Hospital opening is a triumph for EMC corporate finance and business management
The recent opening of Brighton’s new £35m Montefiore Hospital was a major triumph for EMC corporate finance and business management.
The firm, which has four offices in Sussex including one in Hove, had helped to steer the project from inception through to completion.
It was involved in every phase from writing the original business plan to obtaining the funding and project managing the construction.
Chief executive Nik Askaroff, who now sits on the Board of Montefiore Hospital Ltd, said: “To get a deal completed of this size and complexity in the current climate was truly amazing and demonstrated the tremendous breadth of professional expertise available within our firm. We are known as the ‘mobile boardroom’ and in this project we were able to call on director-level experience in finance, administration, marketing and construction.
“Three years of hard work went into creating the Montefiore but when you walk through the doors of what is now one of the most advanced private hospitals in the UK, if not in Europe, you can see that it really was all worthwhile.”
Nik paid tribute to Spire Healthcare, one of the country’s leading providers of private healthcare, which EMC helped to bring into the project. “Their commitment and support throughout has been amazing,” he said.
The Montefiore provides people in Sussex with some of the most groundbreaking and up-to-date private healthcare facilities in the country. Its surgeons and physicians offer treatments for most medical conditions along with sophisticated diagnostic equipment such as MRI and CT scanners.
Every effort has been made to ensure that patient comfort. The private bedrooms are spacious with en-suite facilities and large windows to create a light and airy ambience. A particular feature of the hospital is the restaurant-quality catering using locally sourced produce.
However, when EMC first got involved in June 2009, the plan was somewhat less ambitious. Nik recalled: “We were initially approached by a group of local medical practitioners to look into the feasibility of raising funds for the creation of a consulting centre of excellence. At that stage we were looking at a project costing around £12m – still substantial, but nothing like what has eventually emerged.
“It has been a tremendous team effort and our people have been hands-on throughout every stage. John Packer, who heads our Construction Advisory Team, has earned particular plaudits for his work project managing the redevelopment of the old Legal & General Insurance building into a state-of-the-art healthcare facility.
John is praised for his crucial role in £25m hospital
“Many thought we may have bitten off more than we could chew in attempting to convert one of Brighton’s landmark buildings – originally Hannington’s furniture depository – but when you see it now, it makes us very proud of what has been achieved.”
Ends
PHOTO CAPTION: Celebrating the success of the new Montefiore Hospital development are (from left) EMC’s Michael Pay and John Packer, Spire Healthcare CEO Rob Roger andEMC corporate finance and business management CEO Nik Askaroff.
Issued on behalf of EMC corporate finance and business management Ltd by David Bosley Associates. Tel: 01424 732904