What we do
Private Market Transactions
Investor-grade positioning for private PE exits – making your portfolio company look and sound like the investment case, and drive interest under diligence scrutiny.
Most portfolio companies communicate like customer businesses - not like buyer-ready growth assets. You don’t need PR. You need the company to look and feel like the investment case you’re selling.
What it is
Principal-led counsel to make the company’s story, proof, and external signals match the growth narrative that buyers are being asked to underwrite.
PortCo comms teams tend to optimise for customers; we help optimise for buyers.
Built for private exits (trade, secondary, recap/refi) where the business is not going public, but the buyer’s scrutiny is still institutional.
Focused on the “red thread”: creating narrative coherence from management story to what a buyer can actually verify; and avoiding sources of dissonance.
Designed to increase buyer conviction, reduce credibility discounts, prevent self-inflicted errors.
Who it’s for
Typical scale: EV £100m+ and up; UK/Europe HQ’d assets, UK/US sponsors; some existing communications capacity.
PE deal leads and Partners running an exit and wanting cleaner buyer conviction.
Value creation / operating partners trying to de-risk the asset before process.
PortCo CEOs and CFOs who need a repeatable, defensible narrative under pressure.
Transition-exposed assets where licence to operate, regulation, and claims discipline matter.
What you get
A clear equity story
A tight narrative architecture: what we’re selling, why it wins, and why now — stated in verifiable terms.
No points of dissonance
Removal of contradiction and concern across channels – before diligence and senior stakeholder attention arises.
Claims you can stand behind
A practical “say / don’t say” discipline that holds up under diligence and anti-greenwash scrutiny.
External picture to match the investment case
The essentials (website, leadership narrative, core messaging) aligned so buyers see a serious, coherent asset that looks and feels like the equity story.
Management narrative that doesn’t drift
CEO/CFO story, repeatable answers, and Q&A preparation to reduce improvisation risk in buyer meetings.
Rapid sense-checking during the process
Senior judgement at the moments that matter: trade-offs, wording under scrutiny, and “is this defensible?” decisions.
How it works
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Equity Story – establish (and refine) equity story with deal lead and management team. Capped interview process across
PortCo comms review – cross channel high-level review of positioning and digital estate. Includes assessment of key management story-telling narrative.
Comms function assessment – are the PortCo’s current capabilities sufficient to deliver desired positioning and proof-points
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Return on Effort assessment of positioning actions
Roadmap, governance, and responsibilities towards
Oversight of implementation and course correction
Ongoing calibration to buyer scepticism: what will be challenged, what won’t land.
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Principal-led: Tom Rayner is the day-to-day lead.
Fortnightly working rhythm during readiness phase; increased intensity in live process.
Fast-turn sense-checking on high-stakes drafts and decisions.
Direct access for the deal lead and CEO/CFO; short, focused sessions.
Practical outputs: concise docs, usable language, decision-ready options.
Low ceremony, high judgement.
Typical moments we get pulled in
“We’re 6–9 months from exit and the business still communicates like a customer brand.”
Future growth story is not visible or evidenced outside of the dataroom.
Equity story and business is strong, but external channels are a mess.
Management presentation / IM narrative lacks a credible red thread.
PortCo CEO/CFO narrative is inconsistent across meetings; buyers are picking at gaps.
A live process throws up stakeholder issues: leaks, activist attention, regulator sensitivity (handled as messaging and counsel, not press office).
What it’s not
Not PR press-office work. We don’t run journalist outreach or “announce the deal” mechanics.
Not a generic marketing refresh. Any brand/website build at scale is separate; we focus on narrative, proof, and decision support.
Not IPO comms or public reporting. If you’re listing, that’s a different service, and will need additional bandwidth that we don’t offer.
Not a delivery machine. We stay small and senior; we successfully partner with execution teams where volume is required.
Not corporate finance. For the avoidance of doubt - No valuation, pricing, deal structuring, negotiation strategy, securities advice, or introductions.
Commercials
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Typically £6,000 per month.
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Typically 4 months.
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Payable on completion of a transaction, client-set within a pre-agreed band (size-adjusted).
Illustrative band: £50k–£400k.
Set within 30 days post-close in a short review meeting with deal lead + Partner + CFO/Op Partner.
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Completion within 12 months of end of term still triggers the completion bonus.
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Limited concurrent exits to protect principal attention.
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1-week diagnostic (materials review and limited interviews).
Explore our other services
Retained Strategic Communications Counsel
Ongoing access to senior judgement, strategic perspective, and decision support. Advisory-led. Flexible. Non-operational.
Strategic Narrative & Positioning Project
A focused project to clarify, reset, or strengthen organisational narrative and positioning in the context of commercial reality, sustainability ambition, and market expectations.
Comms Function & Agency Diagnostic
An independent, senior assessment designed to surface structural issues rather than tactical noise - so leaders can make confident decisions on people, structure, agencies, and expectations.
Get in touch
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about our offering.
We will be happy to discuss your context and whether our advisory approach is right for you.