Established in 1994 by the Cooper brothers, Mark and Gordon, SES is headquartered in Slough and has evolved into a globally recognised manufacturing powerhouse with a footprint spanning the UK, Europe, and the Middle East. The company specialises in a range of power distribution products, broadly classified into permanent and temporary solutions. The bulk of its offerings cater to the temporary segment, supplying power for touring bands, theatre companies, outdoor film sets, and festival fields, among others. Meanwhile, its permanent solutions include wall-mounted distribution boxes designed for theatres, film and TV studios, exhibition centres, and industrial sites. SES prides itself on delivering high-quality, bespoke products, with over 75% of its output tailored to meet individual client requirements.

Additionally, SES's expertise is sought after for major sports events, including Formula 1, Wimbledon, the Champions League, and every Olympic games since Athens 2000. The company boasts a dedicated team of 34 employees and three consultants, with an average tenure of over ten years, underscoring the long-standing commitment and expertise of its workforce, some of whom have been part of the company for more than two decades.

Commenting on the transaction, Mark Cooper, Co-Founder, and Managing Director of SES, commented: “Throughout its history, SES has relied on the energy and dedication of the people working for it for the continued growth and expansion into new markets. We are fortunate to have such a great team, so the idea of giving them the opportunity of taking the company forward as owners was an obvious next step. Setting up an Employee Ownership Trust with the support of OakNorth is the ideal way to do this and ensure we can continue attracting and retaining the best talent in the industry. As a fellow founder-led company, OakNorth appreciates how significant this is for Gordon and I and had the commercial acumen and entrepreneurial approach to help us make it a reality.”

Martin Williams, Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, continued: “SES is a well-established business and global leader in its niche and growing market, resulting in regular repeat orders from large customers who often involve it as early as the initial design stage.  Both Mark and Gordon have over 30 years’ experience in the industry, and have built a loyal, international customer base with 90% recurring customers. More and more companies are setting up employee-ownership trusts as founders look for alternative ways to reward staff and sell their stakes while also benefiting from a tax break. SES has average employee tenure of over a decade, so it’s clearly doing something right. By setting up this Employee Ownership Trust, it is providing a clear succession plan for the business and rewarding its loyal team for their hard work and dedication.”