Charles Russell Speechlys advises the founders of Compandben on the sale of the business to TopSource Worldwide

Charles Russell Speechlys has advised John and Claire Tinsley (as company founders and owners) on the sale of Compandben – comprising 5 separate companies in UK, Switzerland, Andorra, Iceland and Sweden to TopSource Worldwide. Compandben was founded in Switzerland in 2001 and is one of the longest established international providers of employment solutions including global HR support, international payroll and EOR services to over 80 clients across 89 countries.

TopSource Worldwide is a UK-based company that provides employer support, payroll and Employer of Record (EOR) services and which is backed by Horizon Capital.

John Tinsley commented: “This was a highly complex project involving the sale of 5 companies in 5 different countries, with varying legal and regulatory frameworks. The contractual negotiations and financial arrangements were ably handled by Charles Russell Speechlys as was the international legal due diligence involving share registers in several languages and country specific regulatory hurdles. The Charles Russell Speechlys team were pleasant, painstaking and patient in getting the deal over the line.”

Partner Hamish Perry commented: “It was great to work with John and Claire on this transaction which represents the successful conclusion to 20 years of growth and development for the company. With companies based in a number of different jurisdictions it was a challenging transaction and we enjoyed working closely with and coordinating overseas counsel to get the deal done.”

The Charles Russell Speechlys team was led by Corporate Partner, Hamish Perry, supported by associates Alex Stevens and James Scott. Partner Rob Birchall and associate Graham Crocker advised on tax and the team also included Rachel Hearn (Employment), Michael Jones (Pensions), Sarah Morley and Kelly Arnold (Real Estate), Megan Paul and Olivia Crane (Commercial) and Olivier Cavadini (Swiss law).