Expertise

Mark is a partner in our corporate practice. He has more than 30 years’ experience of advising clients on corporate transactional work in a variety of sectors including manufacturing, technology, financial services and the impact economy.

His focus is advising on both cross-border and domestic private company transactions including M&A, venture capital and private equity deals. He also works extensively on corporate fundraising including equity capital markets work, in particular on AIM. Mark’s experience also includes handling joint ventures, shareholder agreements and group reorganisations and issues relating to shareholder disputes and share rights held by senior executives.

Mark is valued by clients for being commercial and pragmatic, avoiding the usual “shades of grey” advice and for making firm recommendations.

Recent Experience

• Advised the shareholders of Altitec Trading Limited and separately the shareholders of Obelisk Energy Limited (and their related group of international companies) on the sale of both groups to Danish based energy group, Swire Renewable Energy A/S.
• Advised the Fashion Retail Academy on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of the London College of Beauty Therapy.
• Advised on the c.£30 million debt for equity conversion in the aerospace engineering sector.
• Advised the members of chartered accountancy firm Carter Backer Winter (“CBW”) on its sale to Gravita, a portfolio company of European tech investor Tenzing. The sale means that CBW has climbed the ranks to become a top 30 accounting firm. Alongside the sale, advised CBW on its pre-sale reorganisation, including the divestment of CBW LLP’s corporate recovery & insolvency business and its financial planning business, each to a separate newly formed LLP.
• Advised MS by Joann Sfar UK Limited (“MSUK”) on its acquisition of the independent TV and film production business and assets of Filmwave Limited (in administration).
• Advised the shareholders of Just after Midnight Limited on the multi-million-pound sale of its entire issued share capital to private equity backed, Ultima Business Solutions. Mark and his team were instructed on this mandate 11 days prior to completion. The transaction demonstrates his and his teams capabilities of working on complex time-critical international M&A transactions and further highlights his expertise in the technology sector.
• Advised long-standing client SDM Holdings Limited on its acquisition of The Chatham Archive & Document Storage Company Limited.
• Acted for Eyoto Group Limited on its most recent fund raise to ensure a pathway to future growth for the company through a series of investments by way of convertible loans. This included an investment round from The Future Fund through the UK Government’s Covid-19 initiative and delivered by the British Business Bank.
• Advised the shareholders of Activate Solutions Group Limited (Activate), the parent company to a group of specialist field sales solutions businesses including Field Sales Solutions, on the multi-million-pound sale of the entire issued share capital of Activate to France-based Impact Field Marketing Group.
• Advised long-standing technology client P2i Ltd on its £8,000,000 private equity fundraising from, the sustainable investor, Circularity Capital.
• Advised the shareholders of Renal Services (UK) Limited on the multi-million-pound sale of its entire issued share capital to DaVita International Limited, part of the DaVita Inc group.
• Advised Element Materials Group on various of its acquisitions.

Career History

Mark and his team joined Wedlake Bell in May 2022. Prior to this he was a partner and head of the M&A and Corporate Finance Team at Bates Wells. In 2010 Mark founded and headed the newly re-established Corporate and Commercial department of Bates Wells.

Before then he was a partner in the Corporate team at Fox Williams from 1998 to 2010, which firm he joined as a senior associate in 1996. Mark trained and qualified as a solicitor at BDB Pitmans (then called Bircham Dyson bell) qualifying into the Corporate and Commercial department where he was an associate until 1996.

Endorsements

Ranked as leading individual: Mark takes a very pragmatic and fast moving approach. I have been working with him for years on over a dozen transactions and I have always had a positive experience with him. I recommend him without reservation – Legal 500 2021

Ranked in Band 3: Highly experienced in M&A deals in the technology, media and financial services spaces. His practice is strong in domestic and international M&A and equity capital markets matters – Chambers 2021

Additional Information

In his spare time Mark competes in veteran level duathlons (both Olympic and sprint distances); is a keen skier; follows his local rugby team Chinnor RFC (having played there many years before) and is still grappling with golf.

Mark is a long-standing trustee of Starlight Childrenn’s Foundation.

He is also on the advisory board of SafetyNet Technologies Limited.