S&W, a leading professional services group, has announced an agreement to acquire the global intellectual property advisory firm ClearViewIP, expanding its range of services to better support its clients.
Founded in 2007, ClearViewIP specialises in helping organisations unlock value from their innovations through strategic management of intangible assets. Based in London, the firm provides expertise in IP strategy, operational guidance and transactional advisory services across a diverse range of industries.
Under the agreement, two partners and ten employees from ClearViewIP will join S&W’s advisory division. The team brings decades of experience in protecting, managing and commercialising intellectual property, offering clients best practice solutions that strengthen their ability to compete in the marketplace.
This acquisition complements S&W’s existing advisory services, which include corporate finance, valuations, transaction services and forensic services, alongside business tax, audit, consulting and business outsourcing.
Andrew Wilkes, CEO at S&W, commented: “I’m delighted to welcome the team from ClearViewIP to S&W. ClearViewIP is a well-regarded and forward-thinking organisation with outstanding domestic and international growth potential. It is exactly the kind of high-quality firm we are looking to acquire as we accelerate our growth strategy in partnership with Apax Funds.
“Broadening our range of complementary services is central to our vision of being the go-to professional services firm for dynamic businesses and private clients with complex needs. Our acquisition of ClearViewIP gives us the ability to respond to demand we are seeing for intellectual property advisory services and helps deepen our relationship with clients.”
John Rugman, head of advisory at S&W, added: “In today’s fast-moving market, managing intellectual property is important for organisations to protect their innovations and deliver on their strategic objectives. ClearViewIP’s experienced team has a proven track record of helping organisations align strategies for intangible assets with business priorities. This deal enables S&W’s clients to access that expertise and maximise the value of their intellectual property investments.”
Jon Calvert, partner at ClearViewIP, added: “As ClearViewIP looks to continue its rapid expansion, S&W, with strong financial backing from Apax Funds, offered us a unique opportunity to scale quickly and rapidly build a team to meet the growing demand from our clients. As intangibles increasingly drive more value, the opportunity to embed our IP advisory services with an integrated advisory offering proved very compelling”.
