Target Professional Services (UK) Ltd

Meridian advised Lisa Lyon, founder shareholder and director of Target Professional Services (UK) Ltd ("Target") on the restructure of her company.

Founded in 1988, Target are market leading global tracing and data verification specialists based in Selsey, West Sussex. Lisa Lyon, Managing Director and sole owner since 2001, has led Target’s continued growth for almost two decades, building an outstanding reputation with pension schemes, financial service companies and government authorities for their domestic and international tracing and verification requirements.  

Target has an ambitious sales and business development strategy to increase market coverage and their international client base, so in preparation for this the company engaged Meridian to structure a transaction that widened the shareholding, incentivising the incumbent management team and attracting new Directors and skill sets to the Board.

Lisa, remains a committed, significant shareholder and director of the business, and is now joined by the existing experienced management team with a broad range of competencies and shared values. As a result, the company is now perfectly placed to deliver its growth plans, as it looks to expand its client base and enter new geographies. The restructuring has been self-funded by the management team to ensure they deliver the company strategy.

Commenting on the transaction, Lisa said, "Target has consistently grown over recent years to become the leading pension tracing firm in the UK, many firms aspire to follow. The company has determined growth aspirations and this restructuring enables us to look at new strategies and ensure Target continues to provide the best service to clients now and in the future. 

Meridian were instrumental in assisting throughout the transaction, from formulating a structure to its completion. They introduced us to various regional advisers and were able to implement the transaction within a tight deadline. We all look forward to continuing to work with our partners and clients over the coming years and continuing to provide a market leading offering in tracing and data verification. 

If you’re considering your company’s next stage of growth or exiting your business, I highly recommend that you contact them to explore the numerous options available to you.”

Philip Mettam, Director at Meridian who led the transaction commented, "When we first met Target they were unsure how to manage and structure the process of empowering the wider management team. We worked with Lisa and the team to sculpt a structure that worked for all parties and ensures Target is best placed to take advantage of the growth opportunities available in coming years."