The Manchester office of Addleshaw Goddard, has advised Equistone Partners Europe, an independent investment firm, on its management buyout of WHP Telecoms from Palatine Private Equity.

The MBO will see Equistone take a majority stake in WHP Telecoms, the leading supplier of end-to-end professional and support services for all major UK mobile operators and infrastructure providers.

The Warrington-headquartered company, which has sites in Leeds, Glasgow, Birmingham and Heathrow, currently employs over 440 people.

The management team will continue to be led by Chief Executive Rob Potter, with Equistone’s Investment Directors Andi Tomkinson and Seb Leusch joining the WHP board as Non-Executive Directors. Palatine will take a minority stake alongside Equistone and the management team, having achieved a triple return on its initial investment.

The deal follows the close of the Equistone’s €2.8bn Fund VI, which is targeting buyouts valued between €50m and €500m.

The AG team advising on the MBO was led by Partner Paul Medlicott and Managing Associate Jemma Clarke, along with Ben Collins and Lucie Alker.

Andi Tomkinson, Investment Director at Equistone, said: “WHP is one of the longest established providers in the market and has grown significantly over the past few years. Equistone will work with WHP to further develop its offering and continue to support its growth in the changing telecoms infrastructure market, potentially looking at future acquisitions to boost organic growth.”

Paul Medlicott, Partner at Addleshaw Goddard, said: “The MBO of WHP Telecoms by Equistone Partners Europe is an excellent step forward for the company, and represents the next phase of WHP’s expansion as an expert service provider.”