Edinburgh energy consultancy eyes £2bn stock market flotation

The company is said to be targeting a valuation of up to £2bn.

Companies House records show Wood Mackenzie's chief executive Stephen Halliday and fellow board members Paul Gregory and Brain Aird have significant holdings, which would be worth millions of pounds if the plans go ahead.

Directors and staff ranging from office workers to analysts are thought to own around 24 per cent of the shares in Wood Mackenzie, putting them in line to share handsomely again in its success.

Wood Mackenzie was bought by an American private equity firm, Hellman & Friedman in 2012. The deal valued Wood Mackenzie at £1.1bn and paved the way for payouts to employee shareholders averaging £250,000.

Around 340 employee shareholders shared in a £90m dividend Wood Mack paid out after Hellman & Friedman took control. They kept half their existing holdings in the company.

The company had 270 employees in Scotland and 800 in total at the time.

The flotation plans are reportedly being developed after Wood Mackenzie received takeover bids from big US corporations valuing the company at around £1.5bn.

Information specialists McGraw Hill and Verisk Analytics are said to have made bids for the firm recently.

Bid interest in Wood Mackenzie would reflect the value of the massive knowledge banks that Wood Mackenzie has developed and the company's prestige client lists.

With its roots in a stockbroking business, the company has become a leading authority on the global oil and gas industry and has offices around the world. The company has built databases covering activity stretching from the North Sea to the Asia Pacific region and produces specialist reports on market developments.

With clients ranging from oil and gas giants to financial institutions and governments, it can charge premium prices for access to this kind of specialist expertise.

Wood Mackenzie made £87m profit on £212m sales in 2013.

While oil and gas firms have stated to cut activity following the recent plunge in the crude price, demand for the kind of information held by Wood Mackenzie is likely to remain strong over time.

With countries such as China set on a path of increasing energy usage, experts believe the price of crude will eventually start to recover. The cuts in investment in new fields that some firms are making amid the downturn could put pressure on supplies in future.

A flotation by Wood Mackenzie would be welcomed by many in Scotland.

Listed companies boost the country's standing in markets and provide valuable work for advisory firms such as lawyers and accountants and other suppliers.

Scotland has seen control of a series of listed companies move outside the country following takeovers in recent years.

Just last week Optos, the Fife-based tehnology star, agreed a £259m takeover bid from Japan's Nikon.

The flotation would start another chapter in what has become a remarkable success story.

Founded in 1844, Wood Mackenzie focused on stockbroking for decades. The company started to produce reports on the North Sea in 1973, when the local oil and gas industry was in its infancy.

The company surrendered its independence to Hill Samuel merchant bank in 1985 before going through a series of ownership changes.

A management team led by Mr Gregory when he was chief executive completed a buy-out of the business from Deutsche Bank in 2001, which valued the firm at £26m. Bank of Scotland provided backing.

The Candover private equity business bought a controlling stake in 2007, in a deal that generated windfalls totalling around £50m for directors and employees.

Another private equity firm Charterhouse bought a controlling stake for £553m in 2009. It has a 13 per cent holding.

Wood Mackenzie said it didn't have any comment to offer.

Nobody was available to comment at Hellman & Friedman's London office.