Investis has been taken under private equity control by way of a management buy-out.

Investor relations company Investis has been acquired through a £25 million management buy-out (MBO) led by mid-market firm Gresham Private Equity.

As well as closing the MBO, Investis has also purchased Morningstar Investor Relations Services, formerly Hemscott IR, from Morningstar for an undisclosed amount.

The buy-out deal sees managing director Helen James take over from current CEO Justin Walters, who will continue to be a shareholder in, and advisor to, Investis.

James says, ‘The backing of Gresham will allow us to move faster than ever, and I cannot think of a better way to start a new phase of the company’s development than with the acquisition of Morningstar Investor Relations Services.’

Investis provides digital corporate communications services such as websites, social media platforms and online reporting for public companies. It currently has offices in the UK, Germany, Italy, Finland and India.

Paul Franks, partner at Gresham Private Equity, comments, ‘We set out 12 months ago to find a platform digital corporate communications business with a number of key attributes including being a market leader with an international footprint and having a blue chip client base with best-in-class products; Investis absolutely met our criteria.’

Gresham’s last MBO came back in May when the firm invested £23 million into Warrington-based Integrated Engineering Stores Associates, a business which supplies maintenance management.