Pete Barkley tells us a little about APEM

1. Tell us a little about APEM
   
   Manchester headquartered APEM is a leading independent environmental consultancy specialising in freshwater and marine ecology and aerial surveys. Clients include water companies, power companies, engineering consultancies, regulators, national and local government, angling clubs and individuals. The business employs over 130 people and has operations in the UK, Ireland, Germany, the US and Asia.
   
   
2. .When and what did WestBridge invest?
   
   WestBridge invested £9.8m in March 2019 to support the company growth ambitions and allow the founder of the business to retire.
   
   
3. What was it about APEM that appealed to you?
   
   APEM was a successful, well-respected and well-run business operating across a number of niche markets. The chemistry with the team was very strong and, collectively, we identified a number of areas of untapped potential which provide significant opportunity to grow the business both organically and through acquisition.
   
   
4. How is WestBridge adding value?
   
   Using our experience of working with owner managed businesses, we have assisted management in transforming the systems, processes and support functions within the business to provide the foundations for transformational growth. Working with Adrian and Stuart, who we backed in the MBO, we have added a number of senior hires to the Board and throughout the organisation to increase the bandwidth and quality of reporting as well as adding significant technical capability.
   
   
5. And what of the future?
   
   APEM continues to be the thought leader in its niche and the business is targeting significant organic growth through both its current service offering and new innovative products/services. In addition to this, Management have always been clear that the opportunity to pursue strategic acquisition targets in aligned services or markets is a very attractive prospect. WestBridge is keen to support management in delivering this plan and it is something we are actively working on.
   
   

Typically, we invest between £10m to £20m in established, profitable and fast-growing UK SMEs with enterprise values of up to £40m and are always keen to hear from ambitious management teams that require development capital, acquisition funding or support for a management buyout.  To hear more about our investment criteria or discuss the suitability of a company, do get in touch.