The IMS Group has announced that it is accelerating its planned growth via a majority investment from Sovereign Capital.

Sovereign Capital will provide IMS with the combination of financial backing and business acceleration experience from the Sovereign Capital investment team. This will enable IMS to grow and build on its existing expertise in assisting clients with forthcoming challenges.

The announcement of Sovereign Capital’s investment marks the augmentation of IMS’s management team with the appointment of Michel van Leeuwen as Group CEO and Tony Solway as Chairman. Van Leeuwen was previously Managing Director, Worldwide Capital Markets, at Microsoft Corporation and has specific experience in investment management, risk management, capital markets and applied technology. Solway was previously CEO at BNP Paribas Securities Services. IMS’s founder, Scott Wilson, will remain a part of the IMS management team as Non-Executive Director.

Van Leeuwen commented: “There has never been a greater need for pragmatic regulatory advice as the tide of regulation becomes ever more complex. At IMS we are committed to developing our range of services, the geographies in which we operate, while maintaining our position as leading provider of consulting support to investment firms. Sovereign’s investment will help us achieve these goals.”

Wilson commented; “After 14 years building IMS into a multi-disciplinary consulting and business support group, I believe Sovereign is the right partner to take the group into its next stage of growth. We have always distinguished ourselves as a client-led business and as our clients face increasing complex regulatory, administrative and corporate challenges, we identified Sovereign’s sector knowledge and absolute focus on buy and build as the perfect combination to support us as we expand our range of our services.”