DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is pleased to report that the construction of the Irish Schools PPP Bundle 5 project (the “Project”) has been successfully delivered. The comprehensive restructuring was required due to the liquidation of the project contractor Carillion in 2018, which initially led to a standstill of the construction of the new school facilities and uncertainty for many students.

Carlow Campus, including Tyndall college and the institute of Further Education are the last facilities in the Project that opened their doors to students for the start of the new school year. This marks the successful completion of all six facilities within the Project. The other facilities became operational in Q3 2018 and Q2 2019.

The Irish Schools PPP Programme, procured by the National Development Finance Agency (“NDFA”) on behalf of the Department of Education & Skills (“DoES”), represents a major investment in education infrastructure through the delivery of new, state-of-the-art education facilities by way of public private partnership (“PPP”) arrangements. The Project delivered five replacement schools and one replacement Institute of Further Education that will be used by DoES as a template for other projects as a centre of excellence.

DIF had previously confirmed its longstanding commitment to the Project by appointing Omagh-based Woodvale Construction (“Woodvale”) as a replacement contractor in June 2018, following the liquidation of Carillion, a UK construction company and DIF’s original co-shareholder in the Project. This built on Woodvale’s experience in projects to deliver education facilities. Integrated facilities management services and life cycle provisions are provided by Sensori Facilities Management, a joint venture of John Sisk and Son, one of the largest Irish construction companies, and Designer Group, the Dublin-based international electrical and mechanical engineering business.

DIF was able to proceed with the Project and to successfully deliver it due to constructive cooperation and negotiations between all stakeholders. This will secure education in all new facilities over the next 25 years.

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners (“DIF”) is an independent infrastructure fund manager, with €5.6 billion of assets under management across seven closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF invests in construction and operational infrastructure assets, that generate stable and predictable cash flows, located in Europe, Americas and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

• DIF Infrastructure V targets equity investments in public-private partnerships (PPP/PFI/P3), concessions, regulated utilities and renewable energy projects with long-term contracted or regulated income streams.
• DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I targets equity investments in small to mid-sized infrastructure assets in the energy, transportation and telecom sectors with mid-term contracted income streams.

DIF has a team of over 135 professionals, based in nine offices located in Schiphol (the Netherlands), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto. Please visit www.dif.eu for further information.

Contact:
Allard Ruijs, Partner
Email: a.ruijs@dif.eu

Montagu Private Equity (“Montagu”) today announces that it has reached an agreement to acquire Jane’s (“the Company”) from IHS Markit.

Jane’s is a leading provider of open source intelligence, providing timely information and data for the aerospace, defence and security industries. These insights are underpinned by a team of global analysts, covering areas ranging from information on military capabilities and budgets to national threat intelligence and defence markets forecasts.

Jane’s is a respected, trusted partner of the world’s top governments and national security agencies, as well as the largest aerospace and defence businesses. The Company was established in 1898 and has built its reputation through 120 years of service, delivering critical intelligence to its customers across the world.

Jane’s has over 300 staff based in strategic locations and works with over 600 contributing experts globally. Following completion, Jane’s will operate as a standalone business led by Blake Bartlett and his senior leadership team. Montagu intends to leverage its extensive expertise and network, working closely with Jane’s leadership team to continue the company’s growth trajectory and build upon its strong brand.

Ed Shuckburgh, Director at Montagu, said: “Jane’s is well positioned to benefit from a world which is growing increasingly reliant upon data-driven intelligence. Jane’s insights are respected and valued across the aerospace, security and defence industries and we look forward to working with Blake and his leadership team deliver on the next step in their growth strategy”.

Blake Bartlett, CEO at Jane’s added: “We will continue to focus on providing valuable insight to our customers around the world and we look forward to working closely with Montagu on further strengthening Jane’s offering and service.”

Jane’s currently sits within IHS Markit’s Transportation division alongside its Automotive and Maritime industry subsegments. Jane’s was original acquired by IHS Markit in 2007 from The Woodbridge Company and under IHS’ ownership, the business has accelerated its transition from a publisher into a digitally driven, data, information and intelligence provider.

KKR Global Impact Extends its Focus on Addressing Global Societal Challenges

BOSTON & NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep. 11, 2019–

KKR, a leading global investment firm, and Burning Glass Technologies, the world’s leading real-time labor market data source, today announced that KKR has completed the acquisition of a majority stake in Burning Glass from Providence Strategic Growth. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The investment is part of KKR’s Global Impact strategy, which is focused on identifying and investing behind companies whose core business models provide commercial solutions that contribute measurable progress toward one or more of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By providing the data to drive lifelong learning and market-aligned training, Burning Glass is delivering measurable progress in achieving two of the United Nations SDGs – Quality Education, and Decent Work and Economic Growth.

“By harnessing real-time labor market data, Burning Glass predicts the jobs and skills workers will need in the future, equipping educators, companies and governments with the tools necessary to meet this challenge and contribute meaningful progress toward these goals. We are proud to be investing in Burning Glass to meet this imperative,” said Robert Antablin, Co-Head of KKR Global Impact.

Burning Glass data are relied on by hundreds of clients worldwide, ranging from major employers, universities, and public agencies to multinational organizations like the OECD and the World Economic Forum. The firm has the world’s largest and most sophisticated labor market analytics engine, which it leverages to support workforce development and higher education. Burning Glass’ robust data engine tracks and analyzes job market supply and demand in real-time using proprietary analytics and taxonomies. The world-leading analytics draw on a Burning Glass database of more than a billion current and historical job openings and the company’s pioneering use of big data analytics to understand the changing nature of skills in the job market. Through a range of software applications, the company empowers learning institutions, enterprises, and government agencies in career-aligned program development, strategic workforce management, and in addressing the rapidly growing skills gap.

“Technology is disrupting workers and industries around the world. Predicting tomorrow’s jobs, and the skills needed for those jobs, will empower workers to navigate this disruption, companies to upskill their workforce, and policymakers to promote economic growth,” said Ken Mehlman, Co-Head of KKR Global Impact.

The company will continue to be led by its current executive team, including CEO Matt Sigelman and COO Josh Ticktin.

“The ability for universities to reinvent themselves to address new opportunities amidst existential challenges, the ability for companies to anticipate disruptive technology trends and plan for changing talent needs, the ability for workers and learners to unlock opportunity and mobility, all depend on being empowered with the right information. Burning Glass’s solutions deliver the insight that helps all constituencies to the job market understand the landscape of opportunity more clearly, plan more effectively, and connect more successfully,” said CEO Matt Sigelman. “We are excited for the opportunity to partner with KKR because, for all that we have accomplished, we have only just begun to scratch the surface of our potential to drive the transformative change needed for greater prosperity and efficiency.”

“Since our initial investment in 2015, Burning Glass has solidified its position as the world’s leading job market data source by using data to address challenges in the labor market and shape the future of work,” said Matt Stone, Principal at Providence Strategic Growth (PSG), the growth equity affiliate of Providence Equity Partners. “PSG would like to thank the Burning Glass team, in particular, Matt Sigelman and Josh Ticktin, for the opportunity and partnership over the last four years. We are excited for the company’s continued innovation and growth under KKR’s ownership.”

Burning Glass is the fourth investment out of KKR’s Global Impact strategy, following investments in Barghest Building Performance, Ramky Enviro Engineers Limited, and KnowBe4. Over the last decade, KKR has been a leader in driving and protecting value throughout the firm’s private markets portfolio through thoughtful Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) management, as well as measuring and reporting on performance to the public and investors. The firm also has a history of investing in businesses that promote sustainable solutions to societal challenges. This experience of responsible investment combined with a changing landscape of global challenges led to KKR’s decision to create a dedicated Global Impact business in 2018. KKR’s investment in Burning Glass will build on this experience.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Burning Glass Technologies

Burning Glass Technologies is an analytics software company that has cracked the genetic code of an ever-changing labor market. Powered by the world’s largest and most sophisticated database of labor market data and talent, the Company delivers real-time data and breakthrough planning tools that inform careers, define academic programs, and shape workforces.

Burning Glass’ applications drive practical solutions and are used by employers, workers, and educators to make data-driven decisions. Educational institutions, online learning providers and publishers use Burning Glass’ applications to align programs to career opportunity; market programs based on their career ROI; and inform student academic and career decisions. Employers, HR software providers, job boards and recruiters use Burning Glass to analyze their current talent pool and project future needs. This insight allows users to develop strategic workforce plans; build market-informed job and skill definitions; and gain rich competitive intelligence.

Based in Boston and with 320 employees worldwide, Burning Glass is playing a growing role in informing the global conversation on education and the workforce, and in creating a labor market that works for everyone.

Find out more at https://www.burning-glass.com/.

About Providence Strategic Growth Capital Partners L.L.C.

Providence Strategic Growth (“PSG”) is an affiliate of Providence Equity Partners (“Providence”). Established in 2014, PSG focuses on growth equity investments in lower middle market software and technology-enabled service companies. Providence is a premier global asset management firm that pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the firm’s inception in 1989, Providence has invested in more than 180 companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on the media, communications, education and information industries. PSG is headquartered in Boston, MA, while Providence has offices in Providence, New York and London. For more information on PSG, please visit www.provequity.com/private-equity/psg, and for more information on Providence, please visit www.provequity.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190911005187/en/

Source: KKR