UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS CONSULTING SERVICES LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC357234 · ltd · incorporated 2009-03-25
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
not disclosed
Net worth
—
book net assets
Opportunity
80/100
Exceptional
What this business does
Primary activity: Other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueActive trading company with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 80/100 (exceptional), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (83/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (65/100).
Data confidence
Overall: medium (60/100)Adequate coverage. AI outputs are reliable for the sections scored high; verify the rest in diligence.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
No iXBRL financials extracted
0
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
9 officers (3 active, 9 linked, 5 with DOB)
81
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
18 connected companies via shared directors
90
Filing history
76 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
80/100Exceptional
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Strong composite across quality, acquirability, and risk. High-priority target — progress to serious diligence.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
80
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (36 events)Click to expand
- 2025-03-19📄notification-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC02
- 2025-03-19📄cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC07
- 2025-03-13📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2025-03-13📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2025-03-13📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2025-03-13📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2025-02-26📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC05
- 2024-05-31➕GETTINBY, Michael John appointedsecretary
- 2024-05-31📄appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP03
- 2024-04-26📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2024-04-26📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2024-04-26📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2024-04-26📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2024-04-16📄termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM02
- 2024-04-08➖GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2023-04-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2023-04-28📄legacyaccounts · PARENT_ACC
- 2023-04-28📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2023-04-19📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2022-04-19📄accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduaryaccounts · AA
- 2022-04-19📄legacyother · AGREEMENT2
- 2022-04-19📄legacyother · GUARANTEE2
- 2015-11-10➖MAGEE, Stephen Robert resigneddirector
- 2013-04-19➖MUNDIE, Douglas Stewart resigneddirector
- 2011-08-25➕MAGEE, Stephen Robert appointeddirector
- 2011-02-28➕MILLICAN, Keith appointeddirector
- 2009-04-24➕WATSON, Derek Alexander appointeddirector
- 2009-04-24➖GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED resignedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-04-24➕MUNDIE, Douglas Stewart appointeddirector
- 2009-04-24➖SMITH, David Christopher resigneddirector
- 2009-04-24➖GILLESPIE MACANDREW DIRECTORS LIMITED resignedcorporate-director
- 2009-03-25🏢Company incorporatedAs UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS CONSULTING SERVICES LTD
- 2009-03-25➕GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-03-25➕GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED appointedcorporate-secretary
- 2009-03-25➕SMITH, David Christopher appointeddirector
- 2009-03-25➕GILLESPIE MACANDREW DIRECTORS LIMITED appointedcorporate-director
Owner dependency
83/100
Critical — business is the founderThe business appears inseparable from the founder. Acquisition without a serious earn-out or meaningful transition period would likely destroy value.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 17 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 17 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Group structure
St Andrews Innovation Limited is the ultimate parent — holding 75%+ shares. This company sits inside their group.
🏛️ultimate parent
St Andrews Innovation Limited
Corporate parent · holds 75-100% shares
⬇
UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS CONSULTING SERVICES LTD
This company · SC357234
Parent relationships inferred from Persons with Significant Control filings. Full subsidiary tree requires reverse-lookup (coming).
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
St Andrews Innovation Limited Corporate entity | 75–100% | — | 75-100% shares | 01/08/2024 |
1 historic (ceased) PSC
- Soi Group Limitedceased 01/08/2024· 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting · board control
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
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Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2009-03-25
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC72190 — Other research and experimental development on natural sciences and engineering
Registered office
Walter Bower House Main Street
Guardbridge
St. Andrews
KY16 0US
Scotland
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-04-30
Last made up to: 2024-07-31
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-08
Last: 2026-03-25
Officers (3 active · 6 resigned)
GETTINBY, Michael John→
Activesecretary · appointed 2024-05-31
View their other companies + combined net worth →
MILLICAN, Keith→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2011-02-28
View their other companies + combined net worth →
WATSON, Derek Alexander→
Activedirector · ~56y · appointed 2009-04-24
View their other companies + combined net worth →
GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-03-25 · resigned 2009-04-24
GILLESPIE MACANDREW SECRETARIES LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-secretary · appointed 2009-03-25 · resigned 2024-04-08
MAGEE, Stephen Robert→
Resigneddirector · ~73y · appointed 2011-08-25 · resigned 2015-11-10
MUNDIE, Douglas Stewart→
Resigneddirector · ~74y · appointed 2009-04-24 · resigned 2013-04-19
SMITH, David Christopher→
Resigneddirector · ~57y · appointed 2009-03-25 · resigned 2009-04-24
GILLESPIE MACANDREW DIRECTORS LIMITED→
Resignedcorporate-director · appointed 2009-03-25 · resigned 2009-04-24
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (76 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-26
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-27
notification-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC02
2025-03-19
cessation-of-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC07
2025-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2025-03-13
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2025-03-13
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2025-03-13
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2025-03-13
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC05
2025-02-26
appoint-person-secretary-company-with-name-date
officers · AP03
2024-05-31
legacy
other · AGREEMENT2
2024-04-26
accounts-with-accounts-type-audit-exemption-subsiduary
accounts · AA
2024-04-26
legacy
accounts · PARENT_ACC
2024-04-26
legacy
other · GUARANTEE2
2024-04-26
termination-secretary-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM02
2024-04-16