further questions, please contact:

Dains Group
Duncan Clayson
Group Marketing Director
Phone: +44 7484 589 817
dclayson@dains.com

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Director of Communications and Marketing
Phone: +44 7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap III (“IK SC III”) Fund has signed an agreement to invest in Kestrel Capital (“Kestrel” or “the Company”), a fast-growing, independent Irish wealth manager. IK is investing alongside the current owners of Kestrel, who will all continue to develop and manage the business going forward. IK is investing from its dedicated pool of Development Capital, with this transaction representing IK’s first platform investment in Ireland. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed and completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Kestrel is an investment management and financial planning firm, offering bespoke services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporations, charities, foundations and retirement plans. The Company was founded in 2015 and its highly skilled team is led by John Crowe, Danny McGinley and Kenny Hope. Together, they have a combined experience of more than 70 years in wealth management and they will continue to apply all this knowledge and experience to the benefit of Kestrel’s clients.

Kestrel has built a strong reputation for delivering long-term wealth preservation and accumulation strategies to a loyal and rapidly growing client base. Its business model is built around three main pillars: bespoke advice; disciplined portfolio construction; and rigorous oversight. As one of only a few independent MiFID regulated wealth managers in Ireland, the Company is able to provide discretionary portfolio management services, tailored to the specific needs of each client.

Since inception, Kestrel has increased its assets under management to over €1bn and is well positioned to continue its impressive growth, due to the Company’s differentiated offering, its well-established track record and the backdrop of increasing wealth generation in Ireland.

In partnership with IK, Kestrel plans to: continue providing high-quality advice to its growing client base; broaden its service offering; and invest in its operations to uphold high service standards. The Company will also accelerate growth by developing its existing team, attracting new senior wealth managers and making selective complementary acquisitions in a highly fragmented market.

John Crowe, Founder and CEO of Kestrel, said: “This investment from IK marks an important milestone in the development of Kestrel as we seek to further strengthen our position in the Irish Wealth Management sector. With the expertise and experience brought by the IK team, we will be able to capitalise on the market opportunity and pursue a growth strategy in an industry that is poised for consolidation.”

Simon May, Partner at IK and Advisor to the IK SC III Fund, added: “We have been very impressed with Kestrel’s achievements since inception. Its rapid growth is a real testament to the hard work and tireless efforts of John and his team to build a high-quality, client-centric business. We look forward to supporting John, Danny, Kenny and their team in the next chapter of Kestrel’s development, utilising the expertise of the wider IK platform and our experience with similar wealth management businesses.”

For further questions, please contact:

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0)7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

H/Advisors Maitland
Vikki Kosmalska
Phone: +44 (0) 7754 943 601
vikki.kosmalska@h-advisors.global

Renta Group Oy (“Renta Group” or “Renta”) strengthens its position in the Norwegian infrastructure rental sector by acquiring W. Giertsen Services AS’s (“WGS”) and AGTunnel AS’s (“AGT”) tunnelling infrastructure assets in two business transfer deals comprising in total nine specialised machines for tunnelling infrastructure projects.

The acquisitions are aligned with Renta’s strategy to expand its specialised infrastructure machinery rental business. In connection to the transaction, Renta signed long-term cooperation agreements with both WGS and AGT on the rental of specialist tunnelling machinery and general rental equipment to WGS and AGT. The cooperation agreements are expected to further drive cross-selling synergies between Renta’s tunnelling specialty and general rental operations. The transferring fleet is compatible with Renta’s existing tunnelling fleet and consists of equipment from high-quality OEMs.

The acquisitions have been completed.

Leif-Martin Drange, Managing Director at Renta Norway, said: “The transactions mark another step forward in our pursuit to grow in the attractive tunnelling infrastructure rental market. In addition to growing our fleet, we are particularly excited about strengthening and formalising the cooperation with two reputable companies in the Norwegian market. We expect the cooperation with W. Giertsen Services and AGTunnel to be mutually beneficial and to help us drive sales synergies between our specialist tunnelling rental operations and our general rental business.”

Enquiries: ir@renta.com

As of May 21, Qconcepts – Home of audit, and VanLoman – Trusted partner in tax, are joining forces in a strategic alliance. Both organizations will retain their independence and focus on services, but will operate with a shared vision focused on quality under the name Home of quality.

Shared vision, independent paths

Qconcepts and VanLoman were founded on the same core principles: specialization, craftsmanship and a strong focus on quality. That shared mindset is the foundation of this alliance. The platform will guide their joint ambitions in areas like growth, quality and international visibility. For professionals at both firms, daily work will continue as usual.

“What connects us is how we view our profession,” says Cor Pijnenburg, partner and co-founder at Qconcepts. “We each operate in our own domain, but recognize in each other the same sharpness, independence and drive to put quality first.” Laurens Lor, partner at VanLoman, adds: “This is a strategic step, not an organizational change. We remain autonomous, but show together what we stand for and can benefit from each other’s expertise.”

Standing strong in a complex playing field

Both firms recognize today’s challenges: changing regulations, growing customer expectations and the need to remain attractive to top talent. This alliance strengthens their position – not through integration, but by strategically standing side by side.

In the coming months, Qconcepts and VanLoman will further shape the platform. This marks a new chapter: two independent specialists, joining forces with a shared vision for the future.

This is a joint communication by Qconcepts and VanLoman. For questions, please contact:
Carlijn IJzermans, Qconcepts +31 6 – 47135170 | Aafke Berk, VanLoman +31 6 – 13024007

IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that it has invested in Sterimed Group (“Sterimed” or “the Group”), a leading provider of sterile medical packaging solutions, as part of a management-led consortium. The consortium includes long-term investor Sagard, which has reinforced its position by increasing its investment, as well as a club of new investors Société Générale CP, Geneo CE, Capza and Investir pour l’Enfance, under the name of “Friends of Sterimed”. The families and entrepreneurs who have historically invested in Sterimed have also all chosen to remain shareholders in the Group by joining the “Friends of Sterimed”. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Founded in 2016 by CEO Thibaut Hyvernat, who led a carve-out from Arjowiggins, Sterimed has established itself as a leading integrated sterile flexible medical packaging player globally. Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Ile-de-France, the Group produces medical grade paper, film substrates and assembled packaging, such as pouches, bags and wraps, for medical device manufacturers (“MDMs”), hospitals and intermediaries known as convertors. Sterimed counts leading MDMs, as well as key hospital organisations, among its large and diversified client base.

In recent years and with the backing of Sagard, Sterimed has embarked on a strategy of internationalisation in markets beyond Europe, most notably China, Mexico and the US, via eight strategic acquisitions. At present, the Group has more than 1,500 employees across 14 production sites and 24 warehousing and sales offices.

With the support of the entire consortium over the next few years, Sterimed aims to drive continued organic growth by expanding globally into less penetrated markets, cross-selling new products to existing clients and leveraging synergies from recent acquisitions. The Company also plans to support innovation in core and new markets, pursue further acquisitions and enter strategic adjacent sectors such as Pharma and Life Sciences.

Thibaut Hyvernat, Chairman and CEO of Sterimed, said: “I am proud of the journey Sterimed has taken over the past eight years as well as the unique, entrepreneurial spirit we’ve managed to cultivate alongside rapid growth. We’d like to thank Sagard and our existing partners for their guidance while accompanying us on the journey and are pleased that they have chosen to renew their investment in the Group on this next phase of growth. We are very excited to welcome IK as a new partner to the Sterimed business as we aim to continue our growth in international markets. The IK team has a great deal of experience in the Healthcare sector, as well as a proven track record of supporting European businesses seeking global expansion.”

Vincent Elriz, Partner at IK Partners and Advisor to the IK X Fund, added: “We are delighted to partner with Thibaut, his team, Sagard and all shareholders as Sterimed embarks on its next phase of development. The Group has delivered strong growth in recent years through the expansion of its product portfolio for both MDMs and hospitals, as well as a targeted M&A strategy. With the IK Platform, we are confident in our ability to further support the Group’s growth trajectory, both organically and through strategic add-on acquisitions.”

Saïk Paugam, Partner at Sagard, commented: “We are extremely proud of Sterimed’s journey since our investment in 2019. Thanks to the combination of eight carefully integrated acquisitions and ambitious organic growth initiatives through sustained investments, Sterimed has consolidated its position as a world-leading medical sterilisation packaging player. This outstanding performance has been driven by both the expertise of an outstanding management team and the continued internationalisation of the business. We look forward to continuing to work with Thibaut and his team on this next stage of the Group’s story, with the added experience of IK.”

For further questions, please contact:

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0)7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

Cinnamon International S.à r.l. (whose majority shareholder is the IK VII Fund) (“IK Partners”) has successfully completed the sale of 22,641,829 ordinary shares in Netel Holding AB (publ), equal to approximately 46.7 percent of the share capital and votes of Netel, at a price of SEK 8.50 per share.

The shares were sold to a broad group of investors, including among others Etemad Group AB, Netel’s CEO and President Jeanette Reuterskiöld and CFO Fredrik Helenius. Other investors participating in the sale include, among others, TAMT AB, Stefan Lindblad, S- bolagen AB, Santhe Dahl Invest AB, Bernt Ivarsson and Cicero Fonder.

“We would like to thank IK Partners for their support during Netel’s growth journey,” says Alireza Etemad, Chairperson of Netel. “I am pleased to see strong commitment and trust from Board members, management, as well as new and existing shareholders for the future of Netel. We look forward to supporting Netel as it continues to deliver on its strategy as a leading specialist in critical infrastructure in Northern Europe.”

Following the sale, IK Partners no longer holds any shares in Netel.

Polar Advisory acted as Sole Manager and Bookrunner in the sale.

Contacts

Jeanette Reuterskiöld, President and CEO, +46 (0) 702 28 03 89, jeanette.reuterskiold@netel.se
Fredrik Helenius, CFO, +46 (0) 730 85 52 86, fredrik.helenius@netel.se
Åse Lindskog, IR, +46 (0) 730 24 48 72, ase.lindskog@netelgroup.com