Foster Denovo Group acquires £800 million of assets through series of internal acquisitions

Foster Denovo Group Limited, the parent company of multi award winning national financial advisory business Foster Denovo Limited has today announced that it has acquired more than £800 million of assets under advice, following the completion of seven internal practice acquisitions.  

In February 2022 Foster Denovo announced it had secured up to £100 million of funding from Crestline Investors, Inc, to drive its acquisition and growth strategy as it looks to build on its position as a major national advice brand. The deal saw Crestline take a minority stake in Foster Denovo with the founding leadership team retaining control of the business. 

In the past twelve months, Foster Denovo has completed seven internal acquisitions from seventeen advisers, through practice buy-outs (PBOs) across both its private client and corporate businesses.  

Together, the deals add £5 million in annual EBITDA to the business, while boosting the number of Foster Denovo’s employed advisers to more than 70.   

Alongside further PBOs, Crestline’s investment will be used to drive external acquisitions across the UK over the next five years, with a number already in the pipeline for 2023.  

Roger Brosch, CEO, Foster Denovo, commented: “Key to our objectives for securing external funding was to find a partner who was culturally aligned, shared our values for putting clients first and delivering outstanding service, and which saw us retain control of how we continue to build the business.  

“So far this has seen us transform the Group through adding over £800m of AUA and approaching £5 million EBITDA. 

Henna Fry, Director of Corporate Development, commented: “Alongside external acquisitions, we see PBOs both as a great option to offer to practice owners as a way to future-proof their business, and to continue to grow Foster Denovo through the addition of likeminded and culturally compatible people who are looking for a PBO underpin further down the line.   

“Our role is to facilitate a smooth transition for those wanting to access a centralised, market leading proposition, giving advisers the tools and resources needed to best serve their clients and to enhance their practice value. 

“The motivations for a buy-out are bespoke to each individual or practice, and so each deal will and should look different. We pride ourselves on having a flexible model that acts as a facilitator, rather than a consolidator, offering a range of exit options, including a retirement/succession plan for our existing self-employed advisers, or a de-risking option for existing or incoming younger advisers who wish to continue to look after their clients well into the future as part of an enlarged group on an employed basis.”