We acquire and operate UK regulated-services businesses — succession partners for owners, not consolidators.
Continuity over change.
What we offer owners.
Most acquirers ask owners to stay on through a multi-year earnout, fold the brand into a corporate identity within a year or two, and rationalise costs through synergy programmes. We do the opposite, on four explicit terms.
The trade-off is honest: this rarely means the highest headline price available. For an owner ready to step away with the business intact and most of the cash in their pocket on day one, the trade tends to be a good one.
Successful, well-run specialist businesses with durable customer relationships.
We look for owner-led businesses across the UK, with loyal customers, recurring or contracted revenue, established reputations in their local or regional market, and a team capable of continuing to operate under new ownership. We are most drawn to situations where an owner is considering succession or retirement and wants the business they have built to be continued, not taken apart.
- GeographyAcross the UK
- Revenue£2–10m
- EBITDA£0.5–1.5m
- Enterprise value£2.5–5m
- Deal typeSuccession-driven sale by founder or long-tenured owner
- Sector focusRegulated UK services where expertise, accreditation, or compliance create durable competitive position
If your business sits outside these ranges but the fit is otherwise close, please still get in touch — the sizing is indicative, not a hard filter.
How a conversation with us works.
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An introductory callA confidential conversation with our Managing Partner, Craig. We talk about the business, your timing, and what a good outcome would look like for you. NDA on request.
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A written proposalIf both sides want to take it further, we set out what we’d offer — in writing and specific — within a few weeks of the first call.
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A preliminary agreementOnce a proposal both sides are comfortable with is in place, we move to formal headline terms, typically with a short period of exclusivity.
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CompletionFrom there to closing usually takes a few months, working alongside your accountant and lawyer through diligence, financing, and legal documentation.
Throughout, you deal with Craig directly. If we can’t move forward, we say so quickly — your time matters as much as ours.
Built on lived experience and financial discipline.
Craig Ritchie is the founder and Managing Partner of Heimdall Partners. Originally from Scotland, his career has spanned actuarial advisory at Hymans Robertson in Edinburgh and London, strategy consulting at Strategy& in Saudi Arabia, and financial advisory at Cigna in Dubai. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, is a Fellow of the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries, and has passed CFA Levels 1 and 2.
Beyond the corporate roles, Craig served four years as a Director of Air Services Training — a Scottish SME at the same scale as Heimdall’s acquisition targets — working to remain solvent through the challenges caused by Covid. He left at the end of his board term. Craig did this work with the safety net of full-time employment elsewhere, but the lessons are what dictates Heimdall's approach.
Heimdall exists to be a long-term home for founders considering succession, supported by the financial discipline and structural rigour these deals actually require.
He is a keen golfer and avid football fan, but get him talking about any sport and he will have an opinion.
