Triton Partners acquired OCU Group on the 4 of August 2022. Within the first year of ownership, OCU has acquired seven privately owned businesses, significantly increasing the capabilities and reach that OCU is able to offer its clients.
One of the key strengths of the OCU acquisition program has been that owners have remained within the business post-acquisition, where they are encouraged to retain their entrepreneurial flair within the strategic and operating framework of OCU.
Triton marked the one-year anniversary of OCU ownership with a gathering of the acquired businesses’ Managing Directors (and ex-owners) to discuss life under OCU ownership. Managing Directors of five of the seven companies joined the Triton team and members of the OCU executive team for a presentation on Triton’s capabilities and background, followed by a celebratory working lunch. Holiday commitments of the Managing Directors of the other two companies prevented their attendance.
Thomas Cheung of Triton Partners said, “It is great to see entrepreneurial talent come into the OCU Group and flourish. The OCU leadership team offer significant support and insight into their acquired businesses that enables these businesses to significantly accelerate their growth plans. By working hard on diligencing companies prior to a deal, it is clear that this leads to strong cultural alignment with shared ambitions for the future.”
Sam Hodge, Managing Director of OCU Opals (acquired in August 2022), said, “It is such a big decision when you sell your business, but it was clear from the first meeting with OCU that it was a company I could trust to discretely and professionally buy my company, and one that I felt I would enjoy being part of after the sale.
“Both before and after the sale, they have encouraged me to continue to think of Opals as ‘my’ company – successfully integrating support functions whilst providing significant counsel on how my management team and I can continue to grow revenue and provide an exceptional service to our customers.”
Michael Hughes, CEO of OCU Group, added, “Whilst we successfully acquired and integrated eight companies during the year (one of which was acquired prior to Triton’s investment), it is often the deals we don’t do that define us – currently we complete on only one in ten deals that we review. All acquisition targets must meet our strict deal criteria – both financial and non-financial – before we proceed.
“One of the key criteria is that they must fit within the strategic framework that OCU’s executive team and Triton built together over a six-month period – the deals we have done recently have all been accretive to the Group’s strategy and capabilities. We are deeply indebted to the owners of those businesses we have acquired, who initially trusted us with the acquisition of their businesses and who then decided to join us on our journey.”
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