Gresham backed James Grant Group acquires part of Michael Kay & Co.

Gresham Private Equity, the UK mid market private equity specialist, today announces that OJK Limited (“OJK”), part of its most recently backed investment, James Grant Group (“JGG”) has acquired the entertainment element of Michael Kay & Company (“Michael Kay”), the Birmingham based specialist accountancy practice. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

OJK is a leading provider of professional services to clients within the entertainment, music and sports sectors. Clients include Bryan Adams, Davina McCall and Sir Bob Geldof. It is part of JGG which was formed following a £20.75m management buy-out backed by Gresham in August last year.

The deal will see the lead partner at Michael Kay (Mike Kay) working with OJK for a minimum period of 12 months. Michael Kay’s clients include some of the best UK talent in entertainment, such as Phillip Schofield who is also signed to JGG’s management arm.

The acquisition is the second in a growth strategy led by JGG Management team and Gresham. Commenting on the deal, Paul Franks, partner in Gresham’s Birmingham office said: “We’re delighted to see James Grant Group complete a further acquisition following on from the recent First Artist Management deal. This is another example of Gresham’s proactive approach to backing businesses with their Buy and Build strategies.”

Mike Kay said; “I am delighted to join forces with the OJK team. There are obvious synergies between my company and the wider James Grant Group and this is a logical fit in the best interests of my clients. I have been fortunate to work with some of the best UK talent in entertainment and look forward to developing our service proposition further with OJK.”

Pat Savage, Managing Director of OJK and Group Director of JGG said; “The strategic fit with Mike Kay’s business is compelling – they have a highly complementary client roster and we have some of the best accountants in this industry to support Mike in delivering all their needs. We are excited by this opportunity and look forward to working with Mike.”