Private equity investor LDC has made a ‘significant’ investment in performance marketing agency Shoptimised.

Founded in 2018, Tyneside-based Shoptimised’s software-as-a-service platform helps retailers, and the marketing businesses that support them, to increase online sales.

The business has seen strong growth in recent years as more businesses look to enhance the performance of their eCommerce marketplaces amid rising demand. It employs over 40 people and has more than 1,000 customers in the UK and Europe.

LDC is backing Shoptimised’s management team, led by Nick McQue, Brad Hall, Scott Hollande, Alex Sinden, Scott Walters and co-founder John Cave. David Zborowski recently joined the business as CTO to lead the future development roadmap and help the business to combine product feed optimisation with industry leading AI.

CybaVerse has closed a Series A funding round at £5 million.

The Chichester cybersecurity company raised the funds from Pembroke VCT, Airbridge and Haatch to ‘switch from founder-led sales to a scalable SaaS growth model’.

Founded in 2018, CybaVerse has grown from a boutique consultancy into an established UK cyber security vendor, with nearly 40 employees and a rapidly expanding customer base. 

Audioboom Group plc has reported a record Q3 trading period.

The global podcast company said that for the quarter ended 30th September 2025 adjusted EBITDA profit was $1.2 million, up 18%; revenue was $20.4m, up 9%; and gross profit was $4.3m.

All were records for Q3.

Adjusted EBITDA profit for the nine months to 30th September was $3m, up 127% on the same period last year, with revenue of $55.5m, up 5%.

Average monthly distribution for Q3 was 135m downloads and video views, up 40% on Q3 2024 following the acquisition of Adelicious in July 2025 and the ‘fast-paced growth of Audioboom’s video podcasts’.

The group has in excess of $79m revenue for 2025 booked – 7% up on total 2024 revenue with 11 weeks of the year remaining.

RWS Holdings plc has appointed Stephen Lamb as CFO.

The content solutions company said he will join in the first quarter of 2026.

Lamb has 25 years’ experience working in high-growth, listed international business services companies, including in software and data product markets. He has been group finance director and a board member at Midwich Group plc – an AIM-listed audio visual distribution business with £1.3bn annual revenues – for the last seven years.

He has also served as CFO for the international division of Iron Mountain Inc, overseeing $800m revenues and operations in 37 countries, and held several senior finance roles at Regus plc, now part of IWG plc.

Earlier in his career he spent 13 years at Experian plc, culminating as regional CFO for the Asia-Pacific and India division, having previously qualified as a chartered accountant at PwC.

Oxford Metrics has returned to year-on-year revenue growth.

The listed smart sensing and software company services life sciences, entertainment, engineering and smart manufacturing markets.

For the financial year ended 30th September 2025, it said overall group revenue and adjusted EBIT is expected to be broadly in line with market expectations.

The group finished the year with a cash balance of £37m after acquisition consideration of £5.4m, £4.2m on dividend payment and £8.3m spent on share buybacks.

 

 

 

The Information Commissioner’s Office has issued a fine of £14 million to Capita for failing to ensure the security of personal data related to a breach in 2023 that saw hackers steal millions of people’s information.

Capita plc has been fined £8m and Capita Pension Solutions Limited has been fined £6m, giving a combined total of £14m.

The cyber attack took place in March 2023. The personal information of 6.6m people was stolen, from pension records and staff records to the details of customers of organisations Capita supports. This included sensitive information such as details of criminal records, financial data or ‘special category’ data.

The ICO initially informed Capita of its provisional intention to fine it a combined total of £45m. Capita then submitted representations and mitigating factors on the provisional decision, which the ICO considered. This included the improvements made after the attack, support offered to affected individuals and engagement with other regulators and the National Cyber Security Centre.

The ICO and Capita have now agreed to a voluntary settlement. Capita has acknowledged the ICO’s decision and admitted liability, agreeing to pay a final penalty of £14m without appealing.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Shares in THG plc jumped 10.9% on Friday morning after the online retail group posted its highest organic growth in four years.

Its shares, as of 3:35pm on Tuesday, were trading at 41.5p – up from 37.4p at the close of play yesterday.

This is the highest it has been since early January and its market cap now sits at £520.4m.

The turnaround has also seen THG rejoin the FTSE 250, reflecting a growing belief that its strategy is starting to deliver.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Shares in Mitie Group plc have surged more than 11% today after the facilities management and professional services firm reported strong first-half trading and confirmed plans to resume a £100 million share buyback.

The FTSE 250 company said it expects higher full-year operating profit after a strong start to FY26, citing growth across its Technology Services and Decarbonisation divisions.

Former Health Minister Lord Markham has been appointed as chair of HealthTech investor Spex Capital.

Spex, which invests at the early stage, has also announced the first €30 million commitment to its flagship €100m venture HealthTech Fund.

The fund will invest globally in early-stage healthtech startups, from Seed to Series A/B, with investments of up to €5m.

Castelnau Group has secured a £65 million revolving loan facility from Shawbrook.

The listed closed-ended investment company, managed by Phoenix Asset Management Partners, backs small- to mid-cap private companies.

It will refinance its existing debt with the deal. The day-one drawdown totalled over 90% of the facility.

Author: Patrick Killeen

Warehouse robotics and data intelligence company Dexory has raised £124 million to expand its global operations and advance its autonomous warehouse technology.

The raise, which includes a £75m Series C funding round led by Eurazeo’s Growth team, alongside LTS Growth and Endeavor Catalyst, brings the London-based firm’s total funding to date to more than £188m.

Existing backers including DTCP, Atomico, Lakestar, Elaia, Latitude Ventures, and Wave-X also took part, while Bootstrap Europe extended the company’s growth debt facility.

The 43rd Women of the Year Awards took place on Friday at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.

Over 400 people gathered to listen to the stories of and celebrate the three winners, whittled down from more than 300 nominations.

Rachel Corp, chief executive officer of ITN, was the recipient of the Business Woman of the Year award. As well as overseeing one of the largest independent production companies in the UK, Corp is also involved with Women in Journalism, Women for Women International, and the RSA BAFTA. Special commendation was given to Sue Wright from Harrogate Group.

Neev Spencer, a broadcaster and presenter of Magic Radio’s weekday afternoon show, took home the ‘Freeths Woman with Edge’ award. Spencer is an ambassador for The British Asian Trust and other charities. Special commendation was given to Leisa Nichols- Drew from De Montfort University.

The Women of the Post Office were honoured with the Emmeline Pankhurst ‘Woman of Achievement’ award, recognising their courage and fight against one of the worst injustices in British history with the Horizon Scandal.

eBay, PayPal, Temu and B&Q are among organisations pledging to lead the way in supporting the small businesses which use their platforms.

Leading online marketplaces and payment providers have collectively signed a pledge that promotes fair treatment for small businesses with regards to cashflow and payments. Providers are required to undertake checks to ensure they are complying with a wide range of regulations, which can result in funds being withheld from small businesses.

The new 10-point pledge includes commitments to communicate effectively with small businesses when funds are withheld, support them understanding their obligations and to deal with complaints or issues as swiftly as possible.

Brought together by the Small Businesses Commissioner Emma Jones, the guidance accompanying the pledge sets out the terms under which businesses may have their funds withheld, including the regulations under which the platforms operate. It also advises small businesses how they can effectively navigate this and avoid situations where their funds are withheld.

Payments tech firm Ryft has launched an omnichannel payment solution to unify in-person and online transactions.

Ryft empowers marketplaces, franchises and digital platforms to automate reconciliation and monetise transactions wherever they’re captured.

Early investors Ingenii VC and Pembroke VCT are doubling down on their initial investments with a fresh injection of funding.

Allianz UK has announced the appointment of Mansoor Reehana to the newly created role of head of artificial intelligence.

In his new role, within the central data team, Reehana will be responsible for the strategy, architecture and product delivery of AI projects.

Reehana joined Allianz in May 2023 as a data science manager and has been instrumental in managing a portfolio of data science, machine learning and AI activities. He has played a pivotal role in the design and migration of AI platforms and the implementation of Generative AI.

Prior to joining Allianz, he held roles at EY’s AI Center of Excellence, and Crawford & Company, where he was responsible for leading global data transformation initiatives.

Risers:

Mitie Group – +7.63%
Entain – +6.28%
Hollywood Bowl Group – +6.10%
Bellway – +5.89%
EasyJet – +4.42%

Fallers:
Bytes Technology Group – -10.78%
Morgan Advanced Materials – -8.01%
Volution Group – -5.26%
Ithaca Energy – -4.54%
Metlen Energy & Metals – -4.27%

Global business services provider Paragon Group has appointed Stephen Lester to the newly created role of group chief technology officer following a period of rapid expansion for the business.

Formerly CTO for Paragon’s UK, Ireland and Luxembourg region, Lester’s role will shift from building the technology foundations that have supported the region’s key business lines, to setting a strategy that consolidates investment and innovation in technology across Paragon’s global footprint.

Crucial to his role will be refining the frameworks and governance required by the business to support the needs of its diverse set of customers, which span highly regulated industries and the world’s best-known consumer brands, the firm says.

Sedulo Group, one of the UK’s fastest-growing business advisory firms, has announced the appointment of Liz Chapman as its new chief marketing officer, based in the Manchester office.

Chapman brings over 24 years of strategic leadership from the UK’s top media agencies, most recently in a senior role at Carat UK. She has helped to shape the voice and growth of some of Britain’s most recognisable consumer brands, including Virgin, Greggs, Holland & Barrett, and Co-op.

Her arrival is the latest in a leadership recruitment drive across the UK from Sedulo – who are closing in on £25m of turnover in 2025 – following the appointments of Ross Preston as head of audit and Ben Vaux as corporate tax director in Leeds, and Simon O’Brien as managing partner in Birmingham.

Grateful has raised £1.5 million seed funding from Calculus Capital.

The Harrogate- and London-based cashless tipping platform was founded in 2022 by Mason Potter (CEO), Jarrod Potter (chair) and Damian Guy (CPTO) after their experience in the United States, where they saw first-hand how well-managed tipping could profoundly boost team motivation and performance.

They found that operators were drowning in admin – operating on huge, complex Excel sheets for tip pooling – whilst service workers were being hit with a lack of transparency and trust in the arrangements.

Kainos has secured a contract of up to three years to strengthen NHS digital capabilities for preventative healthcare.

The award, through NHS England’s Digital Prevention Service Portfolio (DPSP), will improve access to vaccinations and screenings through the NHS App, and will accelerate the delivery of personalised, preventative healthcare in line with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan.

Through the partnership – supported by Public Digital, Baringa, Healthia, Helix Centre, Scroll and ETHOS – Kainos will scale the Digital NHS Health Check service, enabling citizens to complete health assessments and receive tailored advice at home via the NHS App and website.

New digital resources will also support self-care, including mental health tools, weight management support, and diabetes risk reduction pathways.