Omne poised for growth following management buyout

Foodservice marketing agency Omne is set for a “new era of growth” following a management buyout backed by YFM Equity Partners.

The 60-strong agency has clients including Unilever, McCain and Arla and has revealed further plans for expansion across the food, beverage and foodservice sectors.

YFM Equity Partners is a specialist, independently owned private equity investor founded in 1982. It is known to invest between £2m and £15m into businesses and has over £680m in assets under management, including venture capital trusts and private equity funds.

Michael Gividen, chief executive of Omne, said: “With YFM’s backing, the team is set to take Omne to the next level. We will continue to build on our unrivalled expertise and accelerate innovation and growth for our clients locally and internationally.”

Members of his team, including managing director Chris Davies, director of client growth Rebecca Lewis-Stanton and strategy director Anna Massey will be involved in broadening the reach of the business.

Sophie Daranyi has been appointed non-executive chair as part of the buy-out, bringing over 30 years’ industry experience.

She said: “Omne is at a transformative point, and I’m excited to contribute to the next phase of its growth, building on the strong culture and client focus that defines the agency.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Omne was founded in 2020 from three hospitality agencies: Torch, Foodsmiths and Blackfin.