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ContourGlobal Appoints Antonio Cammisecra As Chief Executive Officer

KKR

London, 5 February 2024 – ContourGlobal Ltd. (“ContourGlobal”), a developer, owner and operator of power generation assets around the world, today announces the appointment of Antonio Cammisecra as CEO, effective 2 February, 2024.

During his international career at Enel Group spanning more than two decades, Antonio contributed to the expansion of Enel Green Power into a renewables supermajor and accelerated the decarbonization of a power generation fleet with 84 GW managed in 20 countries. He also led, between 2020 and 2023, the Enel Grids business overseeing a portfolio of more than 2.2 million km of power distribution lines, across eight countries.

In joining ContourGlobal, Antonio brings solid expertise in navigating structural challenges of the energy transition: from the pioneering of renewables to their massification and mainstreaming, from the sustainability transformation in the energy business to dealing with the resilience and climate adaptation of infrastructures, as well as leveraging internal talent and external ecosystems to accelerate industrial and financial innovations.

Antonio will be responsible for steering ContourGlobal’s investment strategy towards decarbonising the Company’s footprint and growing the platform in sustainable technologies critical to the transition of the power sector. He succeeds CEO Joseph C. Brandt who is stepping down after seventeen years leading the company.

Antonio Cammisecra commented: “I am thrilled to join ContourGlobal at an exciting and demanding time for the business that will undertake a solid growth strategy of its power portfolio, accelerating its renewable development activities and leading the transition of thermal assets to lower carbon solutions. This is a global trend that I have long been engaged with throughout my career. I look forward to working with the talented management team, my new colleagues, and KKR, a shareholder with an impressive track record of energy and renewables investing that brings a long-term view and is helping to accelerate the energy transition within the Company’s portfolio.”

Ryan Miller, Managing Director in KKR’s Infrastructure team and Board member of ContourGlobal, added: “We are delighted to welcome Antonio to ContourGlobal at an exciting time for the business.  ContourGlobal is a leading platform driving transition of the power sector and developing sustainable power. Antonio brings an incredible breadth of experience in leadership roles across the energy transition sector, and we are thrilled to have him on board to take ContourGlobal to the next level.”

— Ends —

About ContourGlobal

ContourGlobal is a global developer, owner, and operator of over 6.2 GW of electricity generating facilities around the world, relying on diversified technologies and driving the low-carbon transition through innovation and operational performance.  ContourGlobal generates electricity for large-scale utility and private companies in renewable electricity production with deep expertise in wind, hydro, solar and battery storage, and in thermal electricity production where we balance environmental sustainability with energy security and affordability.  ContourGlobal operates 131 assets in 20 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Africa.  ContourGlobal is committed to operational excellence, the highest standards of health and safety, and making the communities where we work better because we are there.

Media Contact: Investor.Relations@ContourGlobal.com

 

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Categories: People

Onex Partners to Invest in Morson Group

Onex

Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) today announced that Onex Partners V has completed a majority investment in Morson Group (“Morson” or the “Company”), a leading UK engineering and technical staffing and workforce solutions business, with growing operations in the UK, U.S., Italy, Canada and Australia. The investment has been made alongside the founding family CEO Ged Mason and members of the management team. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, Morson Group provides services including: (i) contingent workforce solutions, relating to the placement of engineering, IT and technical contractors with customers, (ii) permanent recruitment and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), (iii) related planning workforce support management and training, and (iv) engineering consultancy and design services. With a history stretching back over 55 years, the Company employs more than 1,500 people in over 60 locations, with a vision to create a better, more innovative world through inspiring, supporting, reskilling, and nurturing talent. Morson deploys specialist recruitment and engineering expertise on STEM skills in its focus sectors of aerospace, defence, IT and technology, rail, marine, nuclear, multi-disciplined engineering, professional services, construction, and manufacturing.

“Morson’s ability to deploy unique sector knowledge and innovative solutions to its clients in highly resilient sectors of the economy is unique. We are attracted by its growth profile, corporate culture and multiple opportunities for value creation going forward. Most importantly, we are delighted to be partnering with Ged Mason and the management team, to continue building on what they have accomplished,” said Nigel Wright, Co-Head of Onex Partners. Adrien Faure, a Managing Director of Onex Partners, added “Morson is an excellent business and a leader with pedigree in its core markets. The investment aligns with our theme of investing in businesses that help to solve the need for technical and specialist skills alongside the best management teams. It builds on our track record in the broader human capital management sector.”

Ged Mason, who will continue as CEO of Morson Group, said “We have found a true partner in Onex, and a team whose values are aligned with ours. Onex shares our vision. It has an impressive track record of helping companies to grow and we are confident about the contribution our new partner will make to achieving our goals.”

About Onex

Onex is an investor and asset manager that invests capital on behalf of Onex shareholders and clients across the globe. Formed in 1984, we have a long track record of creating value for our clients and shareholders. Onex’ two primary businesses are Private Equity and Credit. In Private Equity, we raise funds from third-party investors, or limited partners, and invest them, along with Onex’ own investing capital, through the funds of our private equity platforms, Onex Partners and ONCAP. Similarly, in Credit, we raise and invest capital across several private credit, public credit, and public equity strategies. Our investors include a broad range of global clients, including public and private pension plans, sovereign wealth funds, insurance companies and family offices. In total, Onex has US$49.7 billion in assets under management, of which US$8.1 billion is Onex’ own investing capital. With offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Boston and London, Onex and its experienced management teams are collectively the largest investors across Onex’ platforms.

Onex is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be accessed at www.sedarplus.ca.

About Morson Group

Morson Group is a leading provider of complete talent solutions, offering services across contingent workforce, design consultancy, and permanent recruitment through a variety of delivery models. The Company’s proprietary technology underpins managed service provider (MSP) and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) offerings alongside other service models. Morson employs over 1,500 people in more than 60 locations in the UK, Australia, the United States, and Canada. With revenues in excess of £1.3 billion, Morson is ranked by SIA as the world’s third largest engineering and technical staffing business.

Disclaimers

This press release may contain, without limitation, statements concerning possible or assumed future operations, performance or results preceded by, followed by or that include words such as “believes”, “expects”, “potential”, “anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans” and words of similar connotation, which would constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information because they involve significant and diverse risks and uncertainties that may cause actual operations, performance, or results to be materially different from those indicated in these forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by Canadian securities law, Onex is under no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts change due to new information, future events or other factors. These cautionary statements expressly qualify all forward-looking statements in this press release.

For Further Information:

Onex

Jill Homenuk

Managing Director – Shareholder Relations and Communications

JHomenuk@onex.com

+1 416.362.7711

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Aquiline Capital Partners Announces Partnership with Health Prime

Aquiline

NEW YORK, Feb. 5, 2024 – Health Prime International (“Health Prime” or “the company”), a provider of revenue cycle management (“RCM”) solutions for physician practices, announces that Aquiline Capital Partners LP (“Aquiline”) has made a majority investment. Aquiline is a private investment firm, investing in financial services and related technologies, with over $10 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2023.

Founded in 2004, Health Prime provides tailored RCM solutions to over 800 clients across 50 specialties. The company offers comprehensive end-to-end services through a multi-shore delivery model that differentiates it from peers. Health Prime’s proprietary Datalytics and Prime Flow technologies are compatible with nearly all EMRs, generating valuable insights and driving powerful results for healthcare practices. The company has completed 4 acquisitions since 2019 and is well positioned to continue to execute strategic M&A.

Pranil Vadgama, CEO at Health Prime, said: “We are excited to continue our growth trajectory with the support of Aquiline. Their deep network and experience within healthcare technology will be invaluable as we work together to achieve our long-term goals. This investment is not just a change in sponsorship but a strategic move to accelerate Health Prime’s growth and services.”

Benedict Baerst, Partner at Aquiline, said: “Effectively navigating the complexities of revenue cycle management is becoming increasingly critical for providers in today’s healthcare ecosystem. Health Prime’s unique tech-enabled delivery model has consistently produced successful outcomes for its clients. We look forward to partnering with Pranil and the Health Prime management team to execute our collective vision for the business.”

Guggenheim served as Aquiline’s lead financial advisor, alongside Lincoln and Rothschild. Ropes & Gray served as Aquiline’s legal advisor. AB Private Credit Investors provided the unitranche debt financing to support the transaction.

TripleTree served as financial advisor to Health Prime.

About Health Prime

Health Prime is a provider of powerful revenue cycle management solutions to physician groups across a variety of specialties. The company’s proprietary technology suite includes financial reporting tool Prime Datalytics and workflow automation applications Prime Link and Prime Flow. Health Prime was founded in 2004, headquartered in National Harbor, MD and has more than 3,500 employees in the United States, Costa Rica, India, and the Philippines.

About Aquiline Capital Partners

Aquiline Capital Partners LP is a private investment firm based in New York, London, Philadelphia, and Greenwich, Connecticut, that invests across financial services, healthcare, and technology. For more information about Aquiline, its investment professionals, and its portfolio companies, visit www.aquiline.com.

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AnaCap and TA backed MRH Trowe completes 4 bolt-on acquisitions in January

Anacap

AnaCap, a market-leading partner for founders and entrepreneurial management teams across services, technology and software within the European financial ecosystem, today announces that portfolio company MRH Trowe (“MRHT”), one of the largest independent P&C commercial brokers in Germany, has completed four bolt-on acquisitions in January. The four acquisitions are Bavaria AG, Vertoura Versicherungsmakler GmbH & Co. KG, Frank Rauch & Kollegen Finanz-und Versicherungsmakler GmbH and ASSPERT Versicherungsmakler GmbH & Co. KG. The companies were acquired with effect from 1st January 2024 and the respective management teams will remain on board.

The acquisition of Bavaria AG, one of the leading insurance brokers for yachts, private aircraft, classic cars and holiday properties, introduces a comprehensive range of insurance solutions for exclusive movables and valuables to MRHT. The acquisition of Vertoura, a renowned broker in the tourism sector, strengthens MRHT’s position in advising and insuring corporate clients within this industry.

Frank Rauch & Kollegen Finanz-und Versicherungsmakler GmbH brings MRHT a substantial customer base within the private client and SME market segment, while the acquisition of ASSPERT Versicherungsmakler GmbH & Co. KG, a company that focuses on commercial customers in the trade and crafts sector, complements MRHT’s geographical presence in south-west Germany, with a particular focus on purchasing associations.

With these four acquisitions, MRHT has further demonstrated its long-term, targeted growth strategy, starting 2024 on a successful note, as it continues to create value for customers, both in terms of sector-specific expertise and geographical proximity and personal support.

These developments represent a new chapter for AnaCap and its strategic partnership with MRHT as well as TA Associates (“TA”) following its investment into the company in 2023 and the successful closure of AnaCap’s maiden Continuation Fund, enabling the continuation of its investment hold periods for MRHT (and portfolio company GTT). These acquisitions exemplify AnaCap’s ambition for its growth partnership with TA, to further accelerate MRHT’s growth trajectory and cement its position as a leading insurance broker in the DACH region.

2023 was a very successful year overall for AnaCap. In addition to the closing of the Continuation Fund, it completed three portfolio company exits, for an average realised return of 3.6x and 44% IRR. This track record further endorses AnaCap’s strategy to institutionalise entrepreneurialism, scaling high-quality founder-led businesses in the European lower-mid-market.

Tassilo Arnhold, Co-Managing Partner at AnaCap, commented:
“We are delighted to announce this excellent start to the year for MRHT through this accelerated M&A programme, as the Founders and management team, together with TA continue MRHT’s ambitious growth plans across the DACH region. This early success entirely endorses our vision for the continued hold period afforded by the Continuation Fund. Our expectation is for a significantly amplified ultimate return for our LPs through this new structure.”

Ralph Rockel, Chief Executive Officer at MRH Trowe, added:
“We are focussing on targeting partners who expand our range of services and create added value for customers as part of an integrated offering. This also includes comprehensive integration management, which ensures a high level of synergy and opens up long-term growth potential.”

Rockel concluded:
“All four brokerage houses contribute additional, established expertise from which other areas of the MRH Trowe brand also benefit. At the same time, the integration into MRHT’s overall product offering also ensures the future viability of these companies and further expands the range of services available for customers.”

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Auctus invests in Rossmanith GMBH & CO. KG

AUCTUS invests in Rossmanith GmbH & Co. KG as a new platform for an integrated facade construction group

 

The transaction

AUCTUS is pleased to announce the closing of a strategic partnership with Rossmanith GmbH & Co. KG (“Rossmanith”). Rossmanith, headquartered in Heidelberg, was founded in 1947 and has established itself in the region and beyond as a reliable, integrated facade constructor for the entire building envelope. Its customers are primarily larger industrial companies as well as public institutions. Rossmanith becomes the platform company of a new facade construction group that combines the highest architectural standards and emission-reducing measures in an integrated manner.

 

Rossmanith is known on the market for the development and construction of sophisticated window and facade constructions in wood-aluminum combinations, an aesthetically pleasing, sustainable and trendy combination of materials. The facades are produced in a newly built, highly functional production hall in Heidelberg, where the company also trains its future junior staff. Several trainees have already been honored with awards from the German „Handwerkskammer” at regional and state level. Rossmanith’s strong focus on quality is also reflected in its involvement in numerous award-winning projects, such as the construction of a prefabricated mullion-transom facade made of wood-aluminum at the DAV federal office (winner of the German Timber Construction Award 2023):

AUCTUS strategy

The German facade construction and building market is characterized by many small and medium-sized, often family-run companies, many of which have a long-standing industry network, high-quality niche focuses and excellently trained specialists. “Sustainable facade construction will play a decisive role in the energy revolution, in which buildings are at the center of attention due to their high (direct and indirect) emissions,” says Marvin Aurnhammer from AUCTUS, explaining the investment decision.  With Rossmanith as its initial investment, AUCTUS plans to build an integrated group of high-performance facade manufacturers with a high level of material and planning expertise that can meet these requirements and offer its customers the highest quality. “Germany has first-class expertise in the field of innovative facade systems enabling us to tackle an increasing complexity in the segment,” adds Florian Aichinger, who will play a key role in supporting the international expansion strategy.

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Buy-and-Build – What we are looking for

The Group’s regional focus is on the DACH region as well as neighboring European regions, particularly Italy and Eastern Europe. Relevant target companies construct entire building envelops and facade systems (mullion-transom facades and element facades) with their own production capacities and focus on quality, reliability, sustainability and innovation. Ideally, the target companies generate an EBITDA > EUR 2 million.

The group’s development is supported by industry experts Dr. Oliver Behnen (oliver@behnen.ch / +41 78 229 96 33) and Prof. Dr. Frank Wellershoff (frankwellershoff@gmx.de / +49 152 336 154 58).


Your personal contacts

      

 

About AUCTUS
AUCTUS is the most active investment company for small- and medium-sized companies in Europe with more than 415 investments in the past 23 years. The focus of our investments is on majority holdings in companies with annual sales of between EUR 10 million and EUR 150 million. AUCTUS stands for sustainable organic and also inorganic growth by acquisitions. We achieve this in a trustful partnership together with the management of our companies. We are specialized in building successful medium-sized company groups – We create market leaders. The more than 35 experienced AUCTUS investment experts currently manage around 50 platform investments from various sectors of the economy. The sum of the platform investments with a total of more than 200 individual companies achieves annual sales of € 3 billion. Sales and results have been growing at >10% per year for years. Our successful work is regularly rewarded with prestigious awards and top international rankings.

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Francisco Partners Completes Acquisition of The Weather Company

Franciso Partners

The Weather Company Accelerates Commitment to People and Businesses and Sharpens Focus on Innovation and Development of Forecasting Products and Technology

SAN FRANCISCO – Francisco Partners, a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology businesses, today announced the completion of its acquisition of The Weather Company (the “Company”), one of the world’s leading weather technology providers, from IBM, previously announced in August 2023. Under the ownership of Francisco Partners, the new standalone company will continue to be led by CEO Sheri Bachstein.

As a standalone company, The Weather Company, recognized as the world’s most accurate weather forecaster, will extend its more than 40-year legacy to deliver weather data and insights to people and businesses across the globe. With additional capital and resources, the Company is well positioned to innovate with focus and velocity, ultimately providing even greater value to the millions of people and businesses who rely on it daily to make smarter, better-informed decisions.

The Company serves an average of more than 360 million people each month through its consumer-facing digital properties including The Weather Channel mobile app and weather.com, Weather Underground, and Storm Radar. The Weather Channel, the Company’s flagship consumer brand, is one of the top 10 most trusted brands in America (1) and has exciting innovation in store. The Company is also sharpening its enterprise focus. With the global economic impact of weather events predicted to reach $5 trillion over the next five years (2), the Company is accelerating its enterprise work across a variety of industries to help businesses harness – rather than fall victim to – weather’s increasing volatility.

“As weather continues to become more disruptive and impactful to society, we are strengthening our efforts to further deliver products that help people and businesses understand what the forecast means for them,” said Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company. “Weather can be a competitive advantage, not just a fact of life, and therefore every business needs a weather strategy and weather partner they can trust. Our future with Francisco Partners enables us to unleash our full potential and continue to creatively and responsibly use science and technology to propel the world. Stay tuned for more from us in the coming weeks and months as we unveil new products and services for consumers and customers around the globe.”

“We’re excited to partner with the team and employees at The Weather Company and continue their mission to help people and businesses make more informed decisions and take action in the face of weather,” commented Alan Ni, Partner at Francisco Partners. “The Company’s trusted consumer, media, and industry-specific products, competitive solutions, and responsible technologies are unmatched. We are confident that with our financial and operating support, this business will have even more revolutionary products to bring to market in the weeks, months, and years ahead.”

Mei Shi, Principal at Francisco Partners, added, “Francisco Partners has a long and successful track record of executing divisional carve-out transactions, and The Weather Company is no exception. We’re confident the company will thrive operating as an independent company and drive crucial focus in executing on organic and inorganic growth strategies.”

About The Weather Company

The Weather Company helps people and businesses around the world make more informed decisions and take action in the face of weather. With its deep industry expertise and highly accurate, high-volume weather data combined with advanced technology and AI, The Weather Company provides insights and solutions that harness the power of weather in a scalable, privacy-forward way. The world’s most accurate forecaster, the company serves hundreds of enterprise customers across media, advertising, aviation and more, and is trusted by hundreds of millions of monthly active users via digital properties from The Weather Channel (www.weather.com) and Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com). For more, visit www.weathercompany.com.

About Francisco Partners

Francisco Partners is a leading global investment firm that specializes in partnering with technology and technology-enabled businesses. Since its launch nearly 25 years ago, Francisco Partners has invested in more than 400 technology companies, making it one of the most active and longstanding investors in the technology industry. With approximately $45 billion in capital raised to date, the firm invests in opportunities where its deep sectoral knowledge and operational expertise can help companies realize their full potential. For more information on Francisco Partners, please visit www.franciscopartners.com.

Media Contacts

The Weather Company
Melissa Medori
melissa.medori@weather.com

Francisco Partners
Whit Clay / Sarah Braunstein
wclay@sloanepr.com / sbraunstein@sloanepr.com

  1. According to a Morning Consult, May 2023: https://pro.morningconsult.com/analyst-reports/most-trusted-brands-2023 The Weather Channel brand was the #9 most trusted brand in the US. The surveys were conducted from 3/3/2023 through 4/3/2023, among a nationally representative sample of 799 to 8,434 U.S. adults.
  2. https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/global-economic-losses-extreme-weather-could-hit-5-trln-lloyds-2023-10-11/

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SEGULAH becomes Amplio

Segula

As of 1 February 2024, Segulah has been rebranded to Amplio, a company name we believe better reflects our refocused investment strategy. Thereby we also change our website and logotype.

We want to emphasize that the change of our corporate name does not affect the organisation, the corporate structure or the co-operation with our business partners.

Please visit our new website for more information:

GO TO WWW.AMPLIO.SE

Categories: News

Cinven transitions management team

Cinven

Increased size and scope of firm supported by new leadership

International private equity firm Cinven today announces that Bruno Schick, Jorge Quemada and Supraj Rajagopalan will become equal Co-Managing Partners of the firm, reflecting the significantly increased size of the firm’s recently raised Eighth Fund, AUM, employee numbers and international footprint. Stuart McAlpine will become Chairman of the firm and remain a standing member of its Investment Committee.

Bruno, who has led Cinven’s highly successful investment strategy in the DACH region, will chair the Portfolio Review Committee, the committee that oversees the Funds’ value creation across portfolio companies, and have oversight of the portfolio; Jorge, who has driven the firm’s successful investment strategy in Iberia since inception, will chair the Investment Committee and have oversight of the Firm’s Investment activities; and Supraj, who has historically led Cinven’s healthcare sector investment team, will lead and manage the day-to-day operations of the firm as CEO and will chair the Executive Committee. Together they will determine the strategic direction and development of Cinven in collaboration with its Executive Committee and Partner group and broader Cinven team in the best interests of investors and their beneficiaries. Mr Schick and Mr Quemada will continue with their regional responsibilities. 

The evolution of the leadership team and implementation of this succession plan comes with Fund 8, Cinven’s latest fund, progressing well.  Having commenced nearly a year ago, raised $14.5bn (€13.2bn) and reached its Hard Cap, Fund 8 has made two investments, with the Cinven team pursuing an attractive investment pipeline across sectors and geographies. Cinven has successfully led three leadership succession processes since it became independent in 1995.

Cinven was founded in 1977 and it has continuously innovated in its almost 50-year history of creating compelling returns for its Limited Partners:  it raised the first billion-plus Europe-focused fund in 1996, led the first €1bn European MBO in 1998, and has raised more than €55bn since then.

Under Stuart McAlpine’s leadership, Cinven’s strategic development has continued at significant pace:  AUM has increased from €11bn to €44bn and the capacity and geographic coverage of the firm has also expanded significantly with employee numbers more than doubling to 260 with offices now in Frankfurt, Guernsey, London, Luxemburg, Madrid, Milan, New York and Paris. 

The three new Co-Managing Partners together have over 50 years of experience at Cinven and 65 years in Private Equity, and have worked closely together in the Executive Committee, Portfolio Review Committee and Investment Committee of Cinven across multiple Cinven funds.

In a joint statement, Messrs Schick, Quemada and Rajagopalan said today:

“We would like to thank Stuart for his exemplary leadership of the firm. Under his guidance, Cinven has grown significantly without compromising our distinctive culture of partnership, respect, and commitment to excellence. We are delighted the firm will continue to benefit from his experience as Chairman and a member of our Investment Committee. 

As Co-Managing Partners, we look forward to leveraging our long-standing, close relationship as we steer the firm into its next phase of growth and continue our track record of delivering exceptional returns for our investors. 

The private equity asset class is evolving at the fastest rate in its long history and we are confident that our new management structure and leadership team – working alongside our exceptional colleagues across Europe and the U.S. – see us well-placed to capture future growth and innovation. 

We are excited and humbled to have been given the opportunity to serve our investors, our Cinven team, and our other stakeholders as we embark on this new chapter.”

Mr McAlpine added:

“It has been an enormous privilege to lead Cinven for the last eight years. In partnership with our exceptional team, I have been proud to oversee a period of growth, innovation and strategic development for our firm. As we look to the future, I am delighted to step up into the role of Chairman and I look forward to supporting Bruno, Jorge and Supraj as they take over the day to day running of the firm. I know we will continue to go from strength to strength.”

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Categories: People

Nordic Capital Partner Promotions 2023

Nordic Capital

2023 was an eventful year for Nordic Capital. It saw continued strong performance with seven platform acquisitions and three divestments. With its early decision to adapt a specialist mindset and sub-sector strategy, Nordic Capital continues to work with some of the world’s most exciting companies, as well as attracting and developing the industry’s best talent. It is a pleasure to announce four Partner promotions within the investment advisory team, reflecting the firm’s growth, as well as the depth and breadth of the leadership team at Nordic Capital Advisors.

Nordic Capital has continued to build upon its strong talent base, with 230 employees across its fund and advisory teams now working from ten offices in three continents.

In the wake of its ongoing growth and strong performance, Nordic Capital is pleased to welcome four new Investment Advisory Partners, all with a long history at the firm. All four individuals have been promoted within the organisation, in recognition of their contributions to its success, strategy, culture and values.

Joakim Andreasson is based in Stockholm and is part of the Industrial and Business Services team. Joakim joined Nordic Capital Advisors in 2008 and has played a significant role in developing a successful specialised approach within the Advanced Services sub-sector, with key expertise on circular business models and sustainable transformations.

Joel Davidkin is based in New York. He joined Nordic Capital Advisors in 2012 and is a key member of the Healthcare team. Joel has been critical to building Nordic Capital’s presence and expertise in the US market. He has led several significant investments focused on the fields of Medical Technology & Life Sciences.

Christopher Ekdahl is based in Stockholm and is a senior member of the Financial Services team. Since joining Nordic Capital Advisors in 2011, Christopher has played a significant role in developing Nordic Capital’s deep expertise in Financial Services, especially in Retail Lending and Property and Casualty Insurance sub-sectors.

David Samuelson is based in London. He joined Nordic Capital Advisors in 2010 and is a senior member of the Evolution Advisory team, where he specialises in Financial Services and Financial Markets Software in the mid-market segment. David has been vital in developing the mid-market strategy. The Evolution fund closed in record time in 2021 and has since made eight platform investments in Nordic Capital’s selected sectors.

Kristoffer Melinder, Managing Partner, Nordic Capital Advisors, commented:

“At Nordic Capital, success is built on both personal dedication and a collaborative culture with strong team values. These promotions exemplify this, with each of the four new partners adding to the strength and experience of the firm and further building our organisation for the future. Each of the new partners has significantly contributed to Nordic Capital’s growth throughout the years – many congratulations for their well-deserved promotions.”

 

Media contacts:

Nordic Capital
Katarina Janerud
Communications Manager, Nordic Capital Advisors
Tel: +46 8 440 50 50

About Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital is a leading sector-specialised private equity investor with a resolute commitment to creating stronger, sustainable businesses through operational improvement and transformative growth. Nordic Capital focuses on selected regions and sectors where it has deep experience and a long history. Focus sectors are Healthcare, Technology & Payments, Financial Services, and Industrial & Business Services. Key regions are Europe and globally for Healthcare and Technology & Payments investments. Since inception in 1989, Nordic Capital has invested EUR 23 billion in 140 investments. The most recent entities are Nordic Capital XI with EUR 9.0 billion in committed capital and Nordic Capital Evolution with EUR 1.2 billion in committed capital, principally provided by international institutional investors such as pension funds. Nordic Capital Advisors have local offices in Sweden, the UK, the US, Germany, Denmark, Finland, Norway, and South Korea. For further information about Nordic Capital, please visit www.nordiccapital.com.

 

“Nordic Capital” refers to, depending on the context, any, or all, Nordic Capital branded entities, vehicles, structures, and associated entities. The general partners and/or delegated portfolio managers of Nordic Capital’s entities and vehicles are advised by several non-discretionary sub-advisory entities, any or all of which are referred to as “Nordic Capital Advisors”.

Categories: People

Apax Funds complete acquisition of leading trend forecasting business WGSN

Apax

Further to the announcement made by Ascential plc (LSE: ASCL) in October 2023, funds advised by Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”), a global private equity advisory firm, today announced the completion of the acquisition of WGSN, Ascential’s subsidiary data business unit focused on consumer trend forecasting.

Founded in 1998, WGSN is the world’s leading consumer trend forecaster. WGSN’s data and forecasts provide global trend insights across a wide range of industries, including fashion, beauty, food & drink, interiors, and consumer technology. The WGSN platform enables clients to make critical design and purchasing decisions. The Company has been experiencing strong growth in recent years with a revenue CAGR of 8% from 2016 to 2022.

As an independent company, WGSN is well positioned to accelerate growth and cement its place as the global leader in consumer trend forecasting. In partnership with the Apax Funds, WGSN will focus on enhancing and expanding its product design and consumer insight products across a wide range of consumer-facing industries, ensuring their expanding global client base make the right critical design and buying decisions to future-proof and accelerate their own growth.

Carla Buzasi, President and CEO, WGSN, said: “Today’s news marks an incredibly important milestone for WGSN. For over twenty-five years, WGSN has been a true pioneer, revolutionising trend forecasting and working with the world’s biggest brands to super-charge their futures. With the support of the Apax Funds and the Apax platform, we are ideally positioned to build on our unique offering, which combines AI and data forecasting models alongside the world’s best forecasters, to further support our global customers in designing and creating the products and experiences their consumers need today and tomorrow.”

Steve Kooyers, Partner, Apax, commented: “We’re excited to work side by side with Carla and her team to execute on our shared vision for growth. The team has built a terrific business with mission critical products, a strong brand, and a long history of customer success. Together, we will continue to innovate and improve WGSN’s core fashion product proposition while accelerating the Company’s already successful expansion into new verticals.”

Mark Sykes, Principal, Apax, added: “WGSN has long been at the forefront of consumer trend forecasting, and we see a meaningful opportunity to invest behind the business to help it extend its capabilities and reach. We look forward to partnering with the entire team, leveraging Apax’s sector expertise, operational experience, and deep industry network to accelerate growth and reinforce WGSN’s position as the global authority on trend forecasting.”

Apax has extensive experience partnering with businesses in the information and data space, including the Funds’ prior investments in sports-data specialist Genius Sports and workforce screening solutions provider Accurate Background. Apax also has substantial experience in B2B subscription sales from the Funds’ historical marketplace investments.

Apax was advised by Allen & Overy (lead counsel), Simon Kucher (lead commercial advisor), EY (tax and financial DD advisor) and Bank of America & Goldman Sachs (joint financial advisors).

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ABOUT APAX

Apax Partners LLP (“Apax”) is a leading global private equity advisory firm. For 50 years, Apax has worked to inspire growth and ideas that transform businesses. The firm has raised and advised funds with aggregate commitments of more than $65 billion. The Apax Funds invest in companies across four global sectors of Internet/Consumer, Tech, Services, and Healthcare. These funds provide long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. For more information see: www.apax.com.

Apax Partners is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.

ABOUT WGSN

WGSN is the global authority on consumer, lifestyle and product design trends, helping brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer.

WGSN’s trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory.

Visit wgsn.com

 

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