Ground Control Business Management, a division of Wealthspire, has acquired Arena Wealth, a London-based firm that provides business management services to professional golfers. The acquisition, announced this week, is Ground Control's second UK purchase in less than two years, following its October 2024 acquisition of Clay GBP.
Arena Wealth, founded by Philip Barker, offers bill pay, bookkeeping, invoicing, credit control, and tax consulting to golfers navigating complex, multi-jurisdictional income streams—including tournament earnings, sponsorship contracts, appearance fees, and performance bonuses. The firm will rebrand as Ground Control, with Barker staying on in a leadership role and all 15 employees joining the expanded platform under UK President Nick Parkinson.
“Arena Wealth has established a thoughtful, highly focused practice around the needs of professional golfers, and that kind of specialization matters in business management,” said Chris Bucci, CEO of Ground Control Business Management. “Philip and his team bring a deep understanding of their clients' world, and that strengthens our platform at Ground Control.”
For Barker, the partnership provides access to Ground Control's infrastructure while preserving the client relationships his team has built within the international golf community. “We've built our business around understanding our clients' day-to-day realities, and it was important to find a partner who approaches that work the same way,” he said.
Ground Control sits within Wealthspire's five-division structure, formalized in November 2024 after Wealthspire's sale to Chicago-based private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. At that time, Wealthspire's combined platform represented approximately $580 billion in assets across businesses in the US, Canada, and the UK.
Wealthspire CEO Michael LaMena said the sale allowed the firm to highlight its full capabilities. “Now we have the opportunity to put those businesses front and center, as opposed to having their story be blocked by the overall narrative of our parent companies being insurance brokerage agents,” he told InvestmentNews.
The Arena Wealth deal reflects a broader trend of US-based RIAs and wealth platforms expanding into the UK and Europe. According to Echelon Partners' first-quarter 2026 RIA M&A report, cross-border activity was a defining theme, with US acquirers seeking markets where valuations may be lower than at home. Creative Planning's January purchase of Swiss RIA Baseline Wealth Management and its March acquisition of UK-based MASECO are recent examples.
In September 2025, Corient unveiled two major UK acquisitions—Stonehage Fleming, with approximately $175 billion in client assets, and Stanhope Capital Group at $40 billion—pushing Corient's total assets above $430 billion. Corient also plans to launch in Canada this month, targeting the ultra-high-net-worth space.
Echelon's full-year 2025 report identified Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand as primary destinations for outbound US dealmaking, driven by structural similarities to the US wealth management environment, large concentrations of mobile wealth, and existing professional services infrastructure. As US firms continue to seek growth abroad, specialized niches like sports and entertainment are increasingly attractive targets.
