Private equity firms Searchlight Capital Partners and Ares Management Corporation are leading a consortium to make a £500 million preferred equity investment in Helsby, Cheshire-based environment consultants RSK Group.

Founded in 1989 by chief executive Alan Ryder, RSK has 15,000 employees selling environmental consulting and engineering solutions to the water, energy, construction and infrastructure sectors. 

In addition, Ares has committed a further £300 million debt facility to support RSK’s growth plans, bringing total available debt facilities provided by Ares to £1.4 billion.

“Searchlight and Ares’ expertise in our industry, combined with their track record of supporting growth initiatives, will be instrumental as we execute on our M&A strategy and expand our service offerings,” said Ryder. “After three decades, RSK remains committed to delivering environmental and engineering services to help government and business clients around the world achieve a more sustainable future. The opportunities for RSK increase at pace.”

Giles Marshall, Partner at Searchlight, said: “The evolving regulatory landscape, accelerating global energy transition and goal of providing clean water and sanitation for all, present increasing challenges and opportunities for RSK’s customers, which the business is uniquely positioned to execute on.”