Key Takeaways
- • Leon Capital has invested £42m in VKE Group, a UK groundworks firm focused on data centre delivery, according to Construction Enquirer.
- • VKE reported a turnover of £30m and a pre-tax profit of £3.7m in the year to August 31, 2025.
- • Founder Val Shira and the existing leadership team will retain operational control of the business.
- • The capital is intended to let VKE take on larger, more complex packages and expand into new markets across the UK and Europe.
Summary
Private equity firm Leon Capital has committed £42m to VKE Group, a groundworks company that serves the data centre construction market, according to Construction Enquirer. VKE recorded a turnover of £30m in the year to August 31, 2025, generating a pre-tax profit of £3.7m.
Under the transaction, founder Val Shira and the existing leadership team will retain operational control of the business. The funding is intended to enable VKE to bid for larger and more complex contract packages and to expand into new markets.
Val Shira, Chief Executive Officer, and Patrick Timlin, Group Managing Director at VKE Group, said data centre clients require delivery partners with the capacity and financial strength to match the scale of their programmes, and that the investment provides that strength. They said the company will invest in its people, plant and technical capability to prepare for the next generation of projects across the UK and Europe. They also cited Leon Capital's understanding of the industry and support for the company's ambitions as reasons for the choice of partner, and stressed that VKE remains independent with its existing leadership and culture.
Leon Capital's Managing Partners and Partners, Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, Christos Lavidas, Henrik Boe and Michael Youtsos, described VKE as a differentiated specialist data centre delivery platform built on client trust, technical and operational excellence, and a record of quality, speed and safety. They said the firm is particularly interested in helping VKE strengthen its leadership position in the high-growth digital infrastructure market across Europe.
Under the transaction, founder Val Shira and the existing leadership team will retain operational control of the business. The funding is intended to enable VKE to bid for larger and more complex contract packages and to expand into new markets.
Val Shira, Chief Executive Officer, and Patrick Timlin, Group Managing Director at VKE Group, said data centre clients require delivery partners with the capacity and financial strength to match the scale of their programmes, and that the investment provides that strength. They said the company will invest in its people, plant and technical capability to prepare for the next generation of projects across the UK and Europe. They also cited Leon Capital's understanding of the industry and support for the company's ambitions as reasons for the choice of partner, and stressed that VKE remains independent with its existing leadership and culture.
Leon Capital's Managing Partners and Partners, Jean-Christophe Napoleon Bonaparte, Christos Lavidas, Henrik Boe and Michael Youtsos, described VKE as a differentiated specialist data centre delivery platform built on client trust, technical and operational excellence, and a record of quality, speed and safety. They said the firm is particularly interested in helping VKE strengthen its leadership position in the high-growth digital infrastructure market across Europe.
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