Ian Shawyer
Partner
“Ian feels like a natural leader of the business and has incorporated diversity in the way he runs it.”
Chambers UK
“Ian is very knowledgeable of our space, he understands our business, and he marshals a team extremely well.”
Chambers UK
Ian Shawyer’s practice focuses on private equity transactions and complex cross-border mergers and acquisitions.
With over two decades of experience in private equity, Ian is a longstanding and trusted advisor to pan-European and international corporations, institutional investors, alternative asset managers, senior management teams, founders, and investee companies for both transactional and advisory matters.
Ian has in-depth experience advising on a full range of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions, carve-outs, co-investments, minority deals, recapitalizations, divestments, distressed M&A, public-to-privates, joint ventures, reorganizations, and restructurings.
Ian also advises global asset management clients on GP-stake transactions, GP succession planning (including restructuring ownership and governance arrangements), and structured secondary market liquidity solutions (including GP-led and LP-led secondary transactions).
Ian joined the firm in 2023 and was previously Head of the Private Equity and Financial Sponsors group at a leading UK private equity transactional firm.
Notable Experience (Including Prior to Joining Cleary)
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IK Partners in connection with its investment in Dains Accountants, a leading provider of accountancy and business advisory services in the UK.
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Sixth Street in connection with its acquisition of a majority stake in Lemon Pepper Holdings Limited, the master franchisee for Wingstop in the UK and Ireland.
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Bridgepoint on the £169 million recommended offer for Eckoh plc, a leading provider of secure payments and customer engagement software.
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Exponent on its majority investment in Northern Ireland’s largest private healthcare firm, the Kingsbridge group.
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Central Group on the minority acquisition and new investment by PIF in respect of Central Group’s existing investee company - the Selfridges Group (SG) – to form a new partnership to operate SG’s operating companies and real estate assets.
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Bridgepoint on the sale of its majority stake in Hobbycraft, the largest arts and crafts retailer in the UK, to Modella Capital.
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Zuber Issa CBE on the sale of his shares in the Asda Group, a British supermarket and petrol station chain, to funds managed by TDR Capital and on the acquisition of EG Group’s remaining UK forecourt business.
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Bridgepoint on its investment in and subsequent sale of HKA.
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Bridgepoint on its investment in Analysys Mason.
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Bridgepoint on the sale of Miller Homes to funds advised by Apollo.
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Bridgepoint on its minority investment in Itsu alongside founder and management shareholders.
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Bridgepoint and other selling shareholders on the sale of WiggleCRC to SIGNA Sports United, a NYSE listed SPAC.
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Epiris on its acquisition of Sepura.
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Livingbridge on its acquisition of World of Books Group.
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Exponent and certain other shareholders on sale of Dennis Publishing to Future PLC.
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TA Associates on the sale of ITRS Group to Montagu Private Equity LLP.
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The Carlyle Group and other selling shareholders on the sale of Eggplant to Keysight Technologies.
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Bridgepoint on its investment in Prescient Healthcare Group.
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Benson Elliot Capital Management LLP on its sale to PineBridge Investments Holdings Europe Limited.
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Bridgepoint on its investment in Reassured.
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Bridgepoint on the sale of BigHand.
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The Carlyle Group and other shareholders on the sale of graze to Unilever.
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Caledonia Investments on the acquisition of Cooke Optics.
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Caledonia Investments on the acquisition of a minority interest in Stonehage Fleming.
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Bridgepoint on the acquisition of the UK master franchise of Burger King® and the acquisition of the UK franchisee Caspian.
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Bridgepoint on the sale of Pret A Manger to JAB holdings.
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CBPE Capital on the acquisition of a majority stake in Xceptor.
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The Carlyle Group on its investments in (and subsequent divestments of) The Mill and The Foundry.
Publications
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GenAI: Opportunities and Risks for Private Equity Firms and Portfolio Companies
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The Current UK Tax Landscape for Private Equity Funds and Professionals
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UK National Security Regime: Annual Report 2024 and Observations on Recent Practice
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Retail Investor Funds Accelerate Private Equity's Democratization Drive
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UK Government Considers Changes to National Security and Investment Regime
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IPOs Set the Scene for Private Equity Companies to Get Exit Ready
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UK National Security Regime: Annual Report 2023 and Observations on Recent Practice