Dublin-headquartered international expat adviser in CEO-led buy-out

Former Skandia International sales director, Victor France, has lead the buy out of Dublin-headquartered expatriate advisory firm Abbey Wealth. 

Directors, advisers and staff at the specialist expatriate advisory firm Abbey Wealth have announced that they have completed a management buyout of the business, for an undisclosed sum.

Led by current chief executive France, the buyout has been approved by the regulator, the Central Bank of Ireland. 

Abbey was established in 2007 by founders Adrian Grove, Calvin Thomas and Liam Speake to offer retirement planning, investment advice and financial planning for internationally mobile clients, primarily in Europe, with key outlets in Ireland, Spain and Switzerland. The business has over £750m Assets Under Advice and more than 3500 clients.   

Momentum 

France thanked Grove, Thomas and Speake for their "entrepreneurialism and support as the business matured and consolidated" and said that the buyout will secures Abbey Wealth's long-term future and provide the momentum for" executing new growth strategies".  

Adrian Grove comments: "We spent 15 years growing Abbey Wealth into the finest client-focussed, pan-European specialist financial advice firm and none of this would have been achievable without the dedication and commitment of absolutely everybody involved. Now the right team is in place, Calvin and I feel the time is right to explore new horizons.

Abbey's Co-founder, Calvin Thomas, added: "It's been a privilege to work with so many talented, dedicated, hardworking individuals over the last 15 years. A great many of our team have played vital roles in our success. It's been an amazing journey, and I'd like to express my gratitude to everyone involved. I'm certain that the future looks extremely bright, and I wish everyone at Abbey the very best." 

Dublin-based financial services outlets Clearwater International provided transaction support to the vendor. Clark Hill provided legal support to the acquirer and Maples provided legal assistance to the vendors, the company aid in a statement.