London and Edinburgh, 18 August 2022
Cairngorm Capital Partners LLP (Cairngorm Capital) is pleased to announce that its portfolio company, Verso Wealth Management (Verso), has acquired Campbell Thomson Insurance Services Limited (Campbell Thomson). This acquisition advances Verso’s strategy to build a market leading, national wealth management group and takes its assets under management to over £1 billion.
Founded in 1978, Campbell Thomson is a second generation firm providing specialist financial advice and planning for businesses and individuals across the UK. With a reputation for outstanding service, the firm has a team of 13 advisors, planners, researchers and support staff based in Glasgow. Campbell Thomson is providing advice on assets exceeding £315 million as at Q2 2022.
Campbell Thomson is the fifth acquisition by the Verso platform and the first in Scotland, expanding its advisory proposition and reach across the UK. Stewart Thomson and Euan Bottomley, Campbell Thomson’s owners, will remain in the firm working with Verso’s executive team to expand Verso’s presence across Scotland.
Andrew Fay, Verso’s Chief Executive said, “I am delighted to welcome everybody at Campbell Thomson to the group. It is an exciting time to join Verso as our plans begin to gather pace. With the support of our strategic partners, Cairngorm Capital Partners and their buy, build and transformation expertise, we are pursuing an ambitious consolidation plan, to build a market leading wealth management group with capabilities in financial advice and investment management, powered by the Verso platform. Campbell Thomson forms an important part of this.”
Stewart Thomson, Director of Campbell Thomson, added, “We are delighted to be joining Andrew and the team at Verso as the Verso model overcomes many of the challenges and inefficiencies in our market. We will be able to relinquish our day-to-day regulatory and operational hurdles and focus on what we do best – providing our clients with the very best advice available. We view our partnership with Verso as a key part of our future growth strategy.”
Neil McGill, Managing Director, who led Cairngorm Capital’s team on this investment, said, “Campbell Thomson is an excellent company with a well-deserved reputation for outstanding service. It demonstrates all that we like in a partner firm – strong performance, differentiated service and an excellent management team. We are delighted to be able to support Verso’s continued growth and are excited about further expansion opportunities in the pipeline”
Cairngorm Capital and Verso were advised on this transaction by Ernst & Young (financial and tax), Thistle Initiatives (regulatory) and Burness Paull (legal). Campbell Thomson was advised by Consilium (financial and tax) and Macdonald Henderson (legal).
For further information, please contact Katherine Ritchie on 020 8347 6183 or 07941 040021
Notes for editors
Cairngorm Capital Partners LLP is a specialist private investment firm providing equity capital and management expertise to leading UK companies. It invests in strongly-performing, private mid-market growth companies with long-term growth potential, operating in manufacturing, distribution and services industries. The firm’s goal is to build and realise value through growth and performance improvements. Cairngorm Capital’s unique mix of sectoral expertise and investment skill enables it to be actively involved in the strategy and operational focus of portfolio companies, partnering with management teams to grow revenue, enhance margins, improve cash flow or consolidate industry leadership positions.
Cairngorm Capital’s current portfolio includes majority owned stakes in:
E-zec Medical
Independent Builders Merchants Group
MRO+ Solutions Group
Millbrook Healthcare
National Timber Group
PaintWell
SageHome
Sentry Doors
Verso Wealth Management
Whyte Bikes
Verso Wealth Management is a wealth management group providing financial advice and investment management. Using its proven and award-winning platform, Verso blends the expertise of its client advisors with digital technology to provide high quality and cost-effective services to its customers. Verso connects with the most commonly used industry applications and its platform facilitates the full breadth of financial planning, enhancing the client servicing experience.
versowm.com
Campbell Thomson provides specialist financial advice and planning for businesses and individuals across the UK. With a reputation for outstanding service, the firm has a team of 13 advisors, planners, researchers and support staff based in Glasgow. Campbell Thomson is providing advice on assets exceeding £315 million as at Q2 2022.
campbellthomson.co.uk
View the pdf version: Cairngorm Capital Release 18.08.2022 pdf
