MHA Moore and Smalley’s corporate finance team has helped support a management buyout of the insurance brokerage arm of Liverpool-headquartered commercial property advisors Mason Owen.
The team advised the current management team of Andrew Gibbons (MD), Michael Longfellow, Keith Burn, Alex Bielinski and Samuel Gosney to acquire Mason Owen Financial Services Ltd and its subsidiaries from majority shareholder Mason Owen & Partners Ltd.
Commercial property agency Mason Owen was established in 1967 and specialises in the provision of commercial property investment, landlord and tenant advisory and asset management services. Its clients including Aviva, Dransfield Properties, Grosvenor Europe, Iceland Foods, Legal & General Investment Management, Lloyds Bank, and M&G Real Estate.
Mason Owen Financial Services Limited (MOFS) was established in 1988 and is a chartered insurance broker based in Liverpool. It specialises in commercial property and casualty insurance, wholesale and retail professional indemnity insurance and is also one of the UK’s most prominent providers of legal indemnity insurance.
Both Mason Owen & Partners (Holdings) Ltd and Mason Owen & Partners Ltd will continue to retain a minority shareholding in Mason Owen Financial Services Ltd to reflect the fact the two separate businesses will continue to work closely together.
The sale will help each of the businesses to thrive in their own specific markets with greater autonomy over decision making.
The names of all businesses will remain unchanged and the new ownership structures will allow each business to flourish individually of the other, while still working closely together for mutual benefit.
Barry Owen, chairman of the Mason Owen Group of companies said:
“I am very proud of Andrew and the MBO team and look forward to their future with confidence.”
Simon Bland, managing director of Mason Owen & Partners said:
“It has been a privilege to work with Andrew and his team over the last 22 years and see MOFS grow into the fantastic business it now is. We are thrilled to see MOFS progress into a predominantly management-owned company and also to retain a minority interest that sees Mason Owen and Partners interests fully aligned for the next part of Andrew and his team’s journey.”
Andrew Gibbons, managing director of Mason Owen Financial Services Ltd, said
“We are delighted that as a management team we have been able to develop this business over the past 22 years to the point that we are at with the fabulous support of Barry Owen and everyone within the Mason Owen group of companies.
“We are tremendously excited that we will continue to grow the business with some new and exciting plans for development. We are also pleased that the Mason Owen Group will still retain an interest in the business to allow us both to take mutually advantageous opportunities in the future.”
MHA Moore and Smalley provided corporate finance and tax advice to the management team of Mason Owen Financial Services Ltd. The team was led by corporate finance partner Andrew Feeke and corporate finance manager Phil Yarwood with support from tax partner Colin Abrahams.
Andrew Feeke commented:
“Mason Owen is a highly respected name within the UK commercial property and insurance sectors. We’re delighted to have been able to use our expertise and knowledge to structure a great deal for our clients and help them achieve a long-term goal of acquiring Mason Owen Financial Services Ltd from the parent company, a move that will support the ongoing growth of both businesses.”
“We look forward to a strong continuing relationship with Andrew and the rest of the management team as they grow the business over the coming years”.