Founder & Managing Director
Colm McGinley
Founder of CKM³. Leads every investment and sits alongside each management team after completion.
About
CKM³ is a private investment company.
It is owned by Colm McGinley rather than by fund investors. We invest our own equity and work with third-party funders to finance transactions. Without a fund to answer to, we can structure each deal around the business and hold our investments for as long as it makes sense.
Built by an operator
Colm founded MCG Group in 2007. Over the following years he built it from a start-up into a global recruitment and services business, employing more than 350 people across several countries and reaching over £150m of revenue. It grew through a mix of organic expansion and acquisitions. Colm exited in 2023, keeping a minority stake in the business, which has since been rebranded as Auxo Talent. His full background is on LinkedIn.
That experience shapes how CKM³ works. Colm knows what it takes to run a business day to day: managing people, protecting culture, getting through downturns and making long-term decisions under pressure. He invests in businesses where that experience is useful, and he gives each one his time as well as capital.
Building CKM³
CKM³ was set up in 2023, after the MCG exit. It now holds five businesses with combined forecast revenue of c. £150m and EBITDA of c. £10m for FY27, and has five more transactions at legal stage. In every one, the management team owns equity alongside CKM³, so our interests are the same.
Since 2023
How CKM³ has grown
From a retained stake in 2023 to five businesses today, each structured differently.
- 2023Auxo TalentMinority
A residual minority stake in the rebranded MCG Group, kept when Colm exited.
- 2024Team ResourcingMajority
Majority acquisition of a specialist recruiter for the built environment.
- 2024AcastusPartnership
Partnership with the founders of West Point Construction, a civils and groundworks business with revenue of c. £90m.
- 2026Oak Legal GroupBuy-and-build
A buy-and-build platform for regional law firms. Hedges Law and Perrin Myddelton joined in 2026.
- 2026Aquila Energy GroupMajority
Majority acquisition of Tech Professionals, which supplies technical contractors to offshore energy and marine clients.
People
Who you will deal with
You will deal with the people who make the decisions, from the first conversation to completion and beyond, alongside management teams who are shareholders too.
Founder & Managing Director
Portfolio CFO
Donnacha Holly
Leads finance across the portfolio: reporting, funding, and financial due diligence on new investments.
Work with us
Partners and people
We work with a small number of people where there is strong alignment on values and approach.
Operating partners
Experienced operators who support us and our businesses through growth, acquisitions and change.
Advisers
Corporate finance, legal, tax and funding specialists who are pragmatic and think long term.
Leaders
Our businesses often need senior leaders and specialists. If that is you, we would like to hear from you.
Thinking about the next stage for your business?
Talk to Colm directly. Conversations are confidential and there is no obligation.