Walkers and Vitruvian Partners agree strategic partnership to accelerate global growth of Walkers Professional Services (WPS)

New co-investment agreement to drive rapid expansion and innovation in fund & corporate services

Walkers, a leading international law firm, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for a strategic co-investment into its WPS business with Vitruvian Partners, a leading global growth-focused investment firm with a long track record in the fund services market. This partnership marks the start of a long-term collaboration aimed at building a global, market-leading fund & corporate services provider.

The newly formed alliance is set to position WPS for accelerated growth, enabling it to capitalise on emerging opportunities and navigate evolving market dynamics. Under the terms of the partnership, Walkers and Vitruvian Partners will share ownership of WPS and jointly commit to expanding the business, leveraging their combined expertise and resources to deliver enhanced value to clients worldwide.

Client service remains central to this strategic decision. Walkers recognises the increasing demand from clients for a comprehensive suite of integrated, market-leading services delivered seamlessly across key investment hubs. The partnership with Vitruvian Partners is designed to ensure that service standards are further strengthened by the infusion of capital and sector expertise.

Ingrid Pierce, Global Managing Partner of Walkers, commented: “Our vision is to be the premier law firm and corporate services provider across all major investment centres, offering our clients cohesive, end-to-end solutions. This partnership with Vitruvian Partners presents a significant opportunity to extend WPS into new markets, enhance its service range, and drive efficiencies. We are excited to embark on this journey in support of our clients’ ambitions”.

Steven Manning, CEO of WPS, added: “Partnering with Vitruvian Partners will enable WPS to accelerate its growth trajectory and further enrich the services for clients. Leveraging Vitruvian Partners’ strategic investment and resources, we are confident in our ability to deliver an expanded, market-leading offering that surpasses the capabilities of many competitors”.

Luuk Remmen, Partner at Vitruvian Partners, said: “We are delighted to partner with Walkers and WPS, whose strong leadership and impressive client base present a unique opportunity to create a global leader in fund & corporate services. Our investment will support the roll-out of best-in-class technology for WPS, as well as the expansion of its service offering, and its presence in new markets, accelerating growth and innovation across the board”.

The completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approval.


ENDS

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About WPS

Established in 2015, WPS is a leading provider of corporate services to global private equity and hedge funds, CLO managers, trusts, and financial institutions. With over 300 employees across eight locations, WPS serves clients in the Cayman Islands, BVI, Bermuda, Ireland, Abu Dhabi Global Market and Dubai Financial Centres.


About Walkers

Walkers is a leading international legal and professional services firm specialising in Bermuda, BVI, Cayman Islands, Guernsey, Ireland and Jersey law. With 10 strategically located offices across the Americas, Asia and Europe, and 12 global practice groups, we provide seamless, multi-jurisdictional solutions to financial institutions, capital markets participants, investment fund managers, multinational corporations and family offices.

Alongside Walkers' legal offering, we provide corporate and fiduciary services to many of the world's leading private equity and hedge funds, CLO managers, trusts and other financial institutions through WPS.


About Vitruvian Partners
Vitruvian Partners is a global growth-focused investor with offices across London, Stockholm, Munich, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Miami, and San Francisco. Vitruvian Partners focuses on dynamic situations characterized by rapid growth and change across asset-light industries. Vitruvian Partners has over $20 billion of active funds which have backed many leaders in their sectors, including Just Eat, Arrive, Skyscanner, Marqeta, Wise, Aduro Advisors, CFC, Darktrace and Bitdefender.

Advisers on the transaction included Paddock Capital Markets, RSM and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom for Walkers, and Alvarez & Marsal and Freshfields for Vitruvian Partners.


For more information, contact:
Teneo
Ed Cropley
Arj Keshavarz
Ollie Simmonds
walkersglobal@teneo.com