This specialist full-service environmental communications consultancy has earned a strong reputation for its distinctive mix of technical insight and creative flair. Its team of experienced communicators and subject-matter experts has built long-standing relationships with international NGOs, research institutes, corporates, and government partners, delivering strategic communications that inspire action on pressing environmental challenges worldwide.
With a fully integrated service model, the company combines strategic consultancy with a broad range of creative agency capabilities. From initial concept development through to final delivery, the company provides communications services that are both impactful and precisely tailored to each client’s needs. The team’s depth of subject-matter expertise, in particular in blue planet issues, enables a nuanced understanding of technical content, client sensitivities, and reputational considerations from the outset. This insight informs every stage of project delivery. There is significant potential and intent to expand into synergistic subject areas, building on this distinctive and effective approach.
The company operates under a dual-entity structure, separating its commercial activities from its non-profit, research-led projects. This approach enables it to maintain a strong presence in both commercial and mission-driven sectors, supporting diverse clients and funding models while remaining aligned with its core values.
Key Aspects
- Succession Planning and Operational Readiness: With succession planning being undertaken for the past three years, the company focused on building robust operational and financial systems that support seamless onboarding of new clients and staff. The business is now professionally managed and operates smoothly, offering a plug-and-play opportunity for a buyer. A Managing Director currently oversees day-to-day operations and will continue to lead the business post-sale. Supporting this is a well-established Senior Leadership Team, with Heads in place across all departments to ensure distributed senior responsibility and minimal reliance on shareholders in daily operations.
- Distinctive Full-Service Offering: The company provides a comprehensive communications consultancy service, covering everything from strategic development through to execution and delivery. What sets the company apart is its ability to integrate sector experts, leading creatives, and experienced event designers and facilitators into its project teams. This breadth of skills and perspectives enables the company to deliver high-impact, tailored solutions that go beyond the standard agency model.
- Contracted Recurring Revenue Streams Secured: c65% of revenue is secured through recurring revenue streams, supported by 30 active client contracts, 20 of which are long-term or rolling agreements, providing strong revenue visibility.
- Diverse In-house Expertise: The company combines experienced science and policy professionals with expert communications and agency talent. The team delivers across a wide range of formats, including social media, events creation and management, brand identity and messaging, and multimedia content such as videos and podcasts.
- High Level of Repeat and Referral Business: The development of a strong brand has resulted in c84% of sales being secured through repeat and referral customers.
- Strong Client Retention: With its top 10 clients remaining active, the company has maintained a strong client retention rate of c70% over the past five years.
- Blue-chip Client Base: Clients primarily consist of major charities, businesses, governments departments, and research institutes from over 20 countries.
- Growing Order Book: £450k of work is already secured for the next 12 months with a healthy pipeline of opportunities, active proposals, and quotes being expected to add to the current order book value.
- Outstanding Technical Experience in Marine and Environmental Communications: The company has developed deep expertise in marine communications; fisheries, ocean conservation, and sustainable seafood, setting it apart from typical environmental consultancies. While capable across all environmental topics, its specialisation in “blue” issues is rare and well-established. With many team members holding PhDs or relevant professional backgrounds, the company engages with clients as subject-matter specialists, enabling fast onboarding and effective delivery of complex projects. Its long-standing presence in this niche also provides access to valuable networks that support both delivery and business development.
- Resilient Financial Performance: Despite being gently traded, the company has grown organically without external funding or debt, the company has consistently outperformed sector trends, including periods of wider market downturn. Its financial resilience reflects strong operational discipline and sustained client demand.
- Dual-Entity Structure Supporting Values and Growth: Operating under a dual-entity structure, the company combines a commercial arm, with a non-profit arm focused on complex, research-led projects. This model not only reinforces its values but also enables access to diverse funding streams and client types, contributing to both impact and profitability.
Opportunities
- Potential for Growth Through Enhanced Marketing: The company has grown exclusively through organic means, without taking on debt or engaging in formal marketing until now. Following its recent rebranding, the company has entered a new phase of proactive outreach, including targeted prospecting into sectors that align with its expertise and values-driven approach. This strategy is expected to enhance brand visibility and generate new business opportunities, supporting future growth in revenue and profitability.
- Scope for Rate Optimisation: Billable efficiency across the company has steadily improved over the past two years and is now strong. With scope for further internal optimisation, a buyer servicing larger clients or operating in higher-rate sectors could immediately enhance profitability by aligning the company's rates with their existing pricing structures, even modest rate adjustments having the potential to significantly boost turnover.
- Established Sector Leadership with Opportunities for Expansion: The company is best known for its work in fisheries, ocean conservation, and sustainable seafood, areas where it has built a strong reputation and deep expertise. Building on this foundation, the company is now actively expanding into new sectors, including terrestrial sustainability (forestry, agriculture, biodiversity, and rewilding), sustainable food systems and food security, and social and environmental justice causes. These areas are being targeted through strategic client outreach, strategic network development, and thought-leadership initiatives to support long-term growth.
- Untapped Potential in Global Markets: Currently, the company receives requests to bid for global-scale projects that require a footprint in global markets to deliver aspects of the work. An acquirer with a presence in international and global markets would be primed to capitalise on this untapped potential with minimal additional resources being required.
- Opportunity to Partner with Technical Consultancies: The company has recently started developing close strategic partnerships with other consultancies which allows the company to work on additional projects. These consultancies lack the creative communications capacity that the company brings to the table; as a result, these companies are interested in developing proposals together to fulfil stakeholder engagement and other needs. A technical consultancy seeking to streamline and diversify its offering has a golden opportunity to inherit a highly regarded creative communications service as a bolt-on.
Turnover - £1.3m
Adj. EBITDA - £269k
