Following significant investment in support functions and material organic growth over the past 18 months, APEM has created a strong platform to support its planned buy and build strategy.

Its acquisition of Woodrow, an environmental and sustainability consultancy based in County Sligo, Ireland will extend its geographic reach and expand its service offering.

Headquartered in Manchester, APEM employs over 200 staff in 12 locations and provides environmental consultancy to public and private sector organisations across Europe, USA, Australia and Asia. 

Peter Barkley, director at WestBridge, said:

“Supplementing organic growth at APEM with the acquisition of select domestic and international businesses is a core part of our strategy.  Woodrow has an outstanding reputation and strong cultural alignment with APEM and is an exciting addition to the group.

“APEM has performed extremely well since our investment and we are delighted to support this transaction, which provides significant opportunity to grow our presence in the Irish market by leveraging the combined capabilities of both businesses.

“The acquisition further cements APEM’s growing reputation as a leading player in the global environmental and sustainability sector.”

APEM CEO, Dr Adrian Williams, said:

“This is the start of an exciting journey for all of us.  We are thrilled to welcome such a well-respected and established business to the fold.  Our existing and new customers will benefit from an unparalleled range of specialist services and technical capabilities.

“As ever, we are grateful for the unwavering [financial and practical] support provided by the team at WestBridge. This is another positive step as we pursue our ambitious growth strategy.”

Rebecca Sinclair, investment manager at WestBridge, added:

“We are delighted to have supported APEM with their first acquisition and look forward to welcoming Woodrow to the team.  APEM was an exciting investment for WestBridge and has continued to perform well organically, with acquisitive growth forming a key next step for the business.  This acquisition not only enhances APEM’s capabilities internationally but provides an exciting opportunity to enhance our offering within the Irish market.”

WestBridge was advised by DSW Corporate Finance, DSW Transaction Services, Capital Law, CIL and BDO.