Sovereign wins 'UK Mid-Cap Deal of the Year', at the Private Equity Awards, for the successful exit of Linnaeus Group

We are thrilled to have won 'UK Mid-Cap Deal of the Year', at last night’s Private Equity Awards, for the successful exit of Linnaeus Group to Mars Petcare’s Veterinary Health Group, part of Mars Inc – Sovereign’s largest ever exit.

Our huge thanks go to Lynne Hill, the highly experienced industry CEO and veterinary surgeon, and Paul Coxon, FD, who Sovereign had previously backed as FD for the highly successful investment, CVS, and David Mobbs, Chairman. We would also like to thank our advisors on the transaction which included Lincoln International, Pinsent Masons, Alvarez & Marsal, Spectrum CF, Mansfield Advisors and Grant Thornton.

The Linnaeus growth story saw 21 acquisitions completed, significant organic growth via roll-out funding and an increase in EBITDA by more than 700%. Today Linnaeus is recognised as one of the UK’s leading veterinary services providers.

Lynne Hill, former CEO, Linnaeus Group, said: "Our expansion with Sovereign was both pacey and exciting. It’s not just that Sovereign supported our M&A activity, their commitment to investing in the best, focusing on what really matters, and providing development funding was fantastic."