HMT LLP advised Rockpool Investments and Chad Lion-Cachet on their investment in leading event and creative agency Smyle Creative Limited.
Founded by Rick Stainton and Matt Margetson in 2003, Smyle is a leading creative agency delivering live and digital experiences to business and consumer audiences around the world, employing 70 full time staff with global brands as clients from sectors including tech, media, IT, finance and pharmaceutical.
Smyle has delivered numerous international events for clients such as Samsung, Facebook, Salesforce, EY, BT and ARM. Its recent work has included client projects delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Mobile World Congress, the UEFA Champions League Final and producing the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Ryder Cup.
Smyle is the winner of UK Event Agency of the Year a record four times in the last decade.
Chad Lion-Cachet invested alongside Rockpool to help drive further organic growth in the business and to start a buy and build strategy. Chad has been appointed Executive Chairman of Smyle to work alongside the management team and to strengthen the board with his deep knowledge of the global events industry.
HMT acted as lead advisors on the transaction which included negotiating detailed investment terms, securing funding, tax structuring and project managing the deal to successful completion.
“I am delighted to be joining Smyle as Executive Chairman at such an exciting time for this dynamic and innovative business. Smyle has made a name for itself by being extremely creative and retaining an entrepreneurial mindset as it has grown – something we will preserve as the business achieves scale. I am very much looking forward to working with Rockpool and the Smyle management team.
HMT have been incredibly supportive offering tremendous advice and demonstrating great perseverance throughout this deal. They are clearly deal doers and managed stakeholders very well to get the deal done.”– Chad Lion-Cachet, Executive Chairman of Smyle
“It has been our pleasure to advise Chad and Rockpool on their investment into Smyle and working with all parties to bring this deal over the line. Smyle is a business which is going from strength to strength and making real waves in its industry. We wish them every success and look forward to working with them on their exciting buy and build opportunity.”
– Andrew Thomson
