News
LDC grows Midlands team with senior hire
17 Mar 2021
LDC, the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investor, has strengthened its Midlands team with the appointment of Craig Hinde as Origination Director.
Craig will be responsible for identifying potential investment opportunities in the region, leading transactions and supporting the management teams of LDC’s portfolio businesses as they pursue their growth ambitions.
Craig, who will be based in LDC’s Birmingham and Nottingham offices, joins from private equity-backed technology-led marketing business Inspired Thinking Group, where he was business development director. He has nine years’ experience in private equity and working with private equity-backed businesses and was previously an origination manager at LDC.
Craig played a key role in originating LDC’s investments in Zip World and Panther Logistics, along with originating two acquisitions for Midlands manufacturer Stuart Turner. Prior to this he held corporate finance analyst and research roles at AlphaSights and Grant Thornton.
Craig’s appointment further strengthens LDC’s Midlands team, and underpins LDC’s pledge to invest £1.2billion nationally over the next three years.
His appointment follows a busy couple of weeks as the LDC Midlands team provided follow-on funding to support two portfolio companies to make strategic acquisitions in March. UK holiday specialists Away Resorts completed the acquisition of a popular holiday park in Cornwall, St Ives Bay Holiday Park. In addition, the team supported Stuart Turner, the internationally recognised manufacturer of water boosting pumps and systems, with its acquisition of pressurisation and HVAC specialist Mikrofill Systems Ltd.
The recent acquisitions build on an active 2020 as the LDC Midlands team completed three new investments including in independent trustee and pensions support specialist Ross Trustees and in leading reseller of 3D design software Solid Solutions. The team also successfully exited its investments in Addo Food Group and Panther Logistics.
Richard Whitwell, Head of LDC in the Midlands, said: “We’re committed to backing ambitious management teams of growing Midlands businesses, and we’re extremely pleased to welcome Craig back to the team to help us do this. While we hold cautious optimism for lockdown measures easing, we’re poised to support management teams across the region that are looking to build scale as new opportunities begin to emerge.”
Craig has an extensive network in the region and has played an important role in supporting our investment pipeline in the past. He will be a valuable asset to the team.”
Craig Hinde, Origination Director, said: “LDC has a long-established reputation as the leading private equity investor in the Midlands and it’s great to rejoin a team involved in so many of the region’s standout growth stories. The Midlands is home to a number of world-class businesses, which have shown resilience and adaptability during the pandemic, and are now in a great position to make the most of new opportunities moving forward.”
LDC’s Midlands team has invested more than £1.4billion in over 175 management teams over the last 40 years, with its portfolio spanning a broad range of sectors including technology, manufacturing, professional services and leisure.