Epiris updates on leadership responsibilities in line with long-term succession plan

POSTED 01 October 2024

Epiris updates on leadership responsibilities in line with long-term succession plan

Epiris today provides an update on its team structure and the responsibilities of its senior leadership team.

Owen Wilson has been appointed Chief Investment Partner and will focus on leading the firm’s investment strategy and execution. Ian Wood has been appointed Head of the Investment Team and will oversee the investment team.

Both Owen and Ian are experienced private equity investors with strong track records at Epiris. They have played leading roles in investments that have seen the deployment of £1.3 billion across Funds I, II, and III, generating realisations of £1.8 billion and an unrealised value of £1.5 billion. Owen joined Epiris in 2013 and Ian in 2012; both became Equity Partners at Epiris and joined the Investment and Management Committees in June 2018.

Owen and Ian will continue as active investors in their expanded roles. Bill Priestley, Managing Partner, will focus on firm strategy, supporting the investment team and portfolio, and chairing the Investment Committee.

These changes are in line with the firm’s long-term succession plan and will deliver continuity as the firm’s leadership transitions to the next generation of partners. Although former Managing Partner Alex Fortescue's sudden death in May has accelerated parts of this transition, the plan's overall direction of travel and the deliberate and measured pace at which it will be implemented remains unchanged.

These organisational changes take place against a backdrop of strong commitment and continuity. Charles Elkington and Chris Hanna will continue in their current roles as investing Equity Partners, and Alex Cooper-Evans will continue in his role as Chief Operating Partner. This group of Equity Partners (Owen, Ian, Bill, Charles, Chris and Alex) has an average tenure at Epiris of 14 years and has had a leading role in every investment in Funds I, II and III. The recent additions of Mike Ebeling and Kathryn Pothier serve only to strengthen the firm’s investment, investor relations and leadership capabilities.

Commenting on leadership transition, Bill Priestley, Managing Partner, said:

“Whilst we undoubtedly feel the loss of Alex Fortescue, together we had built a solid foundation for Epiris to continue to deliver on its strategy. We have an outstanding team that combines an experienced and successful partner group with exceptional talent coming up through the organisation.

Owen and Ian have built a strong track record at Epiris and have been assuming progressively greater responsibility for some time now. I am confident that we have all the skills and depth to lead the firm through successfully harvesting Fund II, deploying Fund III, raising Fund IV and beyond.”

For Epiris LLP please contact: Greenbrook Advisory Peter Hewer, Demi Kurban +44 (0)20 7952 2000 epiris@greenbrookadvisory.com

About Epiris Epiris is a private equity firm building great businesses that deliver outstanding returns for investors. The firm focuses on identifying and resolving the complexities which hold businesses back, providing fresh capital and thinking to reposition businesses strategically and in terms of scale and growth. It targets control positions in UK and international businesses with an enterprise value of between £75 million and £750 million, deploying between £50 million and £250 million of equity in each investment.

Epiris’ current investments include Pure Cremation, the UK’s leading provider of funeral plans; GSF a leading UK supplier of aftermarket automotive parts; LoneStar, a supplier of high-performance fasteners to the world’s energy markets; Delinian, a global B2B information services business; Sepura, a leading global provider of digital radio systems for mission-critical applications; Inchcape Shipping Services, one of the world’s largest maritime services providers; Appello, a leading technology-enabled care provider; Stuart Turner, a producer of pumps and water-boosting products for residential and commercial uses; Sharps, the UK’s leading supplier of bespoke fitted bedroom furniture; The Big Table, a leading UK restaurant operator; Nucleus, an investment platform; Diamorph, a supplier of advanced material solutions for demanding and safety-critical applications; Bonhams, the global auction house; The Club Company, the UK’s largest country club operator; and Portals, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of document security features.

For further information, please visit www.epiris.co.uk.

Issued by Epiris which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.