Octopus backs SCM World

Octopus Investments is acquiring a minority stake in SCM World. No financial terms were disclosed. Wilkins Kenney Corporate Finance provided financial due diligence to Octopus on the transaction while Deloitte served as corporate finance lead advisor to SCM. Based in London, SCM is a supply chain talent development partner for top companies.

PRESS RELEASE

Octopus Investments (‘Octopus’), a fast-growing UK fund management company with leading positions in several specialist sectors including smaller company investing, today announced it has completed an investment in SCM World, the niche market-leading talent development business focused on supply chain-best practice. The debt and equity investment will be used to support the exit of one of the founders of SCM World and will provide Octopus with a minority stake in the business.

SCM World combines practitioner content, primary research and peer networking into unique learning programmes for supply chain professionals at the world’s leading companies. With headquarters in London and an office in Boston, the company has a unique offering that has enabled it to grow its market share and develop a broad and loyal blue-chip client base. SCM World has differentiated its offering from other programmes through the creation of a collaborative learning environment, rather than the traditional instructional training format.

Grant Paul-Florence, head of the Intermediate Capital team at Octopus, said: “SCM World’s exceptional position in the market means that it has strong defensive characteristics and significant potential for ongoing growth. The market opportunity is large, and we are excited to be backing the management team as they continue to take the business from strength to strength.”

Oliver Sloane, CEO of SCM World said: ”This is an exciting time for our business – and we’re pleased to have Octopus on board for this next stage in our growth journey. We will continue to build on our progressive, interactive and unique learning model, to accelerate the collective learning and innovation of supply chain.”

Following the investment from Octopus, Jonathan Bennett, founder-shareholder of the company, will step down from his role as Chief Operating Officer. Oliver Sloane will retain his position as CEO and Ian Potter and Grant Paul-Florence of Octopus will join the board of SCM World.

Octopus was advised by Shakespeare Martineau (legal), Wilkins Kenney Corporate Finance (financial due diligence), Armstrong (commercial due diligence), Bluefin (insurance due diligence), Intuitus (IT and Technical).

SCM World was advised by Deloitte (corporate finance lead advisory) and Lewis Silkin (legal).

About Octopus Investments
Octopus Investments is a fast-growing UK fund management business with leading positions in several specialist sectors including healthcare, energy and smaller company investing. Founded in 2000, Octopus manages more than £5 billion of funds on behalf of 50,000 investors.

Working closely with financial advisers, we create investment solutions that combine our expertise in smaller company investing with government approved tax reliefs. Our core product range currently includes Venture Capital Trusts, Enterprise Investment Schemes and Inheritance Tax Services offering award-winning solutions for investors looking for capital growth, income generation or capital preservation.

As an entrepreneurial company, we understand what it takes to build a business. We work hand-in-hand with some of the most successful entrepreneurs and management teams in the country to help finance companies capable of creating, transforming or dominating their industry. We invest in both private companies and those listed on the Alternative Investment Market.

Exceptional customer service and a straight talking approach to investing are integral to the way we do business at Octopus. We have twice been voted one of the best 100 smaller companies to work for.

For further information, visit www.octopusinvestments.com.

About SCM World
SCM World is the supply chain talent development partner for the world’s leading companies, empowering professionals with the capability, commitment and confidence to drive greater positive impact on business performance and help solve three of the world’s fundamental challenges: health, hunger and environmental sustainability.
The SCM World community accelerates collective learning and performance by harnessing the knowledge of the most forward-thinking supply chain practitioners, shared through industry-leading research, best-practice exchanges, peer networking and events. Over 150 companies participate in and contribute to the SCM World community, including P&G, Unilever, Nestlé, Samsung, Lenovo, Cisco, Merck, Caterpillar, Nike, Raytheon, Chevron, Shell and BASF.