Private equity firm acquires majority share in Activate Group

Elysian Capital has acquired a majority share in the accident management company Activate Group to help fuel its growth plans.

Founded in 2015 by Mark Wilcox, Mark Woods and Hannah Wilcox, Activate Group provides end-to-end accident management services to the fleet and insurance industries.

Customers include Centrica, Ocado and Travis Perkins through its specialist fleet brand, Sopp+Sopp, while its Motor Repair Network business provides accident management services to big-name insurers like RSA and Marshmallow.

The business also includes a dedicated parts division, Activate Parts, and in 2019 it launched its own chain of state-of-the-art repair centres under the name of Activate Accident Repair in areas where the third-party network lacked capacity.

The deal will see the existing management team remain in place to further develop the business’ owned technology and repair capacity, as well as investing in its people and culture.

Hannah Wilcox, Activate Group’s CEO, said: “I’m incredibly proud of Activate Group’s success. Over the past eight years we’ve taken the business from a start-up with a handful of team members to a UK-wide operation with a 700 strong team.

“Elysian Capital has an outstanding track record of supporting fast-growing businesses like ours, and I’m confident their investment and support will allow us to take Activate Group to the next level and move faster in delivering our key strategic priorities.”

She explained: “In 2024, we’ll open four more purpose-built repair centres to complement the capacity we have within our partner network. The first of these will open in Hampton, South-West London, in March.

“We’ll also continue to invest in technology that drives efficiency and transparency in the services we offer.

“In particular, we’re developing systems that will supercharge our Activate Parts business, enabling us to go even further in improving efficiencies and managing cost control for our customers.”

Elysian Capital says it will provide “substantial development capital” to support the rapid growth of the business.

In recent months, Activate Group has welcomed major new customers including Holman Fleet Services and AXA, and now handles over 250,000 claims a year.

Today’s announcement will see James Cunningham, Partner at Elysian Capital join the Activate Group board as chairman.

Hannah Wilcox will continue to lead the business in her role as CEO. Mark Wilcox, Paul Pancham, Jamie Sopp and Mark Woods will step down from their positions on the company’s board, however, Jamie Sopp and Paul Pancham will continue to provide advisory support.

Cunningham said: “Activate Group has created a strong proposition in the claims and repair market.

“The management team has a clear vision and strategy for the business’ future growth, and I’m very much looking forward to working with Hannah and the rest of the team to realise the business’ full potential.”