Palatine has revealed a significant investment in fast-growing, Doncaster-based retirement adviser, My Pension Expert.
The at-retirement adviser, with its telephone and video-based services, provides independent financial advice on a national scale.
My Pension Expert, which has a team of 65, will use Palatine’s investment to accelerate its growth plans, expanding its business proposition to ensure people of all wealth brackets can receive independent financial advice and achieve their desired retirement outcomes.
Palatine has identified significant growth opportunities for My Pension Expert to accelerate its strong growth to date and will be working alongside My Pension Expert’s management team to scale-up its operations and fulfil its mission of increasing consumer access to independent financial advice.
Andrew Megson, executive chairman of My Pension Expert, said: “We are delighted Palatine have chosen to partner with and invest in My Pension Expert. Throughout the entire process, Palatine has supported management and identified the huge opportunities for My Pension Expert to expand and accelerate growth.
“Palatine’s focus on sustainability was also a key factor in accepting the significant investment. And My Pension Expert will certainly harness this expertise over the coming years to enhance our own existing environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) credentials. Suffice to say, we are incredibly excited about what the future holds.”
Senior investment director Kieran Lawton, who led the deal for Palatine alongside James Painter, Gary Tipper and Ed Fazakerley, said: “Andrew and his team have done an outstanding job to date, and we are very much looking forward to working alongside them to help the company grow quickly and reach its potential.
“Our focus will be on supporting the team through value enhancement initiatives across digital, technology, people and sustainability in order to help Andrew continue to build a highly-trusted and fast-growing pensions advisory business with technology at its core.”
The deal will be funded through investment from Palatine’s Buyout and Impact Funds. It builds on the mid-market investor’s strong track record in the financial services sector, which includes successful investments in Wren Sterling, Wealth at Work, Money Plus Group and Chase Templeton.
Beth Houghton, partner and head of Impact Fund, added: “Affordable, accessible and high quality pension advice is essential for those at or nearing retirement age with small or medium sized pension pots. My Pension Expert helps members of the public to navigate the increasingly complicated pensions environment at an affordable cost, and we are delighted to be working with the management team to increase the number of people who can access this advice.”
My Pension Expert was advised by Addleshaw Goddard, Park Place and BDO Tax.
Palatine was advised by Gateley (legal), Quinn Partnership (people), Kroll (regulatory and financial), Lockton (insurance), Open Partners (digital) and Equator (technology).
The deal remains subject to FCA regulatory approval.
