Advising on investment in OCL Vision Group Ltd

The Stevens & Bolton corporate team has advised OCL Vision Group Ltd (OCL Vision) on an investment by BGF Investment Management Limited, an investment company set up to address the SME funding gap in the UK, which has invested in hundreds of companies across a variety of investment stages, sectors and regions with a balance sheet of £3bn.

OCL Vision was founded in 2018, by leading eye surgeons Ali Mearza, Allon Barsam and Romesh Angunawela, and later joined by Chien Wong. OCL Vision offers the full spectrum of specialist ophthalmic procedures across two core segments: elective procedures, including laser vision correction and refractive lens replacement, and essential clinical procedures, including cataract, retinal, glaucoma and oculoplastic surgeries, delivering almost 4,000 elective and clinical private procedures every year. The business has evolved from a single site on New Cavendish Street in London into a high-growth healthcare group, with three fast-growing sites, 12 surgeons and a wider team of 60 employees, and with ambitious plans to expand across the UK.

The multi‐million-pound investment will support OCL Vision’s new site rollouts and enable further organic growth, through enhanced marketing and sales capabilities.

Darren Millington, CFO at OCL Vision commented: “Jenny, Ed and the wider Stevens & Bolton team provided excellent advice and guidance throughout the entire transaction, from early plans to successful completion. Jenny’s knowledge of what was or wasn't ‘market standard’ was immensely valuable for shareholders going through their first PE transaction.”

Jenny Robertson of Stevens & Bolton commented: “We were delighted to work with the talented OCL Vision team on this transaction. This investment will help the business to growth and thrive, providing much-needed ophthalmic procedures to patients across the UK. We wish the team every success in the next stage of their journey.”

The Stevens & Bolton team was led by Jenny Robertson with support from Ed Cummings and Ulugbek Gomes-Pessoa (corporate), Lloyd Davey and Azrah Ahmed (employment), Andrew Dodds and Samantha Uzzell (banking) and Melanie Shone (corporate tax). Arrowpoint Advisory, mid-market advisory team of Rothschild & Co, provided corporate finance advice to OCL Vision.