Can I establish multiple companies in the stack at the same time?

We have a strong track record of establishing and administering structures for our private equity, asset manager and institutional clients. These typically include holding companies, stacks, bidcos, management incentive plans and standalone SPVs where specific targeted assets have been identified. If you need multiple vehicles, we can assist.

Do you have the availability and capacity to handle urgent matters and maintain responsiveness?

Yes. Our relationships are director-led, ensuring a full understanding of each client relationship and awareness of all specific transactions and time sensitivities. We work with clients across multiple time zones and maintain a responsive and agile approach.

Private equity

Q: Why the UK for PE acquisition structures?

The UK is a leading global financial centre and a well-established jurisdiction for structuring private equity investments. With a well-regarded legal system, deep capital markets and an extensive double tax treaty network, the UK provides an attractive environment for PE acquisition structures, holding companies and investment vehicles. The UK also benefits from a strong regulatory framework, political stability and a highly developed professional services sector. It’s global connectivity and ready access to international markets make it an efficient and reputable base for cross-border transactions. All combined, these factors provide jurisdictional credibility and serves to strengthen investor confidence, enabling private equity firms to structure and swiftly execute transactions with certainty.

Our team supports your company formation, management incentive plans and ongoing administration, so you can focus on your investment strategies and deal closing.

Private equity stacks and incentive structures

In a time-pressured, private equity sector – where acquisitions happen at speed and the need to move quickly can be critical to deal success – you want to work with a sophisticated and experienced partner that not only understands the structures and establishment processes, but who can also support you beyond set up.

At Hawksford, we establish holding companies for PE clients, implement management incentive plans and handle any ongoing administration, company secretarial, tax compliance and bookkeeping/accounting requirements. With teams located in popular jurisdictions for PE holding structures including Jersey, the UK, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands and the Cayman Islands we are well placed to assist.

Where required, we can provide directors to the board of the companies from any of our office locations. We often see multi-jurisdictional office engagements where clients require services in more than one jurisdiction for the same structure (for example Hawksford Jersey setting up the company and Hawksford UK providing UK resident directors for UK management and control purposes).

We work with several top 20 global PE firms as well as smaller and emerging managers in the UK, US, Europe and beyond, with underlying deals across the globe. Our strong track record with these firms sees them returning time and again for our support with repeat transactions. We take a boutique approach so that we remain nimble in our service delivery to you.

Our private equity solutions:

Efficient company formation
We have expertise in all aspects of establishing vehicles in a stack, including company formation and registration with the relevant authorities, bank account setup and ongoing administration. Working closely with the client, legal counsel and tax advisors, we help to ensure an efficient and speedy process.
Incentive plan setup and administration
It’s commonplace for management to hold equity interests in the structure following the successful completion of a deal – this could be through an employee benefit trust (EBT), management equity plan (MEP) or management incentive plan (MIP), for example. We have comprehensive experience of setting up and providing full ongoing administration services for executive and employee incentive schemes and can build this into your formation plans from the outset.
Portfolio company ongoing services
Hawksford provides a full range of corporate services and can support your portfolio companies in more than 100 countries. Through our global reach and extensive local market knowledge, we can assist with director services, company secretarial, tax compliance, accounting, HR and payroll, and employer of record (EOR) services.

Why choose Hawksford

With deep jurisdictional knowledge and offering end-to-end corporate services, we support clients from set up to dissolution. The benefits of working with us include:

Comprehensive solutions under one roof
Dedicated specialists with decades of sector experience
Very strong track record of meeting time-sensitive deadlines
Experience of working with several of the top 20 global PE firms
Director-led service ensuring responsiveness across time zones

FAQs

We typically quote on a bespoke basis according to your specific needs and circumstances. Economies of scale are regularly factored in, such as the provision of services to a stack set up vs a standalone entity.

We have a very strong track record of establishing and administering structures for our private equity, asset manager and institutional clients, typically including holding companies, stacks, bidcos, management incentive plans and standalone SPVs, where specific targeted assets have been identified. So if you need multiple vehicles, we can assist.

We have offices in key business locations and financial centres around the world, with more than 650 people across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Asia and the Americas. With clients from more than 115 countries, we have extensive experience handling a wide range of needs and can typically be wherever you need us.

In short, yes. Relationships are director-led, so they will have a full understanding of the relationship holistically, are involved in and/or aware of all your specific transactions and have a good awareness of any time sensitivities that may apply. We work with clients across various time zones and are consistently responsive and agile.

Jersey is a highly regarded international finance centre that is recognised around the world as a pre-eminent destination for structuring investments. With its attractive and stable tax environment, Jersey is a popular domicile for PE acquisition structures, holding companies and investment vehicles.

The island also has a strong regulatory framework and political stability, and its proximity to the UK and Europe make it an efficient and reputable jurisdiction for global business operations.

All of this not only provides jurisdictional credibility but instils investor confidence. The government’s pro-finance stance means that company incorporation is efficient and streamlined, enabling PE firms to act quickly as deals arise and provides certainty of closing.

The UK is a leading global financial centre and well-established jurisdiction for structuring private equity investments. With its well-regarded legal system, deep capital markets and extensive double tax treaty network, the UK provides an attractive environment for PE acquisition structures, holding and investment vehicles.

The UK also benefits from a strong regulatory framework, political stability and a highly developed professional services sector. Its global connectivity and ready access to international markets make it an efficient and reputable base for cross-border transactions.

All combined, these factors provide jurisdictional credibility and serves to strengthen investor confidence, enabling private equity firms to structure and swiftly execute transactions with certainty.