ADWAY ASSOCIATES-EXECUTIVE SEARCH LIMITED
💤Zombieactive
04175709 · ltd · incorporated 2001-03-08
Investment thesis
Zombie company — trading but stalled; unlikely mover.
Why interesting: Quiet, steady; could be a succession or carve-out candidate with the right conversation.
Why risky: No growth signal; thin margin for error on price.
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Feb 2025
Net worth
£1.4k
book net assets
Opportunity
77/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Other activities of employment placement agencies
Sector: Administrative & support services
Investor take
PursueStrong opportunity: asset-holding vehicle with strong profile and bankable structure.
Opportunity 77/100 (strong), bankability 85/100. High owner-dependency — earn-out structure likely required for clean transition. Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Biggest value-creation lever: Broaden director team. Sole director creates succession risk and reduces buyer comfort. Appoint a second director or strong #2. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (58/100).
🏦
Refinance opportunity
1 live charge · oldest 4.0y
35/100
under pressure
Refinance would be pressure-driven, not opportunity-driven. Expect tighter margins and covenant scrutiny.
- · Charge age ~4.0 years — mid-life; refi window approaching.
- · Single lender — cleanest path to refinance.
- · Distress signals active — lender appetite narrows.
Data confidence
Overall: medium (79/100)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
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
1 charges (1/1 with lender, 1/1 with type)
90
Directors & officers
5 officers (1 active, 5 linked, 3 with DOB)
82
Ownership & PSC
1 active PSC(s) of 1 total, 1 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
85 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
77/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
60
Some acquirability indicators.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
100
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £1,432
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
£2k
Net Worth
£1k
Current Assets
£75k
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-02-28 | 2024-02-29 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £25.7k | — |
| Current assets | £74.9k | — |
| Cash | £1.7k | — |
| Debtors | £73.2k | — |
| Net assets | £1.4k | — |
| Average employees | — | -500 |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
0
filings
Last 90 days
0
filings
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (30 events)Click to expand
- 2025-11-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2025-09-30📄termination-director-company-with-name-termination-dateofficers · TM01
- 2025-09-26➖ASPEY-GAY, Fabian George resigneddirector
- 2024-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2024-10-09📄mortgage-satisfy-charge-fullmortgage · MR04
- 2024-10-09🔓Charge satisfied #1
- 2024-03-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-11-29📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2022-07-08📄mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-datemortgage · MR01
- 2022-07-08🔒Charge registered #1Lender: National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company
- 2022-04-06📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2022-03-29📍change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-addressaddress · AD01
- 2021-11-30📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2021-07-06📄gazette-filings-brought-up-to-dategazette · DISS40
- 2021-07-05📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2021-07-05📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2021-07-05📄second-filing-of-confirmation-statement-with-made-up-dateconfirmation-statement · RP04CS01
- 2021-06-29📄gazette-notice-compulsorygazette · GAZ1
- 2021-02-28📄accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-fullaccounts · AA
- 2020-06-04📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2020-03-01➕ASPEY-GAY, Fabian George appointeddirector
- 2014-02-28➖GAY, Newley John resignedsecretary
- 2001-03-08🏢Company incorporatedAs ADWAY ASSOCIATES-EXECUTIVE SEARCH LIMITED
- 2001-03-08➕ASPEY, Justine Carole appointeddirector
- 2001-03-08➕BUHAGIAR, Bryan appointednominee-secretary
- 2001-03-08➖BUHAGIAR, Bryan resignednominee-secretary
- 2001-03-08➕GAY, Newley John appointedsecretary
- 2001-03-08➕BUHAGIAR, Susan appointednominee-director
- 2001-03-08➖BUHAGIAR, Susan resignednominee-director
Owner dependency
85/100
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
- +Sole director: Only one active director — all governance concentrated on one person.
- +Long-tenure founder: Senior director has been in place 25 years — deep operational knowledge concentrated in one person.
Succession & seller-readiness
75/100
Likely off-market candidateStrong acquirability signals converging. Worth approaching directly — this is how off-market deals start.
SIGNALS
- primarySole active director: Only one director in control. No visible successor — buyers solve the succession problem.
- primary20+ year tenure: Director in role 25 years. Very long tenure is a classic succession signal.
- secondaryStable-but-static management: Company is 25 years old and no new directors in the last 3 years — succession not yet being planned internally.
- 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.)
Shareholders & ownership
1 active beneficial owner · dominant holder ≥75%| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Ms Justine Carole Aspey Individual · British · DOB 04/1969 · age 57 | 50–75% | 75–100% | 75-100% shares · 75-100% voting | 06/04/2016 |
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.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · WC postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADP CONSULTANTS LTD→ 14742287 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVANCED AUTOMATION TECHNOLOGIES LTD→ 13106446 · est 2020 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ADVANCED PROCESS DESIGN LIMITED→ 15786168 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| ADVANTAGE ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED→ 11279016 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| ADVENXA CONSULTANCY SERVICES LIMITED→ 17097858 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADVERLO LTD→ 14314700 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADVISERRA LTD→ 17066406 · est 2026 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADVISGP LIMITED→ 07343888 · est 2010 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 15y | — | — |
| ADVISION CONSULTING LTD→ 13184204 · est 2021 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 5y | — | — |
| ADVOCARE RECRUITMENT LTD→ 14674412 · est 2023 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 3y | — | — |
| ADWLEAD GROUP LTD→ 16398878 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| ADYNAMIC LIMITED→ 10845060 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
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
Incorporated2001-03-08
Jurisdictionengland-wales
Primary SIC78109 — Other activities of employment placement agencies
Registered office
7 Bell Yard
Bell Yard
London
WC2A 2JR
England
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2026-11-30
Last made up to: 2025-02-28
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-03-22
Last: 2026-03-08
Officers (1 active · 4 resigned)
ASPEY, Justine Carole→
Activedirector · ~57y · appointed 2001-03-08
View their other companies + combined net worth →
BUHAGIAR, Bryan→
Resignednominee-secretary · appointed 2001-03-08 · resigned 2001-03-08
GAY, Newley John→
Resignedsecretary · appointed 2001-03-08 · resigned 2014-02-28
ASPEY-GAY, Fabian George→
Resigneddirector · ~25y · appointed 2020-03-01 · resigned 2025-09-26
BUHAGIAR, Susan→
Resignednominee-director · ~66y · appointed 2001-03-08 · resigned 2001-03-08
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Mortgages & charges
1
Total charges
0
Outstanding
0
Active lenders
Status:Lender:1 of 1 shown
| Type | Properties | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| satisfied | National Westminster Bank Public Company National Westminster Bank Public Limited Company | A registered charge | — | 08/07/2022 | 09/10/2024 |
Recent filings (85 total)
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-03-19
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2025-11-28
termination-director-company-with-name-termination-date
officers · TM01
2025-09-30
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-03-24
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2024-11-29
mortgage-satisfy-charge-full
mortgage · MR04
2024-10-09
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-15
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2024-03-04
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2023-11-29
confirmation-statement-with-no-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-05-15
accounts-with-accounts-type-total-exemption-full
accounts · AA
2022-11-29
mortgage-create-with-deed-with-charge-number-charge-creation-date
mortgage · MR01
2022-07-08
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2022-04-06
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-04-06
change-registered-office-address-company-with-date-old-address-new-address
address · AD01
2022-03-29