WELL known entrepreneur Stuart Lees has joined the board of Bolton-based KBS Corporate.

Mr Lees, the former managing director of Altium Capital in Manchester, has been appointed as a non-executive director at the firm which specialises in helping owner-managed businesses sell their companies to UK, international and institutional buyers.

The appointment comes at a time of rapid expansion for KBS, which recently announced the purchase of Springfield Court in Summerfield Road as its new head office for a seven figure sum.

Mr Lees said: “I was attracted to KBS Corporate for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has unrivalled technology to match vendors with potential buyers.

“Secondly, the company is owned and managed by entrepreneurs and, in today’s market, I believe that individuals who are looking to sell their business want like-minded people who have been there and done it.

"Finally, the firm has excellent relationships in the finance and private equity markets. Therefore, I believe KBS Corporate is set to become a disruptive influence in the marketplace and I am delighted to join the board to help further develop this ambitious firm.”

Mr Lees is a well-known figure in the North West corporate finance market.

He was managing director of Altium Capital in Manchester for five years until March this year.

He spent 26 years at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte and has advised many companies across a variety of sectors in both the private and public arena.

Mr Lees is also a successful investor and entrepreneur and is passionate about backing high growth entrepreneurial businesses.

He was co-owner of Latium Group which took conservatory roof manufacturer, Ultraframe, private in 2006 and was an investor in double glazing firm, Everest, which was sold in 2007 in a deal that valued it at £150m.

His current investments and chairmanships include the UK’s largest commercial window cleaning business, Harrogate-based Nationwide Window Cleaning. The company recently secured £3m of growth capital from the British Growth Fund.

Other chairmanships include DW3 Products Group and FPE Global, both of which are backed by private equity house, NorthEdge Capital.