For more than half a century, Roberts & Prowse has been a familiar presence across Wiltshire and beyond; a steady, quietly confident mechanical and electrical engineering firm woven into the fabric of the region’s commercial and industrial landscape. This week, it begins a fresh chapter.
The Swindon-based company, which also operates from Aylesbury and Caerphilly and employs over 120 people, has been taken over in a management buyout led by someone already well-known to staff and clients alike. Andy Uzzell, who joined the senior team in 2018 and has been steering operations in recent years, has now stepped into the role of managing director.
The move is part of a long-planned succession arrangement that allows former owners Mick and Marilyn Glover to retire, while keeping the business firmly in familiar hands. Andy has taken ownership through a newly formed holding company, Mason & England Holdings Limited, ensuring that continuity remains at the heart of the transition.
Over its five decades, Roberts & Prowse has developed a reputation for solid technical know-how and a down-to-earth approach to delivering complex projects. Those inside the industry often remark that the firm’s strength lies as much in its reliability and long-term relationships as it does in its broad mix of services – ranging from M&E contracting and facilities management to HVAC installations, gas safety, plant and process system works, and even nuclear-grade structural fabrication.
Reflecting on the buyout, Andy described the moment as both a privilege and a responsibility. Having worked closely with the outgoing directors, he noted the importance of protecting the values that shaped the business. He also acknowledged the guidance of advisory firm MHA, whose corporate finance specialists oversaw the transaction and helped balance the priorities of both retiring shareholders and the continuing management team.
James Lawson, corporate finance partner at MHA, said the firm was pleased to support a company with such deep roots and a strong sector reputation, and noted that the deal places Roberts & Prowse on firm footing for the years ahead.
With the baton now passed, the engineering outfit enters its next era not through a dramatic break from its past, but by building on it. For a company founded on steady craftsmanship and trusted partnerships, it seems an entirely fitting way forward.
