News
Opus Safety secures BGF and OakNorth funding to supercharge growth
Birmingham-based Opus has achieved significant success to date, and has ambitions to continue scaling, both organically and via M&A.
17 July 2025
Opus Safety Ltd, a tech-enabled health and safety, HR and occupational health solutions provider, has secured a minority investment from BGF and OakNorth, to accelerate its growth.
Birmingham-headquartered Opus Safety provides services to a broad range of SMEs nationwide. Founded by John Southall, Ian Hatherly and Tom Baverstock, it has built a strong reputation as a high-quality, tailored, solution-led partner for all things health and safety, HR and occupational health. Its proprietary Opus Compliance Cloud software solution helps clients transform and digitise their operations.
John Southall, Founder of Opus Safety, said: “This investment is a momentous milestone for the business. Since we were founded in 2022, we’ve been high-growth and laser-focused on building the best compliance consultancy in the UK, assembling a team dedicated to excellent personal service.”
Opus has achieved significant success to date, including completing four acquisitions, and has ambitions to continue scaling both organically and via M&A. Funding from BGF and OakNorth will provide acquisition firepower and facilitate continued product innovation.
“We’re delighted to be working alongside BGF, developing a partnership that will allow us to access the funding, experience and expertise we need to take advantage of the opportunities that lie ahead.”
John Southall
Founder of Opus Safety
The deal was led by David Bellis, Investor in BGF’s Midlands team, and was arranged by David Neate, Partner at Evolve Corporate Finance. Ian Fairclough, Director of Debt Finance, led the deal for OakNorth.
BGF Investor David Bellis commented: “We’re delighted to be backing an ambitious management team with a successful track record. We’ve known them for a while, they have a proven ability of delivering growth, and we look forward to supporting them on the next phase of their journey. It’s also great to work with so many Midlands advisers and funders to put a deal like this together and back a local business.”
Ian Fairclough, Director of Debt Finance at OakNorth, added: “We’re proud to support the next stage of Opus Safety’s journey, alongside BGF. This is exactly the type of ambitious, forward-thinking business OakNorth was created to empower — a high-growth, tech-enabled firm, led by an experienced team with a clear vision for the future. With a proven model and an impressive track record of acquisitions and innovation, Opus is well-positioned to scale further.”
