Category Archives: News

Eurazeo PME is set to become the new majority shareholder of 2RH Group.

Eurazeo

Eurazeo PME is set to become the new majority shareholder of 2RH Group (Shark, Bering, Segura and Cairn brands ), one of Europe’s leading suppliers of protective motorcycle and outdoor sports equipment.

Eurazeo PME announces the signing of an acquisition agreement, under the terms of which it will become the new reference shareholder of 2RH group, a longside management and Naxicap Partners. The goal shared by Eurazeo PME and its senior management is to step up the company’s growth trajectory by strengthening its leading position in France and Europe, in particular thanks to external growth operations.

Eurazeo PME will thus take over from Naxicap Partners, the majority shareholder since July 2015. The operation is due to be completed in July 2018. Founded in 2008 out of the Shark brand, the 2RH group designs and manufactures protective motorcycle and winter sports equipment.

In line with the company’s innovative strategy and spirit, the equipment meets the highest standards in terms of performance and safety. 2RH has a workforce of over 600 and has three production sites in France and abroad (Portugal, Thailand). The group currently generates over half of its sales outside France, principally in Europe, the world’s No. 1 market, where it is one of the industry’s leaders.

With a turnover of €100 million in 2017 and an organic growth of more than 10% per year since 2011, the group has already made two acquisitions –Trophy (Bering, Segura) in 2011 and Marlybag (Cairn) in 2016, enabling it to diversify its offering while reinforcing its distribution networks.

Eurazeo PME is keen to support 2RH’s management, led by Patrick François, its Chairman & CEO, in consolidating its leading position in the motorbike protective equipment sector, but also in the sports sector, through both organic growth and acquisitions. Eurazeo PME will be placing its international business network –with its offices, notably in the United States and Brazil – and its corporate expertise (digital, CSR, etc.) at the disposal of the group’s operational excellence strategy.

Erwann Le Ligné, Managing Director-Member of the Eurazeo PME Executive Board:

“We are very enthusiastic about the management team and the quality of growth of a group with solid fundamentals.

Eurazeo PME wishes to lend its support to the 2RH Group in its ambition to double in size over the next five years by supporting innovation and stepping up international development, notably through external growth operations.”

Patrick François, Chairman & CEO of 2RH Group:

“We are delighted by the prospect of Eurazeo PME, a long-standing shareholder, accompanying us in stepping up our development. The presence of a professional investor such as Eurazeo PME at our side gives us the confidence to envisage new external European, and even global, growth opportunities.”

Angèle Faugier, Member of the Executive Board – Naxicap Partners: “We are delighted to be able to continue the journey alongside senior management and to accompany Eurazeo PME in this new, highly ambitious development phase. After doubling in size between 2015 and 2018, we were keen to lend our support to this next stage, which, furthermore, we shall be doing a longside a new majority shareholder̵ Eurazeo PME.”

 

About Eurazeo PME

Eurazeo PME is an investment firm and subsidiary of Eurazeo dedicated to majority investments in French SMEs with a value of less than €200 million. Eurazeo PME acts as a long-term professional shareholder, providing its portfolio companies with all the financial, organisational, and human resources they need for a sustained transformation, and guides them in creating sustained and, thus, responsible growth. This commitment is formalised and deployed through a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policy.

In 2017 Eurazeo PME generated consolidated a net income of €1.1 billion and supports the development of Dessange International, Léon de Bruxelles, Péters Surgical, Vignal Lighting Group, Redspher, MK Direct Group, Orolia, Odealim, Smile and In’Tech Medical, which are solidly positioned on their markets and led by experienced management teams.

 

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Hg agrees sale of Intelliflo to Invesco

HG Capital

  • Transaction is the sixth realisation achieved by the Hg Mercury 1 fund.
  • Mercury 1 fund now has a gross realised fund multiple of 3.4x original cost and 44% gross IRR.
  • Represents the 16th realisation across all Hg funds in the last 18 months – returning over £3 billion in aggregate.

6 June 2018 – Hg today announces the sale of Intelliflo, a leading Software as a Service (‘SaaS’) business for UK financial advisors, to Invesco, the Atlanta-based global investment management company.

The terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Intelliflo is a UK provider of front and back‑office software solutions to financial intermediaries, including IFAs, wealth managers, adviser networks, insurance/life companies and brokers. Intelliflo’s Intelligent Office (“iO”) software platform is the backbone of the UK wealth sector, assisting financial advisors across the full advice journey – including client relationship management, financial planning, client reporting, portfolio valuation and provision of advisor-led automated advice.

Hg partnered with Intelliflo in 2013, in line with its strategy to invest in leading recurring revenue vendors in the financial services software sector. Over the past five years, Hg has supported the company to implement best in class SaaS practices in development, operations, sales and marketing – under the leadership of Nick Eatock, founder, and Hamish Purdey, CEO. The company has experienced a material acceleration of revenue growth in this period and has become the leading technology platform for financial advisors in the UK, successfully supporting the business of around 30% of UK financial advisors.

This is the sixth realisation achieved by the Hg Mercury 1 fund, which has now a gross realised fund multiple of 3.4x original cost and 44% gross IRR. The sale also represents the 16th realisation across all Hg funds in the last 18 months, which have in aggregate returned over £3 billion to clients.

Sebastien Briens, Partner at Hg, said: “During our partnership with Nick, Hamish and the team at Intelliflo we have supported the company to become one of the world’s leading innovators of SaaS technology for the wealth and asset management industry. We are delighted to see them starting a new partnership with Invesco. We will continue our focus on the asset management and wealth sector, having already partnered with several exciting businesses serving this vertical.”

Hamish Purdey, Chief Executive Officer at Intelliflo said: “We would like to thank Hg for all their support since 2013 in getting us to this stage in our development. In a comparatively short space of time, we have built one of the UK’s largest pure-play software as a service businesses, and we now look forward to expanding our business, taking our leading technology into new markets across the globe. We will continue with our open architecture philosophy after the sale – it remains critically important to us that our financial adviser customers continue to be able to select from a wide range of product providers.”

Intelliflo and Hg were advised on this transaction by Evercore, Linklaters and Deloitte.  The management team were advised by Fieldfisher.

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IK Investment Partners to acquire A-Katsastus Group’s operations in Sweden, Poland and the Baltics

ik-investment-partners

IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap II Fund has reached an agreement to acquire Carspect AB, SIA Scantest, Autotest Polska Sp. Z.o.o and A-Ülevaatus OÜ (“the Group”), from A-Katsastus Group Oy, a leading provider of vehicle inspection services in Northern Europe.

With a network of 375 employees and 106 stations, the Group is a leading provider of vehicle inspection services in Sweden, Estonia, Latvia and Poland.
Its service offering includes Periodic Technical Inspections (PTI), registration inspections, voluntary checks and related services for passenger cars, light trucks, buses and lorries.

“We are delighted to announce the sale of our non-Finnish activities. A-Katsastus Group, a Bridgepoint portfolio company, was the first company to introduce a customer-oriented service concept in the Swedish vehicle inspection market. We see exciting opportunities in our core Finnish market and developing our presence in both Finnish inspection and damage repair,” said Kari Kivikoski, CEO of A-Katsastus Group.

“IK shares our commitment to providing our customers with the best possible service. Their support allows us to better serve our existing customers while also enhancing our ability to increase the availability of our services geographically,” said Lars Selenius, CEO of Carspect.

“The market for vehicle inspection services is expected to continue to develop over the coming years. The Group has a superior concept with central locations, clean facilities, mobile-friendly websites and strong focus on customer service. By leveraging its strong brands, we believe that we can further strengthen the Group’s position in its chosen markets,” said Kristian Carlsson Kemppinen, Partner at IK Investment Partners.

Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

For further questions, please contact:

A-Katsastus Group
Kari Kivikoski, CEO
Phone: +358 500 434 912

IK Investment Partners
Kristian Carlsson Kemppinen, Partner
Phone: +46 8 678 9500

Mikaela Hedborg,
Director Communications & ESG
Phone: +44 77 87 573 566
mikaela.hedborg@ikinvest.com

About A-Katsastus Group
A-Katsastus Group is the leading vehicle inspection company in Northern Europe with 273 stations in Finland, Sweden, Poland, Estonia and Latvia. Its main activity is the provision of compulsory vehicle inspections and certifications for all light and heavy motor vehicles over three years of age. It is also licensed to offer statutory drivers’ examinations and is the market leader in vehicle registrations as well as providing related services such as vehicle insurance. For more information, visit www.a-katsastus.com

About IK Investment Partners
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Nordics, DACH region, France, and Benelux. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €9.5 billion of capital and invested in over 115 European companies. IK funds support companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com

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EQT Credit provides financing to support the acquisition of Biovian

eqt

EQT Credit, through its Mid-Market investment strategy, is pleased to announce that it has provided the financing to support Keensight Capital and ERES’ (the “Shareholders”) investment in Biovian (or the “Company”), a leading European player in contract manufacturing and development of biopharmaceuticals. The Company offers outsourcing services in process development and contract manufacturing for small and medium size biotechnology firms and has deep industry expertise across different key biological processes.

Founded in 2003 and based in Turku, Finland, Biovian has 70 employees and a strong offering in key stages of the drug development lifecycle. With main operations in UK, EU, US and South Korea, the Company benefits from a strong Biotech pipeline, fueled by new biologic products progressively replacing traditional pharma.

EQT Credit, as sole lender, is providing a unitranche facility to back the Shareholders acquisition of Biovian.

Paul Johnson, Partner at EQT Partners’ Credit team, Investment Advisor to EQT Credit, commented: ”Biovian has a stable business model and a strong backlog supported by its entrenched relationships with customers. EQT Credit is pleased to provide a financing solution for Biovian and look forward to supporting the Company and its management team under the Shareholders new ownership”.

Contacts
Paul Johnson, Partner at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid-Market Credit, +44 203 372 94 24
Alexandre Hökfelt, Director at EQT Partners, Investment Advisor to EQT Mid-Market Credit, +44 203 372 94 14
EQT Press Office, +46 8 506 55 334, press@eqtpartners.com

About EQT Credit
EQT Credit invests through three complementary strategies: Senior Debt, Mid-Market Credit (direct lending) and Credit Opportunities. Since inception, EQT Credit has invested in excess of EUR 5 billion in over 160 companies. EQT Credit’s direct lending strategy seeks to provide flexible, long-term debt capital solutions to medium-sized European businesses, across a wide range of sectors. These businesses may be privately-owned corporates seeking alternative funding to grow or be the subject of private equity-led acquisitions or refinancings.

More info: www.eqtpartners.com/Investment-Strategies/Credit

About EQT
EQT is a leading alternative investments firm with approximately EUR 50 billion in raised capital across 27 funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia and the US with total sales of more than EUR 19 billion and approximately 110,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More information: www.eqtpartners.com

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Hantverksdata strengthens ownership structure to accelerate growth.

Adelis Equity

Hantverksdata has successfully grown and developed its business in the Nordic region over many years. The digitalization of the building services industry is however happening faster than ever. The company is now strengthening its ownership structure by bringing in Adelis as a majority owner in order to entrench its position as the leading ERP provider in the Nordic Region focused on the building services industry.

Hantverksdata is a leading provider of administrative software developed for craftsmen in the Nordic region. The company is leading within the electricity, HVAC, painting and glass segments with its modular system, but also active within other service and contracting segments such as alarms, flooring, plating, refrigeration, elevators and construction. Hantverksdata has around 4,000 corporate customers and 35,000 users.

“This is a forward-looking move for Hantverksdata to be able to capitalize on the opportunities available to us in the craftsmen industries in the coming years. Adelis has proven experience in developing companies both in the IT and the building services sectors. This makes them the perfect partner for us as we take the next step in building our company. Basically all current owners have chosen to continue as shareholders. This is proof of our strong belief in the future journey for Hantverksdata,” says Mikael Viotti, CEO at Hantverksdata.

“Through its software applications Hantverksdata delivers great value to its customers in an industry that is digitalizing. We are impressed by Hantverksdata’s management team and skilled employees and by the company’s strong development both in Sweden and in other Nordic countries. We are looking forward to supporting Hantverksdata on its growth journey,” says Joel Russ at Adelis.

The board of Hantverksdata will be significantly strengthened in connection with the transaction. Both Anders Böös, previously chairman of IFS, and Petter Håkanson, previously CEO of Assemblin, will join the board.

Anders Böös, incoming chairman of the board at Hantverksdata remarks: “Hantverksdata has through a first-rate product and a well-defined customer offering, built a leading market position. I am excited by the company’s opportunities, and I am looking forward to contributing to its continued growth and expansion.”

For further information:

Hantverksdata: Mikael Viotti,  mikael.viotti@hantverksdata.se, +46 70-389 00 93

Adelis Equity Partners: Joel Russ, joel.russ@adelisequity.com, +46 73-543 30 68

About Hantverksdata

Hantverksdata has more than 45 years of experience of marketing ERP systems to the building services inudstry. Hantverksdata currently has 100 employees in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark and has a turnover of around SEK 165 million. The company has around 4,000 corporate customers and 35,000 users. For further information please visit www.hantverksdata.se.

About Adelis Equity Partners

Adelis is an active partner in creating value at medium sized Nordic companies. Adelis was founded with the goal of building the leading middle market private equity firm in the Nordics. Since raising its first fund in 2013, Adelis has been one of the most active investors in the Nordic middle-market, acquiring 15 platform investments and making more than 40 add-on acquisitions. Adelis now manages approximately €1 billion in capital. For more information please visit www.adelisequity.com.

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CapMan Growth Equity to invest in nationwide earthmoving equipment company RealMachinery

Capman

CapMan Growth Equity to invest in nationwide earthmoving equipment company RealMachinery

CapMan Growth Equity has made a significant minority investment in RealMachinery, a nationwide earthmoving equipment company. The investment into RealMachinery is CapMan Growth Equity’s second new investment completed during the first half of the year from the fund focusing on growth investments with a total of eight portfolio companies.

RealMachinery Ltd, founded in 2010, is a nation-wide full-service house specialised in machinery, that sells, rents, maintains and equips earthmoving machinery for each purpose. In addition to RealMachinery, a part of the machinery house is Dae-Tek Ltd which has over 25 years of experience in machinery sales and importation. In 2017, the net sales of new RealMachinery Group were EUR 65 million and it employs approximately 100 persons in total.

With the help of CapMan Growth Equity investment, the company aims to strengthen its position in the leasing and financing market, broaden its service portfolio and enter new customer segments. The operations shall also be expanded to the Nordics by using the current brand portfolio.

“I am very pleased to enter into this agreement with RealMachinery. The company has a great culture of entrepreneurship with the courage to try and do new things which supports our vision to grow RealMachinery to a leading earthmoving equipment company in the Nordics,” says Antti Kummu, Partner of CapMan Growth Equity.

The objective of the Growth Equity investment activities is to find unlisted target companies with strong growth potential, to make significant minority investments worth more than one million in them and, as an active investor, to develop their value so as to achieve returns in excess of the market average. CapMan’s Growth Equity portfolio consists of eight unlisted Nordic companies at the moment.

For further information, please contact:
Antti Kummu, Partner, Growth Equity, CapMan Plc, tel. +358 50 432 4486

CapMan
www.capman.com
@CapManPE

CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value-creation in its target companies and assets. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the last 28 years. CapMan has today 115 private equity professionals and manages approximately €2.8 billion in assets under management. We mainly manage the assets of our customers, the investors, but also make investments from our own balance sheet. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. Our current investment strategies cover Real Estate, Buyout, Russia, Credit, Growth Equity and Infrastructure. We also have a growing service business that currently includes procurement services (CaPS), fundraising advisory (Scala Fund Advisory), and fund management services.

 

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IK Investment Partners acquires KLINGEL medical metal

ik-investment-partners

IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK VIII Fund has reached an agreement to acquire Klingel medical metal GmbH (“KLINGEL” or “the Company”), a leading manufacturer of high-precision and complex metal components mainly for a range of medical technology applications, from Halder. 

KLINGEL was established in 1986 and has become a leading independent contract manufacturer of high-precision, hard-to-machine parts made from titanium and high-grade types of stainless steel. The Company operates a vertically integrated business model with in-house capabilities spanning the entire production value chain from design to manufacture to final packaging with a strategic focus on medical technology. KLINGEL’s high precision components go into various orthopaedic, cardiovascular and dental implants as well as instruments for endoscopy and robotic surgery.

Working in partnership with its OEM customers across the medical technology as well as measurement and control industries, KLINGEL has gained a reputation for uncompromising quality. Headquartered in Pforzheim, Germany, the Company operates two manufacturing sites with over 200 CNC machines and employs more than 300 people.

“By providing mission critical components of the highest quality standards, KLINGEL has formed long-standing relationships with our customers. IK has a genuine understanding of the CMO market and shares our international growth strategy. With their support, we will continue contributing to our customers’ success by offering real added value to their end consumers,” said Ralf Petrawitz, Technical and Commercial Managing Director of KLINGEL.

“We are impressed by KLINGEL’s strong management team. Together we will continue to build on the strong market position, technical know-how and broad service offering KLINGEL has developed over the last three decades. IK is well-positioned to support KLINGEL thanks to our experience with Marle, a leading European CMO of hip and knee orthopaedic implants, acquired in 2016,” says Anders Petersson, Partner at IK.

KLINGEL represents the IK VIII Fund’s second mid cap acquisition in the past month, and the 11th acquisition announced by the Fund. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.

Parties involved:

IK Investment Partners: Anders Petersson, Mirko Jablonsky, Alexander Dokters, Adrian Tanski, Daniel-Vito Günther
Buyer financial advisor: Quarton International (Lars Veit, Rolf Holtmann)
Buyer strategic due diligence: Alvarez & Marsal (Georg Hochleitner)
Buyer financial due diligence: Ebner Stolz (Claus Bähre)
Buyer legal advisor: Renzenbrink & Partner (Ulf Renzenbrink)

Halder: Michael Wahl, Christian Muschalik
Seller financial advisor: William Blair (Philipp Mohr, Moritz Rottwinkel)
Seller legal advisor: Graf von Westfalen (Lutz Zimmer, Ernst Lindl)

For further questions, please contact:

KLINGEL medical metal
Ralf Petrawitz, Managing Director
Phone: +49 7231 6519 0

IK Investment Partners
Anders Petersson, Partner
Phone: +49 40 369 8850

Mikaela Hedborg, Director Communications & ESG
Phone: +44 77 87 573 566
mikaela.hedborg@ikinvest.com

About KLINGEL medical metal
For more than 30 years, KLINGEL medical metal GmbH has been one of the leading European precision technology companies with a strategic focus on medical technology industries. Employing over 300 people, KLINGEL medical metal GmbH specialises in the precision processing of materials with low machinability, such as titanium and high-grade stainless steel. KLINGEL offers unrivalled technical quality and aesthetic perfection. For more information, visit www.klingel-med.de

About IK Investment Partners
IK Investment Partners (“IK”) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Nordics, DACH region, France, and Benelux. Since 1989, IK has raised more than €9.5 billion of capital and invested in over 115 European companies. IK funds support companies with strong underlying potential, partnering with management teams and investors to create robust, well-positioned businesses with excellent long-term prospects. For more information, visit www.ikinvest.com

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Altor launches KonfiDents

Altor

On May 29th, Altor Fund IV (“Altor”) launched a group of dental clinics under the name KonfiDents. KonfiDents is a dental group where key opinion leaders in implantology, dental aesthetics and maxillofacial surgery are joining forces to provide and secure high-quality dental care and reshape the future of the German dental market.

Altor has signed an agreement to acquire the hospital Krankenhaus Maria-Hilf Warstein (“KMH”), which will form the foundation of KonfiDents. Altor has also acquired two dental clinics to date, the Kleinsman Varzideh Dental Center MVZ GmbH, focused on dental aesthetics, and the Palti Dentalzentrum MVZ GmbH, focused on implantology. Through this platform, Altor will continue to grow KonfiDents by acquiring best-practice dental clinics. KonfiDents offers patients consistent superior quality procedures and aims to secure access to high-quality dental care across Germany.

Altor is partnering with Prof. Dr. Margarete Bowien and Martin Hagedorn, founders of KonfiDents, and KMH’s current majority owners Deutsche Klinik Union who will continue to manage the hospital.

”We are very excited to be able to launch KonfiDents and start shaping the future of specialist dental care in Germany together with our dentist partners“, says Andreas Källström Säfweräng, Partner at Altor.

KonfiDents has also entered into a cooperation with Haranni Academy, one of the leading dental academies in Germany, to found KonfiDents Academy.

“The KonfiDents Academy is at the core of the quality promise that KonfiDents stands for,” says Prof. Dr. Margarete Bowien, co-founder of KonfiDents.

“I am thrilled to be a part of this new group of dental clinics with a focus on high-quality practices and niche competence in a field where I have spent my entire career. I believe that this is the future of dental care in Germany,” says Professor Jan-Michaél Hirsch, board member of KonfiDents and Professor Emeritus in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Uppsala University.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory requirements and approvals.

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Fortino Capital’s portfolio company MobileXpense launches new app and announces new CEO

Fortino Capital

Six months after the 20 million euro investment by Fortino Capital, the Brussels software company MobileXpense is upping its game. It has released a new app SpendCatcher and introduces its upgraded solution for travel and expense management. To secure this sustainable growth, Pieter Geeraerts joins MobileXpense as the new CEO.

MobileXpense is one of the very first Belgian SaaS (Software as a Service) companies and serves renowned multinational companies such as Bridgestone, UCB and Burger King. The core strength of its services is the intelligent integration of specific country and company regulations and policies in the solutions . This guarantee of compliance differentiates the Belgian SaaS-provider from other international players and is one of the main reasons for its success today. In December 2017, Fortino Capital invested 20 million euros to further develop the products and services and help MobileXpense to grow its business and optimize its solutions.

MobileXpense has launched a new mobile app SpendCatcher which “reads” receipts and automatically creates an expense in the MobileXpense system, allowing users to smoothly manage their expenses on the go and in a few clicks. It will also introduce a completely revamped web version of its solution, upgrading the user experience and comfort.

This growth of MobileXpense also entails a change in leadership. Pieter Geeraerts becomes the new CEO, replacing co-founder Xavier Deleval as head of the company. Deleval will stay involved as product specialist and as a board member. Matthias Vandepitte, Partner at Fortino Capital, says they are  eager to work with the the new CEO: “We firmly believe that MobileXpense has the capacity to become an even bigger player as many large corporates still rely on pen and paper or Excel sheets to process employee expenses.  Pieter Geeraert’s sector knowledge and commercial skills will be pivotal to realize this growth story.”

Pieter Geeraerts about the new solutions and the future of MobileXpense : “MobileXpense is a fast growing customer-centric company with a great solution, addressing not only the financial aspects of travel and expense management but also  compliance, data privacy, end user experience and more. I am excited to join the company at such a pivotal moment with the launch of the new solution, which will be the cornerstone for the continued growth of MobileXpense and an even higher customer satisfaction.”

Pieter Geeraerts has a proven track record in managing growth with a focus on large enterprise customers. In his most recent jobs, he has realised significant growth for Basware in the enterprise software sector as country manager for Benelux & France. Most recently, Pieter has been active in the payments sector, optimising the sales organisation and processes at Worldline, first as head of Sales for Benelux and later on at a global level as head of Global Bid Management & Strategic Deals.

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Partners Group to invest AUD 700 million in Australian renewable energy platform; announces imminent construction of Crudine Ridge Wind Farm

Partners Group

Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has agreed to invest a total of AUD 700 million in the development of a large-scale renewable energy platform in Australia on behalf of its clients. The platform, which will be known locally as Grassroots Renewable Energy Platform (“Grassroots”), will be seeded with the 270MW Sapphire Wind Farm project and will in addition construct over 1.3GW of new wind power, solar power and battery storage assets across Australia within the next four years. To realize the Grassroots platform, Partners Group has teamed with local developer CWP Renewables (“CWP”), also an investor in the project.

Partners Group first joined forces with CWP in 2016 when it announced an AUD 250 million investment into Sapphire Wind Farm, a 270MW development project located in the state of New South Wales. Sapphire Wind Farm, which is due to be completed by October 2018, will generate enough energy to power 110,000 Australian households and offset over 600,000 tonnes of carbon emissions during every year of operation. There are also plans to launch a community co-investment project at Sapphire Wind Farm in late 2018, which will enable members of the neighboring community to participate in the financial benefits from the sale of renewable electricity.

The second project under the Grassroots platform will be Crudine Ridge Wind Farm, a 135MW construction-ready wind farm near Mudgee in New South Wales. Construction will begin in May 2018 and will be completed by September 2019. Crudine Ridge Wind Farm will consist of 37 GE 3.63MW turbines and, once operational, will provide a further 400GWhrs of annual power output to the grid, enough to serve 55,000 homes. Half of this energy has been sold to Powershop, an Australian electricity provider that provides 100% green energy to its retail customers. The wind farm is also expected to support 75 full-time equivalent jobs during construction, stimulating further investment in local businesses and services, and deliver more than eight million tonnes of carbon emissions abatement over its lifetime.

In addition to Crudine Ridge Wind Farm, there are a number of other pipeline projects for Grassroots, which comprise a combination of wind, solar and battery storage assets.

Benjamin Haan, Partner, Head Private Infrastructure Asia-Pacific, Partners Group, states: “When we invested in Sapphire Wind Farm, one of the key attractions for us was the project’s potential to anchor an Australian renewable energy platform. Partners Group and CWP have a project pipeline of 1.3GW in generation capacity across wind and solar power, offering the scope to be selective and develop Grassroots into a quality renewables platform of significant scale. We look forward to working with the CWP team to further support the generation of clean energy in Australia.”

To-date, Partners Group has developed around 2GW of solar and wind energy capacity on behalf of its clients across the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia. Previous investments include a 550MW Taiwanese solar power development platform and the 240MW Ararat Wind Farm development in Australia, which Partners Group invested into in August 2016 and June 2015, respectively. Most recently, Partners Group announced the sale of its stake in Japan Solar, a 610MW platform of Japanese Solar power assets, which the firm had invested into in 2013.

 

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