LAVA is delighted to have delivered the sale of Ergon Associates to LRQA, supplementing their leading global assurance offering with Ergon’s 20 years of labour, human rights and gender consultancy expertise.
Having supported major companies and international organisations on vital initiatives from human rights impacts across supply chains, to safeguarding procedures, to programme design, Ergon had developed a strong business proposition as well as an impeccable reputation in the ESG space. With conversations turning towards succession planning, the time was right to consider the next steps for the company.
Ergon’s trio of shareholders – Stephen Gibbons, Alastair Usher and Stuart Bell – were contemplating a potential sale and in discussions with interested parties but were unclear on the path to deliverability. Convinced that appointing a lead advisor would significantly ease the process, they sought LAVA’s experience and understanding of the market to understand options for potential deals.
Time was of the essence to assess the best strategic value and fit and deliver the perfect solution. Working closely with the shareholders, we were able to explore and understand their needs and objectives and deliver a robust and detailed databook in a highly condensed timeframe. We simultaneously validated and clarified details about the parties at play, providing vital insight and highly strategic negotiation skills to the process that allowed it to progress smoothly and speedily.
Getting the LAVA team on board was a good move for us. They managed complex negotiations and data requirements, frontloaded much of the due diligence to ensure we could quickly and easily progress to an agreement, and handled the entire process on our behalf. This allowed us to focus on the many other things we need to do, including continuing to support our colleagues and clients.
Stephen Gibbons Director and co-founder, Ergon Associates
As is the LAVA way, we took a very hands-on approach, addressing information requests in as short a turnaround as possible, ensuring they had everything they needed to progress to formal offers. Ergon selected leading global assurance partner, LRQA, due to both their dedication to delivering the deal, and conviction that the Ergon business would be the perfect addition to their offering.
The acquisition by LRQA leverages the complementary strengths and synergies of both brands to deliver enhanced advisory services, further supporting our clients’ needs in a rapidly evolving risk landscape. Rather than simply viewing the transaction as a financial opportunity, LRQA invested effort in demonstrating their shared commitment to Ergon’s mission and understanding the specific needs and priorities of the shareholders.
LAVA’s Loic Bourdonnec, who worked closely with the Ergon team throughout the process, believes our unique approach is the reason we were able to achieve such a great outcome in such a short space of time:
At LAVA, we believe good results come from a deep understanding of what motivates and drives companies and their leaders, and our inherent commitment to ESG means we knew we could craft and deliver the perfect outcome for the Ergon team.
Loic Bourdonnec Associate Director, LAVA Advisory Partners
Simon added:
It was great that the Ergon team saw the value in leveraging LAVA’s strategic skills in handling the complexity of the negotiation process as well as seamless execution, and we’re thrilled to have delivered such a great result.
Simon Woodcock Partner, LAVA Advisory Partners
LRQA Corporate Development Director, Jonathan Chidley, observed:
We were extremely impressed by how quickly and efficiently the LAVA team managed the process. They spent time building a relationship with us throughout, providing clarity, building confidence, and robustly representing their clients. We are delighted to welcome the Ergon team to LRQA.
Jonathan Chidley LRQA Corporate Development Director
LAVA’s dedication to ESG doesn’t stop at deals, check out how we’re working to use business for good, and catch up on our other deals in the ESG, sustainability and human rights sectors.
For a confidential chat about your specific scenario, and how LAVA can help, feel free to get in touch.
