A North East technical consultancy is under new ownership after being bought by an international integrated environmental, engineering and technical services business.
RSK Group Ltd has acquired Newcastle-headquartered Enviresearch, which provides regulatory and risk assessment services to the global chemical industry, for an undisclosed sum.
Enviresearch advises clients how to register products for sale that will protect our health, our homes and our food.
Its main speciality is the protection of crops from attack by insects, diseases and weeds while also implementing sustainable farming techniques and protecting the environment.
It works primarily with UK and European customers, but also has clients in international markets including North America, China, Japan and South East Asia, and has a subsidiary office in Portugal.
RSK Group Ltd provides a wide range of services which help organisations achieve their aspirations in a sustainable and efficient manner.
It employs more than 5,000 staff around the world and aims to be a world leader in the fields of environmental science, research, engineering and technical services.
Michael Cantwell of RMT Accountants & Business Advisors and John Nicholson of Mincoffs LLP advised the Enviresearch management team on the transaction.
Enviresearch was founded in 2001 by Newcastle University graduate James Garratt and now employs around 20 people, most of whom are based at its city centre offices.
James Garratt says: “Enviresearch has been growing steadily for almost exactly two decades and we’re very pleased to have found such a well-regarded firm to take it on into the next phase of its development.
“Our highly-skilled team’s work is based around five areas of excellence – our clients, our colleagues, our future, our work and our community – and it was a challenge to find a company that reflected all of these values until we met RSK.
“The management team showed that they really understood and lived these values too and I felt they made an excellent fit with us.
“They are ambitious for growth and development, and the links that are now developing between Enviresearch and other elements of the RSK portfolio are already providing strong opportunities for knowledge sharing and new projects.
“The RMT and Mincoffs teams were essential partners in enabling this deal to be concluded successfully. Their expertise and proactivity kept everything on track, even during its most detailed phases, and also helped us enhance the business’s management systems and processes to everyone’s benefit.”
Hassan Ahsan of the M&A team at RSK, adds: “We’re delighted to welcome the Enviresearch team to RSK.
“The business’ track record providing expert regulatory and risk assessment services to the global chemical industry is complementary to our existing workstreams but will greatly increase our position in these sectors.
“Its established presence in Portugal also strengthens our existing European footprint, which is a key aim for our growing business.”
Michael Cantwell, head of corporate finance at RMT Accountants, says: “Enviresearch is a real North East success story which has taken regional expertise right around the world.
“We’re very pleased to have helped James reap the rewards of two decades’ commitment while also setting the business up to continue its growth journey as part of the RSK brand.”
John Nicholson, partner in the corporate team at Mincoffs LLP, add: “It has been a pleasure to represent James in the sale of Enviresearch to RSK. It presents the Enviresearch team with the opportunity to continue to grow as part of the RSK brand, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds.”