We are very pleased to announce that Ellis Whittam (EW) has been acquired by Marlowe Plc. EW, founded by solicitor Mark Ellis in 2004, provides employment law, HR and safety support to over 35,000 UK employers. On announcing the sale Mark said: “I am delighted that EW has become part of the Marlowe Group. EW will become Marlowe’s platform for growth in employment law, HR and safety compliance. Marlowe’s investment is a testament to the strength and success of the EW team and to EW’s outstanding reputation. Marlowe shares our values, integrity and ambition and it is a great new home for EW.”
Marlowe is a leader in services which assure safety and regulatory compliance, whilst managing risk for businesses across the country. The different businesses within the group are focused on providing technology-enabled services across health & safety, compliance software, HR & employment law, fire safety, security, water & air hygiene and occupational health. Individually, the different companies within Marlowe are leaders in their respective fields but taken as a whole the group is able to deliver an end-to-end approach to safety & regulatory compliance.
EW will retain its identity and CEO, Gavin Snell, will continue to lead the business, with the entire EW team continuing in their roles. Says Gavin: “Thanks to our founder, Mark Ellis, and private equity partner (LDC), Ellis Whittam has been able to grow significantly over the last 4 years and we are now delighted to join the Marlowe Group who are uniquely positioned to support us to consolidate and grow our position as a UK leader in high quality subscription based compliance services. In addition to the highly valued service that we deliver to existing clients, joining the Marlowe Group will enable us to improve and expand our service to clients, with integrated solutions to manage all areas of compliance and safety, including hygiene, water treatment, fire safety and security and air quality and testing services.”
Gavin Snell, CEO
Marlowe’s CEO, Alex Dacre commented: “For a number of years we have admired Ellis Whittam’s progress and we are delighted that such a quality and well-regarded business has today joined Marlowe plc. Marlowe is a platform for dynamic & ambitious service businesses led by industry leading management teams with clear strategies to realise their significant growth aspirations. Our group is made up of some of the UK’s leading technology-enabled, regulated safety & compliance service businesses – each which is run autonomously from one another but are complementary to one another. We see significant opportunities in the Employment Law, HR & Health and Safety market, which is a core area of our strategy and investment focus. We are looking forward to working with CEO Gavin Snell, CFO Andy Gunson and the whole Ellis Whittam team to realise these opportunities and take the business forward in this exciting next chapter of growth.”
Mark Ellis, who will retire from EW on completion of the sale, said: “I’m immensely proud of EW, its people and clients and I take this opportunity to thank all of them for their support. It gives me great comfort to leave EW in the safe hands of Marlowe, Gavin and the rest of the EW team. I have no doubt that the future for the business, its colleagues and clients will be exciting and successful.”
