.svg)
£1Bn+
of EOT transactions advisedOne Team.
One Engagement.
Full service.
Meet the team
Gerry Young
Gerry is a chartered accountant (ACA) who spent most of his career at PwC, London in the corporate finance division advising on SME transactions, before co-founding RVE in 2019.
At RVE Gerry has advised clients on over 50 EOT transactions across a broad range of sectors and deal sizes.
With over 30 years experience of advising on UK SME transactions which have included management buy-outs, trade sales, distressed sales, public company takeovers and of course EOT transactions, Gerry brings a wealth of experience to bear when advising clients on the exit option which is right for their company.
Mark Butler
Mark is a chartered accountant (ACA) with over 30 years’ experience of valuing companies and structuring corporate transactions.
Mark co-founded RVE in 2019 having previously worked at PwC, London in their corporate finance team and at the investment bank Henry Ansbacher.
At RVE Mark has advised on more than 50 completed EOT transactions across a wide range of sectors and deal sizes.
Mark brings a wealth of experience to bear when advising company owners on their exit options, the value of their company and deal structuring options.
.webp)
Andrew Carpenter
Andrew is a qualified solicitor who has spent most of his 30+ years career as a partner with international law firms in the City of London where he advised on domestic and international corporate transactions involving private companies and investors.
Having advised many owner managers of businesses as well as investors and corporate clients Andrew has a good understanding all sides of the EOT transaction which leads to a balanced and efficient approach.
Andrew’s role on an EOT transaction is to draft the legal documents which give effect to the transaction (the trust deed, the sale and purchase agreement and the incorporation documents for the trustee company being the principal documents) but also to advise more broadly, from a legal perspective, on how the transaction structure impacts the various stakeholders (the employees, the Company’s lenders, the shareholders and the directors).
Tom Lethaby
Tom has an MBA from the Henley Business School and is a qualified member of the corporate finance faculty of the ICAEW.
At RVE Tom has advised on EOT transactions across a variety of business sectors including: recruitment, professional services, manufacturing, veterinary services, consultancy and the creative industries. This breadth of experience reflects how broadly the EOT structure now applies to SMEs across the UK.
Tom represents RVE at the Membership Council of the Employee Ownership Association (“EOA”), the UK trade body that promotes employee ownership.
Tom speaks regularly at EOA events and has led a number of seminars sponsored by the EOA and other industry groups to promote better understanding of the benefits of employee ownership.
RVE is a leading adviser for EOT Transactions, with an integrated approach
In the UK each year approximately 300 companies are sold by their existing shareholders or founders to an EOT. RVE is a leading adviser in this field, having advised over 50 companies on their EOT transactions in the past six years.
RVE is an independent advisory firm which specialises in helping SMEs achieve the right exit option – the right option is often a sale to an EOT, but not always – and we will advise clients if a trade sale or other exit option would be preferable to an EOT transaction.
An EOT transaction requires a range of professional advice that spans valuation, tax structuring, HMRC clearance, stakeholder communications, corporate governance and legal advice, plus the efficient project management of the whole transaction process. RVE has the in-house expertise to advise on, and manage, the whole process, and has helped over 50 clients achieve their objectives.
The 2024 Budget and 2025 Budget have placed additional requirements on companies that wish to transition into EOT ownership and it is important that any company contemplating an EOT transaction appoints an adviser with the experience and the skill set to navigate the journey.
We find our clients value the ability to use just one experienced adviser to advise them on, and to manage, the entire process. This starts with a feasibility review (is a sale to an EOT the right exit option and if so, is the company suitable for an EOT transaction?), then passes through various stages (deal structuring, valuation, stakeholder communications, HMRC clearance and legal documentation) to completion of the transaction. Post-completion RVE continues to provide support to the company to ensure that the new EOT corporate structure is working smoothly.
How to get in touch
The form on our contact page is the route we prefer for a first conversation, it routes to Tom with the answers to the questions you provide. We aim to come back inside one working day.
If you prefer direct email, feel free to use the named-partner addresses above.
If you are an existing adviser referring a client, Tom’s email is the right first contact, he will route internally from there.
About - common questions.
EOA research consistently shows employee-owned businesses outperform privately-held peers on productivity, profitability and employee engagement. RVE founders consistently report that their businesses perform ahead of plan post-completion, with vendor loans paid down ahead of schedule. The cultural alignment and engagement boost typically delivers measurable productivity gains within the first 12 to 24 months of EO. Growth depends on the business; the EOT structure does not constrain it.
RVE comprises 4 professionals: Gerry Young (ACA), Mark Butler (ACA), Tom Lethaby (MBA) and Andrew Carpenter (solicitor). Gerry and Mark were previously at PwC, advising on corporate finance transactions in the London office, and Andrew was previously at Addleshaw Goddard, London, advising on corporate transactions. The team at RVE have advised on over 50 EOT Transactions over the past 6 years.
We offer a full advisory “one stop shop” service, managing the EOT transaction process from start to finish. We provide the necessary corporate finance advice (valuation, deal structuring and stakeholder management), tax clearance advice, and legal input with documentation, to get the transaction done. We can also take on the initial independent trustee role, which a lot of clients find very useful. So with RVE you only need to appoint one adviser (who will work on a fixed fee quote) as opposed to having to appoint and co-ordinate two or three different advisers. We also have extensive experience of advising on EOT Transactions, having advised on over 50 EOT Transactions over the past 6 years.
We are happy to talk over Teams or meet to discuss your exit planning.
We can normally assess whether an EOT transaction will be viable and the likely valuation range at our first meeting.
For accountants, lawyers, and wealth managers
Are you working with a client who should be considering a sale of their business to an EOT? We will complement the work you do to deliver an optimal outcome for your client.