NorthEdge backs Helios Medical Communications expansion

26 January 2021 Consultancy.uk

Global healthcare communications consultancy Helios Medical Communications has partnered with mid-market private equity firm NorthEdge to support its next growth phase. The shareholders of Helios were advised on the deal by a team of consultants from Alantra.

Helios Medical Communications is a full-service healthcare communications agency, headquartered in Cheshire. The firm has an additional hub in Oxfordshire, and specialises in delivering communications solutions to clients in the pharmaceutical sector. It provides a range of services, including medical writing, advisory boards, training and symposia.

Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has seen buoyant growth in recent times, and ranked 17th on the Sunday Times 2020 FastTrack. Helios has achieved this through a commitment to excellence in delivery, facilitated by investment in people and a focus on team culture – however, as it looks to accelerate this expansion, it has sought out financial backing from the private equity realm.

NorthEdge backs Helios Medical Communications expansionAs the pharmaceutical sector looks to bounce back from the slowdown it endured due to coronavirus lockdown pressures, the services provided by Helios are highly sought after. This means there is strong interest from strategic competitors and private equity investors in businesses like Helios, and in this case mid-market fund NorthEdge was the successful suitor.

NorthEdge operates in the lower mid-market private equity firm in the North and Midlands, investing in growing businesses with national and international reach. The investment from NorthEdge will now be used to support Helios’ future growth plans. This means that in addition to expanding its existing locations in Cheshire and Oxfordshire, the business is set to launch a new central Manchester office in early 2021, and will also evaluate options for future international expansion.

Dealmakers

A team from global professional services firm Alantra advised Helios’ shareholders on the new partnership. The deal team was led by Partner Anthony Harrington and Director Tom Cowap, with support by Associate Yeboah Mensah Dika.

Harrington commented, “Helios has quickly established itself as one of the most exciting businesses in the healthcare communications and consulting sector. We worked with the founders to explore a range of options that would fit their long-term aspirations and to find a partner that is the right strategic and cultural fit. We are excited to follow Helios’ continued success in partnership with NorthEdge.”

Alantra’s role encompassed advising the shareholders on the options available to support the next stage of Helios’ growth, designing the deal structure and pricing, identifying potential partners and supporting the team to enable an efficient process through to completion. 

Andrew Minnock, Managing Director of Helios, commented, “We were hugely impressed by Alantra’s expertise and experience in the healthcare communications space and it was clear from the outset that they were going to be a strong partner. Anthony, Tom and the team were instrumental in shaping the deal, guiding us through a complicated process and achieving a great result for all parties involved.”

Alantra’s expertise has been applied to a raft of different clients in various sectors over the last 12 months. Recently, for example, Alantra also applied its dealmaking experience to the sale of Giacom, the UK’s largest independent cloud portal, to Digital Wholesale Solutions. The project was the firm's sixth transaction in the cloud services space during 2020.