Trillium Partners Advises MSQ Partners On £7.8m Refinancing

Trillium Partners Limited (Trillium), the independent corporate finance advisory firm, is pleased to announce that it has advised MSQ Partners Limited (MSQ), an international marketing communications group, on a refinancing of its capital structure. As part of this transaction, funds advised by NVM Private Equity (NVM) have acquired a substantial minority shareholding in MSQ by investing £7.8 million in the company to support the continuation of the management team’s MBO and the ongoing growth of the business.

MSQ comprises seven creative agencies (Stack, The Gate, Stein IAS, Smarts, Holmes & Marchant, Illuminas and twentysix) offering advertising, public relations, design, brand strategy, digital marketing and research services. MSQ’s client list comprises many of the world’s leading brands including Aviva, Diageo, EDF Energy, Kraft Foods, Orange, Peugeot, Proctor & Gamble, RBS and Unilever.

Trillium acted as exclusive financial adviser to MSQ on all aspects of the refinancing. In particular, Trillium: (a) conducted a review of options to achieve the objectives of key stakeholders; (b) created a comprehensive investor list and contacted a wide range of potential investors; (c) advised the Board of MSQ on the selection of the preferred investor; (d) led the negotiations with NVM; and (e) supported the Board in its discussions with key stakeholders and the modelling and analysis of its new capital structure.

Peter Reid, Chief Executive Officer of MSQ, commented:
“Trillium assisted us with all aspects of the process and their reach within the investor community allowed us to identify NVM as our preferred investor partner. The Trillium team managed a comprehensive process, starting with contacting potential investors, evaluating proposals and assisting the key stakeholders in their evaluation of strategic alternatives. We were delighted with Trillium’s contribution which has resulted in a very successful outcome.”

Hugo Montgomery, Managing Director at Trillium, added:
“We were pleased to advise MSQ on its refinancing. MSQ has a strategic plan to deliver strong profit growth over the coming years, and the new capital structure enabled by the NVM investment provides an excellent platform for management to deliver this plan.”

About Trillium Partners
Trillium Partners is an independent mid-market firm that advises listed companies, private firms and financial sponsors on M&A and Private Capital raising transactions valued at £20 million to £500 million in the B2B Information Services and Events, Consumer Media, Learning and Development, and Marketing Services.

Over the last 30 years, we have advised our clients on a comprehensive array of transactions in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia, with an aggregate value in excess of £10 billion. Underpinned by deep sector knowledge and insight, our expertise extends from private acquisitions and disposals to public offers and raising capital from the private equity, family office, banking and alternative finance communities for working capital, business development, acquisitions and buy-outs.


For more information regarding this transaction, please contact Stephen Routledge or Philip Mastriforte on +44 (0)20 3008 8375