News
LDC appoints new Head of South Team
11 Dec 2019
Mid-market private equity investor LDC has appointed Lawrence Dean as the Head of its South team. LDC’s South team has unrivalled coverage across the South of England and Thames Valley. The appointment comes as the firm approaches its 20th anniversary in the region, having invested more than £575million in over 60 of the region’s most ambitious firms since 2000, from its base in Reading.
Lawrence brings with him a wealth of experience from different sectors, including TMT and leisure in particular. He joins from LDC’s Birmingham office where he led two significant mid-market deals this year including the £110million deal to invest in motor finance technology specialist Evolution Funding and the management buyout of London-based global business communications consultancy Instinctif Partners. Lawrence sits on the board of award-winning Blue Bay Travel. Since LDC’s investment in 2017, the luxury travel agent has accelerated growth through launching new products and investing in its technology and online booking capabilities.
Prior to his role at LDC, Lawrence headed up the UK buyout team at mid-market private equity fund NBGI Private Equity, and was one of the founding partners of Stage Capital which led the €300million spin out of NBGI in 2016. He has also held senior roles within private equity backed businesses.
As Head of LDC’s South team, Lawrence will ensure LDC continues to support the growth ambitions of businesses across the South of England, helping the team to identify investment opportunities in the region, as well as leading transactions and supporting the success of its existing portfolio.
Lawrence’s appointment follows a successful period for the team. In April this year they backed the £17.6million investment in tech-enabled recruitment specialist Amberjack. In late 2018 the team also sold the UK’s leading technology-led logistics and locker provider ByBox for £221million to Francisco Partners.
LDC’s team in the South of England has a longstanding track record of supporting the growth of some of the region’s standout businesses, and in particular has a stellar reputation in the technology sector. Having backed successful businesses across the UK, I’m really looking forward to working with the team and meeting business leaders from across the region who are looking for ways to fuel their expansion plans.”
Andy Grove, Head of New Business at LDC, said: “Lawrence has a wealth of experience in private equity, having made a huge impact since joining LDC. We now look forward to his leadership of the Reading team to continue to drive its success. We have committed to investing £1.2billion across the UK over the next three years, and Lawrence will play a central role in delivering on this across the South region.”