Montana-registered House of Luxury, which had been lined up to make a major investment in rugby region the Scarlets as a new majority owner, has ceased trading. The company, which marketed itself as a broker selling and buying assets ranging from real estate to luxury cars and yachts for high net worth clients globally, was founded and headed by Pontypridd-born Kirsti Jane Baker.
Company background and dissolution
Set up in 2024 and registered in Calabasas, a suburb of Los Angeles, House of Luxury re-registered its head office to Montana in 2025. Montana is more obscure than other US states when it comes to publicly available private-company data and is often viewed as America’s onshore equivalent of the British Virgin Islands. There is no requirement to make end-of-year financial accounts public. House of Luxury was registered in Montana as a limited liability company, which benefits from the fact that its owners are generally not personally liable for the business’s debts.
Through her LinkedIn account, Ms Baker was, at one stage, regularly posting on how House of Luxury had brokered major asset sales, although she did not provide specific details. She claimed the business was tracking towards asset sales running into several billion dollars annually, which would have generated a sizeable turnover from brokerage fees. Ms Baker no longer has a presence on the platform.
According to a document lodged by Ms Baker with Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen, House of Luxury was voluntarily dissolved on July 1. Signed by Ms Baker, the articles of termination letter says: “The company’s business has been wound up and the legal existence of the company has been terminated. Any active trademarks or assumed business names associated with this limited liability company have been cancelled prior to this termination being submitted.”
Planned investment in the Scarlets
In August last year House of Luxury were heralded by the Scarlets as potential investors in the club. Both parties had agreed an option, although not legally binding, for the broker to take a 55% equity stake in the rugby club. In a media statement headlined “an historic investment partnership,” Scarlets chairman Simon Muderack said: “This partnership is the start of a new era for our club, strengthening our position with new investment, new ideas and a shared ambition to return the Scarlets to the top of European rugby.”
Ms Baker, who in a number of LinkedIn posts was critical of the WRU and its leadership team, said: “This is one of the most storied rugby clubs in the world and we believe it should be competing and winning at the highest level. We’re here to make that happen and help drive the Scarlets’ future success and protect its unique identity and legacy.”
Following the statement, she took part in a Q&A session with Scarlets fans at an event held at Parc y Scarlets, where she also outlined House of Luxury’s investment plans through its new sports and entertainment division, which was headed by former WRU chief executive David Moffett. However, after just a few months in a non-executive role, he quit with immediate effect without giving a reason.
House of Luxury executive and minority shareholder, South African Simon Kozlowski, took up a role at Parc y Scarlets supporting the management team, with a remit to drive commercial revenues. He has now confirmed that he resigned with immediate effect from House of Luxury in May, prior to the business ceasing to trade. He declined to comment when asked why he quit the company. Mr Kozlowski, who has launched a new business venture in South Africa, said he has had no contact with Ms Baker since leaving the business.
Aftermath and current situation
Efforts have been made to contact Ms Baker. With the well documented financial challenges facing the game, any board and executive team would be open to talking to potential investors. What was agreed was just an option to invest and taking an ownership stake. There are plenty of examples of deals agreed in principle not being realised - just look at the WRU and Ospreys owner Y11 failing to agree terms for Cardiff after entering an exclusivity period.
It is understood that Mr Muderack first met Ms Baker by chance when the Scarlets were playing in South Africa. Even if a deal had been finalised between the two parties as the governing body the WRU would have been required to undertake its own fit-and-proper assessment and a detailed examination of House of Luxury’s financials before sanctioning any investment.
While the ruling from the legal arbitration case has not been made public, it is understood to have been an effective win for the WRU. The Scarlets’ position was that the union had effectively disadvantaged the other regions by acquiring Cardiff out of administration, with all the financial commitment required to make up its losses.
With House of Luxury having gone silent and the Scarlets board having effectively discounted the prospect of any investment, earlier this year board member and founder of leading food services firm Castell Howell, Brian Jones, injected much-needed new capital into the club. Since the arbitration ruling, the Scarlets have signed up to an improved funding deal with the WRU under PRA 25.
The Scarlets are now facing a potential shoot-out with the Ospreys for one WRU regional licence in west Wales, as there is currently no prospect of a merger. However, the club remains optimistic for the future.
Other ventures and links
House of Luxury were also linked to a possible investment in English rugby side Coventry. The company also claimed to have approached Pontypridd RFC over a potential investment. However, according to club director Mark Rhydderch-Roberts, no offer was received through standard direct channels or business advisory intermediaries. He said: “Obviously, we would talk to any potential investor looking to back the club, but no offer was made to the board from House of Luxury, a company we knew nothing about.”
Alongside her husband Lloyd, Ms Baker set up numerous UK businesses. According to Companies House, their first venture was Extreme Cage Fighting, registered from an address in Pontypridd in November 2009. They voluntarily removed the business from the Companies House register in April 2011. They then launched a wedding business called Simply Charming Events in 2010. They resigned as directors in November 2011, a month before an application was made to strike the company off the register. It was eventually dissolved via a compulsory strike-off initiated by Companies House in July 2014.
She has also served as a director of now-dissolved businesses Pink Dolphin Companies and Rise Companies, both registered from the same address in Truro. Both were compulsorily struck off the register in November 2019. Another venture, KLB Group, founded by Ms Baker and her husband in October 2024, was dissolved last October.
