Lempriere Wells, the global investment bank advising founder-led consumer and beauty businesses, today announced it will become Lempriere Wells Harrington (LWH) with the appointment of Sean Harrington, co-founder of ELEMIS, as Partner. The appointment marks the firm’s focused expansion into the U.S. market with a bold ambition to reshape how brands across beauty, wellness and longevity industries are advised to navigate their next chapter.

Harrington co-founded ELEMIS in 1990 and led it from launch through the end of 2025, taking the business global and steering it through multiple transactions – including a US$900m sale from private equity to a strategic holding company in 2019. As a Partner at LWH, Harrington will advise executives and founders on operational strategy and enterprise value as they scale their businesses and prepare for what’s next.

“We’re beyond thrilled to welcome Sean as our Partner – he brings invaluable experience as one of the most successful founders in the industry – and no other bank can offer this level of operational expertise and advisory,” said Alice Wells, Founder of Lempriere Wells. “We are building a truly unique global investment bank for the next generation of disruptive beauty and wellness consumer brands. Sean is exactly who we want founders to sit across from as they think about and plan their future.”

For more than a decade, Wells has built a remarkable network throughout the world advising both brands and buyers alongside firm Partner Will Lempriere. Lempriere Wells has been behind some of Australia and Asia’s fastest-growing beauty businesses.

Having founded Lempriere Wells, Wells is now based in Italy and supports LWH’s international origination, strategic advisory and cross-border transaction activities. Her international network and sector expertise continue to support the firm’s global connectivity across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other key markets.

LWH’s expansion into the U.S. brings a new force to a market long dominated by traditional investment banks. Combining deep consumer and beauty expertise and a global network across Australia, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, the firm offers American brands a broader, more connected view of where value can be created – whether by building category leadership at home, accelerating growth, or pursuing their next strategic move.

LWH’s proven track record is the basis for its new focus on the U.S. American brands are increasingly transacting overseas in Europe, the Middle East and APAC, and LWH sits on both sides of those markets – creating a compelling path for Australian brands entering the American market, as well as providing U.S. founders access to advisors with extensive expertise and relationships across Europe, the Middle East and APAC.

“I have spent more than three decades building, scaling and transacting in this industry, and I know how consequential the right advice can be at each stage of a founder’s journey. From the moment I met Alice, I recognized she was building something rare,” said Harrington. “Most banks show up once a business is already built, but LWH shows up long before and stays long after. Together we will bring founders a unique perspective having lived through each side of the journey ourselves – from building category-defining businesses to navigating what comes next.”

LWH is a firm with staying power, carrying a unique history as it was established out of the M&A function of Lempriere Group, a multi-generational investment house dating back to the 1823 founding of Australia’s second bank, The Bank of Van Diemen’s Land. This legacy influences how the firm works with clients – in an industry built around helping brands transact, LWH operates as a long-term partner, not a transaction intermediary.

About Lempriere Wells Harrington

Lempriere Wells Harrington (LWH) is a global investment bank advising founder-led consumer and beauty businesses on mergers and acquisitions, capital raising and long-term growth. Established out of the M&A function of Lempriere Group — a multi-generational investment house dating back to the 1823 founding of Australia’s second bank, The Bank of Van Diemen’s Land — the firm operates from Melbourne, Dubai and Paris. For more information, visit www.lemprierewells.com.

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