Osborne Clarke advises Agilia Infrastructure Partners on its investment from Growth Capital Partners

International legal practice Osborne Clarke has advised the shareholders of Agilia Infrastructure Partners on a significant investment from Growth Capital Partners (GCP).

Agilia, which was majority owned by an employee ownership trust prior to the transaction, has secured growth capital from GCP to support the next stage of its development. As part of the transaction, Agilia’s co‑founders, Mike Pugsley and Amar Qureshi, have reinvested alongside GCP, together with Agilia's employees, preserving the strong alignment within the business that has underpinned its success to date.

Agilia is a specialist adviser to major infrastructure projects, with experience across some of the UK’s most complex schemes and a mandate spanning energy, water, transport and defence. It is currently supporting projects with an aggregate capital value in excess of £100 billion and has built a distinctive position as a trusted partner to leading infrastructure developers.

GCP is an established investor in founder-led and highly specialist businesses, backing management teams in the knowledge and services sectors to deliver sustainable, long-term growth.

This transaction brings together a market-leading infrastructure advisory business and an experienced growth investor, while carefully preserving the employee ownership ethos that is central to Agilia’s culture. It’s a good example of the kind of complex, multi-disciplinary deal on which Osborne Clarke is regularly instructed, and we look forward to seeing the business continue to grow in partnership with GCP.

Simon Smith, Corporate partner at Osborne Clarke.

Osborne Clarke brought exactly the blend of expertise we needed for this transaction. Their deep understanding of employee ownership trusts and how to structure a sale while preserving our ownership ethos was invaluable, and their advice to the management team on the new investment and equity arrangements was outstanding. The team helped us navigate a complex process smoothly and efficiently, ensuring our people remain strongly aligned as we move into the next phase of Agilia’s growth with GCP.

Mike Pugsley, co-founder of Agilia.

Osborne Clarke fielded a multi-disciplinary team to advise on the investment and the associated equity arrangements. On the corporate acquisition side, the team comprised partner Simon Smith, associate director Rav Sagar, senior associate Oliver Wilson and associate Courtney Cox. On the equity side, the corporate team included partner Mike Freer, associate director Lottie France and associate Benjamin Smith. Incentives advice was led by partner Michael Carter; tax advice was provided by partner Mathew Oliver, associate director Becky Wallis and associate Emilia Fletcher; and employment aspects were handled by partner Lara Fatemi and associate Jack De BeethamWalton