Lewis Silkin advises Be Heard Group Plc on its 75% acquisition of Freemavens Limited and £2.1 million cash placing

Freemavens will become Be Heard’s fourth partner, and is the Group’s first acquisition in the data and analytics sphere. Be Heard sees analytics as central to maximising return-on-investment in digital marketing. The Group’s trading since the start of the year shows positive signs, particularly with the integration of a third agency Kameleon, which was acquired in December 2016 with legal assistance from Lewis Silkin.

This deal marks Lewis Silkin’s second corporate transaction with the AIM-listed company and enhances its reputation of being one of the leading corporate and M&A practices in the advertising, communications and technology sectors.

The Lewis Silkin multi-disciplinary team, drawn from its Advertising & Marketing and Technology sector focus groups, was led by corporate partners Fergus Payne and David Willbe, and supported by corporate partner Paul Rajput, tax partner Matthew Rowbotham, and corporate associate Susie Jarrold.

Fergus Payne, Corporate Partner at Lewis Silkin said:

“We are very pleased to have advised Be Heard Group again, on a deal that will provide a number of strategic and operational benefits to them and where we can impart our expertise and knowledge of the martech and adtech sectors.

This acquisition’s success reinforces the firm’s reputation in the advertising, communications and technology sectors and provides another example of our market leading M&A advice to existing and potential buyers in those sectors.”

David Willbe, Corporate Finance Partner at Lewis Silkin said:

“This deal showcases our capabilities in undertaking fundraising transactions at every stage of a company’s growth, including in the public markets. Access to the capital markets is a key part of many buyers’ strategies, and we can support those transactions efficiently and with the benefit of our sector expertise.

The integrated nature of the Lewis Silkin team aided the success of the deal as it enabled us to carry out the necessary legal due diligence and verification quickly and effectively. Clients have said that the agile structure we have and our sector focus approach give us a competitive advantage.”

Robin Price, CFO at Be Heard Group said:

“Lewis Silkin has once again been an excellent team to work with and has provided us with invaluable advice making this acquisition a success – the entire team worked with great resolve. They are clearly M&A and corporate finance experts and have immensely valuable experience in the advertising & marketing sector.”