Craig Wildman of strategy and marketing consultancy Albion tells Marc Mullen that understanding the nuts and bolts of business is key to delivering M&A with impact.

The offices may be typically ‘Shoreditch’, but Albion is looking way beyond the hipster bubble in this trendy corner of East London. ‘Inventing’ and ‘reinventing’ market positioning is what Albion offers. With a roster of blue-chip clients and some of the most innovative start-ups of the past decade, global expansion seems certain.

Two years ago, Craig Wildman joined Albion as CFO. It was a mid-sized agency with a long-term growth plan. Working with clients which had aggressive approaches to innovation, driven by the markets they operated in, meant that the trajectory of Albion’s own plan was similarly steep. “The business had been healthy and stable for the previous two to three years, but was not growing significantly,” he says. “But in the past two years we have seen double-digit growth – new talent, new clients and new markets – we have grown our market proposition in all areas through invention and innovation. We have gone very far in two years.” Indeed 2014 saw its greatest year-on-year growth in top and bottom line – turnover for 2014 was £9.2m.

The deal

A big part of that growth was the deal last August that saw US-based brand agency KBS (Kirschenbaum Bond Senecal & Partners) acquire a majority stake in Albion, reportedly for between £20m and £30m. KBS has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto and Montreal. Albion founder Jason Goodman retained his role as CEO of Albion. Goodman, Wildman and 13 other shareholders divided the proceeds, and between them retained a 25% stake in Albion. To achieve both counterparties’ growth ambitions it was important that Albion management retained skin in the game.

Find out more

Members of the Corporate Finance Faculty and Faculties online

• Download the complete article: Wildman of Shoreditch

Non-members

Why not join the Corporate Finance Faculty and gain full faculty benefits.