Private equity founders open Endless partnership to four long-serving employees

Chris Clegg, Mathew Deering, Aidan Robson and James Woolley will join Garry Wilson and Darren Forshaw as partners from May 1.

The 10-year-old firm’s investments now number 19 with aggregated revenues of £2.5bn and 14,000 employees.

Garry Wilson, managing partner, said: “Chris, Mat, Aidan and James have been with us for the whole Endless journey and for many years before that.

“The success of Endless is in no small part due to them and the raising of Endless Fund IV has enabled us to bring our friends and colleagues on board as co-owners of the Endless business.”

The fourth fund was oversubscribed and closed at £525m in December. Endless has raised a total of £1bn from regional, national and international sources to invest in UK businesses.

The firm made its name doing turnaround work on companies such as Vasanta and Crown Paints and has graduated to mid-market private equity deals.

David Newett, the publicity-shy Yorkshire property entrepreneur, was a founding partner alongside Mr Wilson and Mr Forshaw, who went to him with the investment proposal when they worked at Ernst & Young.

They bought him out in 2012 and held equal stakes in the limited liability partnership.

Asked about the equity split in the new arrangement, Mr Forshaw said: “That’s secret.”

Mr Wilson added: “Everyone is happy.”