BGF has appointed Sagacity Solutions CEO and co-founder Anita Dougall as a non-executive director.

Dougall has scaled the consumer data intelligence business since 2005 and it ranked second in the Independent E2E Forum’s 100 fastest-growing female-led UK businesses in 2025.

Her background spans senior roles in investment banking at NatWest Markets and credit strategy leadership at One2One (now EE).

The board shake-up also sees long-serving non-executive director Alice Avis stepping down in April 2026, as BGF continues its wider push to back UK growth companies, including a £300 million commitment to female-powered businesses within its £3 billion investment pledge.

Club L London has reported a record FY24-25, with turnover rising 48% year-on-year to £65.9 million and gross profit up 62% to £37.8m.

Profit before tax for the premium womenswear and lifestyle brand jumped to £14m from £3.1m, pushing margins from 6.9% to 21.1%, while net assets grew to £16.6m.

The performance was driven largely by international expansion, with especially strong growth in the US, Australia, the Middle East and several European markets supported by localisation efforts.

Investments in infrastructure and technology, including a dedicated US third-party logistics facility, have helped improve delivery speeds and customer experience as the brand scales globally.

Listed independent technology group Cohort plc has posted a solid first half, with revenue up 9% to £128.8 million, helped by growth across most of its businesses.

Adjusted operating profit dipped slightly to £9.7m and margins eased to 7.5%, largely due to a mix shift in Sensors and Effectors and planned lower-margin deliveries on a major Italian sonar programme.

Management kept full-year expectations unchanged and lifted the interim dividend 10% to 5.8p.

EMV Capital has backed another raise for portfolio firm Wanda Connected Health Systems, which has closed at £860,000 following strong US commercial momentum.

The funding combines £600,000 in equity, a £260,000 loan facility and a further £600,000 from exercised warrants, and will be used to scale operations with key US customers and deepen product development.

After the round, EMV Capital holds 16.5% of Wanda, valuing its stake at about £1.7 million, while EMV-syndicated third-party holdings in the business have risen to 29.6% – worth roughly £3.1m.

Wanda says demand is being driven by US health plans and employers seeking better chronic-disease and GLP-1 management, with the company targeting more than $5m ARR by the end of 2026.

The firm has also appointed former Greenbrook Healthcare founder Michael Steel as chair.

Lloyds Banking Group has named Peter Fitzgerald as its new chief investment officer, taking over from Kevin Doran who departs early next year after leading the group’s investment proposition.

Fitzgerald will run investment strategy and fund management across Scottish Widows and the recently acquired Schroders Personal Wealth arm, as Lloyds pushes for a stronger, more integrated customer offer.

He joins the FTSE 100 firm from Aviva Investors, where he was CIO for Multi-Asset & Macro, overseeing a global team managing more than £100bn.

With 25 years in multi-asset investing and macro strategy, he also brings senior experience from BNP Paribas Wealth Management and Insinger de Beaufort.

Author: Jamie Roberts, managing partner, YFM

The most successful initial private equity meetings share a counterintuitive trait: they feel less like presentations and more like a conversation over coffee. Yet founders repeatedly make the same missteps, mistaking polish for preparation and performance for partnership potential.

It’s not Dragons’ Den. It’s not a bank meeting. It’s a two-way chat between people who could, if all goes well, be working together for years. And while every meeting is different, the same themes, and the same mistakes, pop up again and again.

Our investment team conducts hundreds of first meetings annually.

So what works – and what doesn’t?

Project Four Building Safety Experts (P4) has reported that annual turnover is up 53.6% from £2.83 million in 2024 to £4.35m in 2025, driven by rising demand for Building Safety Act consultancy and growing repeat work. 

The firm says expansion of its national technical team and its focus on practical compliance advice have helped it win bigger mandates across the UK. 

Now in its ninth year, P4 operates from Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and London, with Birmingham next on the roadmap for 2026. 

The business has more than 200 active clients and a target of £11m turnover by 2030.

Optima Health Plc has reported an increase in half-year revenues – but EBITDA was down ‘reflecting the impact of National Insurance increases and plc costs’.

Optima – founded in 1947 and headquartered in Sheffield with bases in several UK cities – is a provider of technology enabled corporate health and wellbeing solutions.

For the six months to 30th September 2025, revenue was £59.5 million, 17% up on the previous year.

Adjusted EBITDA was £8.3m, down from £8.7m in HY 25.

During the period, it acquired Irish firm Cognate Health, the group’s first acquisition outside of the UK.

Listed IT managed services provider Redcentric plc has reported a fall in half-year profits – but profit before tax was up.

The Harrogate-based firm, which is in the process of selling its data centre division for £127m, reported £66.8m revenue for the six months ended 30th September 2025 – down 3.6% on the prior year.

Profit before tax was £1.9m, up 18.7%.

The company appointed Michelle Senecal de Fonseca, formerly a non-executive director, as CEO in May 2025 after Brian Woodford had lasted just two months in the role.

Author: Jonathan Symcox

Netcall plc has acquired Jadu, a Leicester-based provider of digital experience platforms, in a deal worth a potential £19.2 million.

The initial consideration is for £15.2m, with a £4m potential earn-out.

Netcall, headquartered in Bedford, is a listed provider of intelligent automation and customer engagement software.

It says the deal expands its presence in UK local government from around a third to a half of local councils, while also supporting international growth via an established US partner channel and customer base.

Author: Chris Maguire

New fact-checking measures have been introduced on health episodes of Steven Bartlett’s hit Diary of a CEO podcast.

Diary of a CEO (DOAC) claims to be the first major podcast to implement consistent on-screen fact-checking for health episodes after making a ‘significant investment in editorial rigour’.

The announcement was discreetly rolled out via the Dragons’ Den star’s personal website – StevenBartlett.com – on November 24^th and has gone largely unreported in the media.

It’s a far cry from the backlash last December’s BBC investigation into the podcast caused.

Back then, BBC World Service claimed their analysis of 15 health-related podcast episodes  found each contained an average of 14 harmful health claims that went against extensive scientific research.

Following the changes each health-focused episode is now reviewed by a medical PhD graduate, who provides notes that appear alongside the conversation.

The statement on Bartlett’s website said the approach went ‘beyond simple corrections’.

Author: Chris Maguire

THG founder and CEO Matt Moulding has increased his stake in the Manchester-headquartered online retailer to 25 per cent after the conversion of a convertible loan.

An announcement to the London Stock Exchange revealed that the 53-year-old’s equity interest equates to 429,873,034 shares in the company.

This comprises 307,682,946 ordinary voting shares and 122,190,088 unlisted ordinary shares.

Moulding, who founded THG 2004, reportedly acquired 209.1 million new voting shares at 32.3p worth £67.5m, in a convertible loan conversion.

THG’s share price currently stands at 45.61p, giving it a market cap of £729m.

This represents a significant recovery from its share price of 27p on September 4^th.

In March 2025 it was revealed that Moulding had committed up to £60m of his own money as part of a debt refinancing package and equity.

One analyst said at the time: “It’s one of the biggest founder subscriptions on the stock market in UK history.”

PCMIS Health Technologies has partnered with NHS England to launch the Nationwide Digital Pathway for the Infected Blood Psychological Service (IBPS).

The digital pathway, now live across England, will facilitate dedicated psychological support to those infected or affected by the national infected blood scandal.

PCMIS has been implemented as a standalone system to enhance the confidentiality provided to infected or affected people.

The launch represents a significant national undertaking, involving the coordination of multiple NHS services, specialist psychological care teams and clinical safety officers.

The FTSE 100 is up by around 15 points so far today in a quiet day for London’s biggest listed firms.

WPP (+6.03%) is the biggest riser so far, having reportedly won the UK Government’s £1.5bn strategy, planning and buying business ahead of Omnicom.

Defence companies on the prestigious index are also on the up, with Babcock (+2.47%) and BAE Systems (+2.07%) both experiencing price rises.

North East-based tech firm Sage (+2.48%) and education giant Pearson (+1.72%) are other incremental gainers making up the top five.

Meanwhile, Tesco (-1.73%) has dropped as it faces pressure from competitors as we enter the festive period.

The biggest loser so far today is Antofagasta (-3.01%) but the company is up by over 5% over the course of the last month. Easyjet (-1.49%) has also very slightly lost ground.

In the FTSE 250, Trustpilot (+5.38%) is the biggest riser. This follows a multitude of “transaction in own shares” RNS announcements and could be related to an ongoing buyback programme.

Helios Towers (+4.53%), Playtech (+3.15%), Man Group (+3.08%) and Close Brothers (+3.00%) round out the top five gainers.

On the flip side Ceres Power (-3.93%), Chemring (-3.64%), PayPoint (-3.91%), Wizz Air (-3.00%) and Partners Group PEY (-2.40%) has dropped slightly so far in what has been a day of not much movement in London.

The UK’s first female-led fund of funds (FOF) has named anchor partners and targeted a £130 million first close.

The Invest in Women Taskforce, established to support female entrepreneurs in the UK, announced Nationwide and the British Business Bank as new partners in the  ‘Women backing Women’ fund.

The fund, managed by Bootstrap4F – thought to be the largest dedicated FOF in the world – is the first female-led initiative of its kind, focused on deploying capital into female founded businesses and mixed investment teams in the UK.

 

The North West Business Leadership Team (NWBLT) has announced its new chair as Chris Woodroofe, managing director of Manchester Airport.

Outgoing chair Simone Peppi, co-founder of The Pilot Group, has agreed to remain as deputy chair of the organisation.

Emma Degg, chief executive of the NWBLT, said: “Chris has a well-deserved reputation for elegantly driving change and making a positive impact in sometimes challenging circumstances. Manchester Airport lies at the heart of our economy, and the impressive transformations Chris has already delivered are testament to his acumen.

“The success of the North West Business Leadership Team depends upon working in a positive and collaborative way with all our stakeholders, as we strive to make the region a better place. Chris perfectly embodies those values, and we are proud that he will be leading us.

“Simone’s extensive commercial experience, strong values, and a passion for positive environmental change will continue to help drive our work. Under her leadership the NWBLT has gone from strength to strength – particularly her regular reminders to us of the crucial role played by SMEs in driving the region’s growth. We are grateful to her for her service and so pleased that she has agreed to remain as deputy chair.”

eCommerce SEO agency Re:signal has acquired digital PR specialist Root Digital.

Re:signal says the move marks its evolution from a single agency into a group of specialist businesses built to support every aspect of SEO, content performance, digital reputation and AI discovery.

Re:signal works with leading eCommerce brands including ASICS, Under Armour, N Brown, Vivobarefoot and Jollyes ‘to stay ahead of shifting search algorithms, AI-driven discovery and intensifying competition’.

Root adds creative firepower with high impact, award-winning digital PR and content marketing campaigns for clients such as Radical Storage, Icewear and StandoutCV   – including a ‘Disappointing Masterpieces’ study that it says sparked global coverage and led the Louvre to reposition the Mona Lisa.

Root will operate as a distinct company within the Re:signal Group. The deal grows Re:signal Group’s revenue by 30% and also sees headcount increase by a third.

Author: Chris Maguire

ITA Group, a US-headquartered leader in engagement solutions, has acquired C2events, an award-winning Yorkshire-based event management agency specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors.

The strategic move strengthens ITA Group’s presence in Europe and enhances its ability to deliver world-class event experiences globally.

Founded in 2004 and based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, C2events employs 40 team members and has managed events in 20 countries and 37 cities across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and the US.

The agency has a reputation for creating impactful experiences for some of the world’s most recognised healthcare and pharmaceutical brands.

Mark Saxby, executive director, C2events, said: “Four of our five largest clients are US-based, and we’ve always aspired to have an operation in the US.

“When ITA approached us, the benefits were clear. This partnership allows us to enhance our services and accelerate growth while maintaining our culture and commitment to clients.”

ITA Group now has offices in the US, Australia, UK and the Netherlands, and maintains strategic partnerships in Belgium and Singapore.

Plum has been authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority as an Electronic Money Institution, giving it a major regulatory upgrade in the UK.

The AEMI licence means the FinTech can now hold and distribute e-money and provide services like transfers, direct debits and domestic payments without relying on third-party partners.

It marks another step in the app’s shift toward being a fully fledged personal finance platform, bringing more of the customer relationship in-house.

Founded in 2016, Plum now serves more than 2 million users across Europe, with over £6 billion saved via the app.

UrFuture, a Preston-founded recruitment app aimed at Gen Z jobseekers, has secured a five-figure investment from Lancashire’s Fhunded Angels network.

Launched in August 2025, the platform has already seen more than 23,000 downloads and around 20,000 active users, building a strong presence on TikTok and Instagram.

Its growing reach has attracted major employers including British Airways, Tesco, Sky, British Gas and the Metropolitan Police, who are using the platform to promote entry-level roles to younger audiences.

The funding adds momentum to a wider seven-figure raise the startup is targeting for early 2026 as it looks to scale in a crowded recruitment market.