A wealth management firm based in Suffolk has been snapped up by a private equity investment company presiding over £6.8bn worth of assets.

Bury St Edmunds-based Beckett Investment Management Group – which has an 80-strong workforce – continues under managing director Ian White after being acquired by the Foresight Group.

The Suffolk investment and advisory business – founded by outgoing chairman Bob Beckett in 1988 – works with more than 2,900 clients and manages around £775m of assets across a range of investment portfolios and is now eyeing further growth.

Foresight – which is based in London and has regional offices across seven UK sites including Cambridge as well as a presence in Sydney, Rome, Madrid and Luxembourg – is described as one of the most active investors in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the UK and has been in operation for 35 years.

The sale deal is the third investment by the £100m Foresight East of England Fund which targets equity investments in SMEs in the region.

“Foresight’s investment will support the next phase of development and growth for our firm,” said Mr White. “We are a purpose-led organisation that is passionate about playing a valued role in the community that we serve, promoting financial and emotional health and wellbeing to our clients and to wider society.”

Becketts' new chairman, Malcolm Streatfield, was a member of the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Practitioner’s Panel and has more than 40 years’ experience in financial services including a chief executive of the Lighthouse Group.

Foresight senior investment manager Matt McLoughlin said Becketts had a well-deserved leading reputation in Suffolk and the wider region as a differentiated and trusted adviser to both private clients and companies with a strong set of values.

“Bob, Ian and the team have built a successful business which demonstrates outstanding engagement with the people in its teams and in the communities it serves. The company is well-positioned for continuing growth and we look forward to working together in the coming years,” he said.

Paul Tysoe, investment manager of the Cambridgeshire Pension Fun, a major investor in the Foresight East of England Fund, said: “The investment into Becketts is another exciting opportunity for the Foresight East of England Fund to support a well-established business at the heart of the East Anglia region.

“Becketts has strong reputation for delivering outstanding service to its clients and I am looking forward to seeing the company’s next stage of growth under its new leadership.”