England & Company Expands to Singapore

Kiat Tan Joins Firm’s Expansion to Asia

Patrick J. O'Shea and Kiat Tan

September 2023 – England & Company, an independent investment bank based in the United States, announced it has established an office in Singapore to extend the firm’s corporate advisory business in the Asia-Pacific region. The Singapore office complements England’s four U.S. offices which are strategically located in Houston, New York, San Diego, and Washington, DC.

England’s Singapore office is led by Patrick O’Shea, who most recently served as a Managing Director in the firm’s New York office. While at England, O’Shea has provided M&A and capital raising advisory services to an array of Energy, Industrial, Logistics, and Technology companies. Prior to joining England in 2011, O’Shea was a senior investment banker with JP Morgan in New York and Tokyo, and a member of Merrill Lynch’s technology investment banking team in New York.

England also announced that Kiat Tan joined the firm’s Singapore Office earlier this year. Tan has broad international experience in M&A, corporate development strategy, restructuring, and institutional fundraising. He has worked across Asia and in the UK for investment banks, professional services firms, and multinational corporations, focusing on the Consumer, Financial Services, Healthcare, Industrial, and Real Estate sectors. Prior to joining England, Tan led institutional fundraising activities for Folk Developments, a UK residential real estate development company; served as Head of M&A and Investments for Nippon Paint Group, a global paint and coatings company; and was Head of M&A Advisory in Singapore for Avista Houlihan Lokey. Tan received his undergraduate degree from De Montfort University, an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Management from the Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford.

“We are eager to build on 20-years of success by growing our international footprint and enhancing our capabilities for cross-border activity with our expanded office in Singapore,” said Craig England, CEO of England & Company. “Over the past decade, Patrick has demonstrated his skill as a strategic advisor to our diverse client base in the United States. Kiat is a proven investment banker with deep relationships and many years of experience throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Our team in Singapore will provide superior guidance to our clients around the world as they pursue strategic acquisitions, divestitures, partnerships, and financings in Asia.”

O’Shea commented, “I am excited to lead England & Company’s expansion in Singapore. This is a vibrant and diverse market, and we see a tremendous opportunity to provide our industry-focused M&A advisory and private financing services to entrepreneurs, family offices, sovereign wealth funds, established corporations, and the growing private equity and venture capital community in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Tan added, “with its collaborative culture and deep industry knowledge, England & Company is well positioned to fill a significant void in Singapore as an established and highly experienced American investment bank focused on creating growth opportunities for middle-market and large-cap companies throughout both Asia and North America.”

Ossio, Ltd. Completes $38.5 Million Series C Financing

October 2022 – England Securities served as the exclusive placement agent to Ossio Ltd. (“Ossio”), a rapidly growing orthopedic fixation technology company, in its $38.5 million Series C financing. This financing, which was led by MVM Partners (“MVM”), a Boston- and London-based growth equity firm, represents England’s 9th transaction in orthopedics, and 5th transaction specifically in foot & ankle orthopedics.

Ossio, based in Woburn, MA and Caesarea, Israel, produces orthopedic implants made with OSSIOfiber® Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology, a breakthrough in fixation material that provides the first credible solution to the shortcomings of permanent metal hardware, conventional resorbable, and allograft implants. The technology provides unparalleled mechanical strength and natural bone healing in a non-permanent implant.

“We are delighted to have secured this level of interest and commitment from such an experienced and distinguished medical technology investment firm,” said OSSIO’s Chief Executive Officer, Brian Verrier. “England’s Healthcare Investment Banking team was instrumental in helping us secure an ideal lead investor with relevant orthopedic experience and a focus on companies of our stage.”

“We believe that OSSIO’s novel bio-integrative technology has the potential to transform the orthopedic fixation market,” said MVM’s founding Partner, Dr. Stephen Reeders. “We are excited to support the company’s mission to improve patient outcomes across a broad range of procedures.” Dr. Reeders and his MVM colleague, Dr. Kevin Cheng, join OSSIO’s board of directors as part of this financing.

Verrier continued, “The additional funding will enable us to accelerate further adoption of OSSIOfiber Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology by orthopedic and podiatric surgeons in the United States. Specifically, we intend to use these funds to fortify new product development, sales force expansion, patient outreach, and medical education.”

Made from a proprietary mineral fiber matrix held together by a naturally degradable polymer, the material is biointegrative (replaced by natural bone over time). It provides surgeons a more biologically friendly way to restore patient stability and mobility while leaving nothing permanent behind. More than 10,000 OSSIOfiber implants have been used in orthopedic surgeries since their commercial introduction in 2019.

About OSSIO

OSSIO is an orthopedic fixation company committed to transforming the orthopedic experience for patients, physicians and payors. Founded in 2014, its vision is to provide the first credible replacement to metal implants in the multibillion-dollar global orthopedic fixation market with its OSSIOfiber Intelligent Bone Regeneration Technology. OSSIO’s development headquarters is located in Caesarea, Israel, and its U.S. headquarters is in Woburn, MA.

About MVM Partners

MVM has invested in high-growth healthcare businesses since 1997. The firm has a broad, global investment outlook spanning medical technology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, digital health, and other sectors of healthcare.

MedDevNews, Q4 2022

Market indicators were generally positive in Q4 2022, despite recession concerns. The number of financings, OEM M&A transactions, and CMO M&A transactions increased to highs for the year. Additionally, disclosed value for these deals remained substantial in the case of OEM M&A hitting a new high. Public market returns were mostly negative but improved relative to Q3, with two verticals -CMO and Organ & Tissue Transplant -showing positive returns. CMOs were a clear winner in Q4, doubling in the number of M&A transactions relative to Q3.

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MedDevNews, Q3 2022

The effects of the market-wide contraction continued to be seen across multiple metrics in Q3 2022. Public market returns were again negative across all verticals, with the best performing sector of large diversified still down 11.9% for the year. Most sectors again underperformed the S&P 500, though Spine Orthopedics, CMOs, Large Diversified, and Lab Diagnostics exceeded the index. OEM M&A transaction activity was down relative to Q2 2022 and Q3 2021, while CMO M&A remained flat versus Q2 2022, at a level down significantly versus prior year numbers. Private financings rose for the quarter after over a year of declines. OEM disclosed value increased slightly but did not approach the highs of 2020 or 2021.

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Acacium Group Acquires Favorite Healthcare Staffing

January 2022- England Securities served as the exclusive financial advisor to Acacium Group in its acquisition of Favorite Healthcare Staffing, LLC.

Headquartered in London, Acacium Group is Europe’s largest healthcare solutions partner offering staffing, managed services, and innovative delivery models to health and social care systems and the global life science industry. The acquisition accelerates Acacium’s goal to offer expert solutions, and support clients in dealing with the challenges of rising demand and constrained workforce supply in the healthcare and life sciences sectors on a global basis. Acacium is a portfolio company of Onex Partners and TowerBrook Capital Partners.

Favorite Healthcare Staffing, based in Overland Park, Kansas, is one of the nation’s largest providers of healthcare professionals, offering a full range of per diem, allied health, contract, and travel assignments, as well as permanent placement opportunities.

“This is an important transaction for us,” said Mike Barnard, Chief Executive Officer of Acacium Group. “The England team’s knowledge of the U.S. healthcare staffing sector and industry contacts, along with the advice they provided were instrumental in helping us identify this opportunity and creating a successful outcome. We see this as a first step in a substantial expansion of our businesses in the North American markets.”

Through this acquisition Acacium Group becomes the first global healthcare staffing and workforce solutions specialist with operations in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.

Electro-Mechanical Corporation Acquired By Graycliff Partners

September 2021 – England Securities is pleased to announce that it recently served as the exclusive financial advisor to Electro-Mechanical Corporation (“EMC”) in its sale to Graycliff Partners. This transaction represents the eighth transaction in the power generation and transmission and distribution market for England Securities since September 2019.

Based in Bristol, VA and founded in 1958 by Frank Leonard, EMC manufactures medium voltage electric equipment, primarily switchgears, transformers and custom systems that serve as critical components for utility and industrial power infrastructure. The company’s products are sold to electrical utilities, renewable energy generators, mining operators, and general industrial users of power. The company has been family owned for over 60 years, and goes to market under two leading brands, Federal Pacific and Line Power.

“The EMC team is very excited to partner with Graycliff for this next chapter in the company’s history,” said Howard Broadfoot, EMC’s CEO. “EMC has established itself as a trusted partner in the electrical distribution business, and we are excited to leverage Graycliff’s guidance and resources to further grow the company in the years to come.”

Graycliff Partners is an investment firm focused on making lower middle market investments, typically in manufacturing, business services and value-added distribution businesses. EMC is the fourth investment in Graycliff’s fourth private equity fund, Graycliff Private Equity Partners IV LP.

“EMC has an impressive history and strong reputation as a key player in electrical power distribution infrastructure. We are excited to honor the legacy of Frank Leonard and continue to drive growth at EMC alongside Howard and his team,” said Andrew Trigg, Managing Partner at Graycliff.

About EMC

Electro-Mechanical Corporation (EMC) is a global leader in developing and manufacturing technologies used for electrical power distribution and control. The company’s three divisions — Federal Pacific, Line Power and Electric Motor Repair – are committed to providing customers, coworkers and community with relentless innovation, unmatched quality and unparalleled customer service. One of the U.S.’s largest privately held, family-owned manufacturers of electrical apparatus, EMC encompasses nearly one million square feet of modern manufacturing facilities located in Virginia, Tennessee and Mexico.

About Graycliff Partners

Graycliff Partners is an investment firm focused exclusively on the lower middle market. Our dedicated equity funds focus on control buyout transactions, primarily in niche manufacturing, business services and value-added distribution. Our dedicated credit funds are more industry agnostic, providing unitranche and subordinated debt, structured junior capital and minority equity to support leveraged and management buyouts, generational transfers, acquisitions and general growth. Graycliff often seeks to partner with family and entrepreneur-owned businesses.

England & Company Continues to Expand – Announces Office Opening in Southern California

Tom Crews, Managing Director at England & Company San DiegoJune 2021 – England & Company, an independent investment bank focused on the middle market, is pleased to announce the opening of its new Southern California office – the firm’s fourth office in the United States. England’s new office will be led by Tom Crews, a proven technology investment banker, corporate executive, and entrepreneur with energy technology and healthcare technology companies.

“We are committed to expanding our footprint into California, the hub of global technology innovation.  With the multitude of companies in the energy tech, medtech, and biotech industries that call San Diego home, it is the ideal base for our West Coast efforts,” said Craig England, CEO of England & Company. “Tom Crews is uniquely qualified to lead this effort due to his strong experience as a strategic advisor, entrepreneur, and executive. Tom’s cross-sector insight will be a valuable addition to the firm and our clients.”

During his career, Mr. Crews has been responsible for raising venture capital and private equity for companies in a variety of industries and at different stages of development, and advising growth-stage technology companies on M&A transactions. He previously served as Managing Director and Head of the energy tech practice for a Boston-based investment banking boutique, and a Principal at Skipping Stone, a strategic consulting firm focused exclusively on the energy sector. Prior to entering investment banking, Crews served as CEO for two venture capital-backed energy management companies (Pentech Solutions and Envenergy) and a medical device manufacturer (SynergEyes). He is also co-founder of INC Research (now Syneos Health), a multi-billion-dollar, global biopharmaceutical services company.

“I am excited to join England & Company and lead the firm’s expansion to the West Coast. San Diego is a vibrant and diverse market, and we see tremendous opportunity to provide our industry-focused M&A advisory and private financing services to the rapidly growing entrepreneurial community here and in the surrounding area,” Crews said. “England is filling a significant void as the only investment banking boutique with a national reach and cross-industry expertise in the region.”