Lewis Silkin has advised Next Fifteen Communications Group plc on the acquisition of Engine UK
02 March 2022
Lewis Silkin has advised its longstanding client, Next Fifteen Communications Group plc on the acquisition of Engine Acquisition Limited (“Engine UK”) for an enterprise value of £77.5 million.
Engine UK is a broad-based digital transformation, communications and creative business with approximately 600 staff and 300 UK and international clients. Engine UK’s business is comprised of three divisions: Communications, Creative and Transformation, providing a range of services across business transformation and client engagement campaigns.
The acquisition accelerates Next Fifteen’s Business Transformation ambitions, adding significant scale and bringing new capabilities in the counter cyclical public sector, as well as an experienced management team. Engine UK also adds significant strategic communication capabilities in the UK to match Next 15’s existing US offerings, as well as additional capability in areas of brand strategy, corporate reputation and capital markets communications.
The Lewis Silkin team was led by corporate partner Paul Rajput, with principal support from Corporate and Tax colleagues Jack Baldwin, Matthew Rowbotham; Digital, Commerce and Creative colleagues Nick Allan, Leonie Sheridan, Sally Hughes; Intellectual Property colleague Anna Caruso; Real Estate colleague Aimee Dring; and Employment colleagues Alice Graham and Ashleigh Gribble.
Commenting on the deal, Lewis Silkin’s Paul Rajput stated:
“It is always pleasure working with Mark Sanford, Richard Tomsett and the rest of the Next Fifteen team, and we are delighted to have worked on this substantial acquisition for them, which adds significant capabilities for Next Fifteen to offer growth consultancy services to UK and international clients. The Lewis Silkin tier 1 ranked M&A team is second to none when it comes to partnering with clients to help implement M&A transactions in the advertising, marketing and communications sectors”
Commenting on the deal, Mark Sanford, General Counsel at Next Fifteen, said:
“Lewis Silkin’s M&A team have supported us on numerous acquisitions. We had no hesitation in turning to them again on this substantial and complex acquisition requiring expert input from various areas of legal specialism in the firm. Paul is commercially focused and cuts through legal complexities with client-friendly solutions. Once again, the advice and support we received from the team was invaluable and we are fortunate to have them as our trusted advisors”