Exponent

Exponent welcomes Kingsbridge Healthcare Group as its first investment in Northern Ireland and eighth investment in Ireland. “Kingsbridge” is a leading private healthcare provider in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, providing surgical and diagnostic services across 4 hospitals and 11 clinics. Exponent acquires the business from its two founders, who will reinvest alongside Exponent.   David McGovern, Partner, Exponent: “Kingsbridge is a special business, doing important work in a differentiated way. The strength of the company's culture and patient focus was apparent on our first visit to Kingsbridge Belfast. Through its high-tech facilities and thoughtful operating model, Kingsbridge is strategically well positioned to address the growing demand for healthcare services in NI and across the island of Ireland. We look forward to working closely with Mark and his impressive team to build on its success in the coming years by investing in its capabilities, expanding its presence, and exploring new growth initiatives. Together, we will strengthen the Company’s crucial role in supporting Ireland’s healthcare network.”   Mark Regan, Kingsbridge: “We welcome this significant investment and vote of confidence. The team at Exponent is committed to supporting our local healthcare sector and has an impressive track record of backing great businesses across the island. Our aim from the very outset two decades ago was to improve access to healthcare, be that through supporting the public sector…or those who wish to access our services using self-pay or private medical insurance. In Northern Ireland we have the longest healthcare waiting lists in Europe. By working in partnership with both the NHS and the HSE as well as the burgeoning private healthcare market, I believe that together we can make a real and lasting difference to the outcomes for many more patients. Our singular aim going forward is to continue to build on the legacy we’ve already established and to serve the healthcare needs of the population of Ireland, north and south.” Jeroen Regeur, Partner, Exponent: “We are excited to make this investment, supporting Kingsbridge in the provision of excellent healthcare to patients, while partnering with insurers and the public sector. Our joint priority will be on investing further in people, equipment, and technology in order to provide a wider range of healthcare services across both existing and new facilities.”   Richard Lenane, Managing Partner, Exponent: “We look forward to building on the success of founders Suresh and Ashok to further enhance the range of services and highest standards of patient care that Kingsbridge is renowned for. We see huge potential for growth in the healthcare sector in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as demand for accessible and more technologically advanced healthcare services increases.” https://lnkd.in/g-EMKfky

Exponent announces successful exit from Isio Tim Easingwood, Partner at Exponent, said: “Isio’s journey, from the original carve out and stand up of the independent business in 2020, to the powerful advisory business of scale today, has been hugely gratifying to be part of. During our investment, Andrew and the management team have created a market-leading proposition centred on exceptional client service and an entrepreneurial approach, resulting in strong growth and an exciting outlook. We are confident that Isio will continue to thrive with Aquiline’s investment and keep delivering on its ambitious goals. We wish the whole Isio team every success in the next stage of the business’ exciting journey.”   Andrew Coles, Chief Executive of Isio, commented: “We have had an exceptional four years working in close partnership with Exponent from the carve out and set up phase and to then support us and to grow our business, creating opportunities for our people and clients. We are grateful for their belief and support which has enabled our success today. Our clients and our people have responded well to Isio bringing a bold and innovative approach to the market with a willingness to do things differently. “This new investment from Aquiline will enable us to continue the journey of bringing high quality service and better outcomes to our clients.” https://lnkd.in/e6Gb5pX7

Industry news - Exponent has been nominated for 'PE House of the Year - 2023' in the ‘Upper Mid-Cap' category for this year’s Real Deals Private Equity Awards. 2023 was a productive year, we: - acquired Natara Global, a global leader in flavours and fragrances in a corporate carve-out from NYSE listed IFF  - ⁠invested in founder-led TestingCo, the leading independent software testing in the Netherlands - ⁠backed portfolio company SHL to acquire SHL Japan, one of the first mid market public-to-private transactions in Japan by a foreign sponsor. …and concluded our journeys with and exited: - Enva, a leading provider of recycling and resource recovery solutions; and, - Meadow, a leader in sustainable dairy, confectionary, and plant-based ingredients. We also opened an office in Dublin - demonstrating our commitment to the Irish market and building on 7 investments already made in Ireland. 2024 has already had a busy start, with our latest fund’s investments in: Chanelle Pharma and Ethos Engineering. We wish all nominees the best of luck. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the industry and our peers this week.

Industry news - Exponent has been nominated for 'PE House of the Year - 2023' in the ‘Upper Mid-Cap' category for this year’s Real Deals Private Equity Awards. 2023 was a productive year, we: - acquired Natara Global, a global leader in flavours and fragrances in a corporate carve-out from NYSE listed IFF  - ⁠invested in founder-led TestingCo, the leading independent software testing in the Netherlands - ⁠backed portfolio company SHL to acquire SHL Japan, one of the first mid market public-to-private transactions in Japan by a foreign sponsor. …and concluded our journeys with and exited: - Enva, a leading provider of recycling and resource recovery solutions; and, - Meadow, a leader in sustainable dairy, confectionary, and plant-based ingredients. We also opened an office in Dublin - demonstrating our commitment to the Irish market and building on 7 investments already made in Ireland. 2024 has already had a busy start, with our latest fund’s investments in: Chanelle Pharma and Ethos Engineering. We wish all nominees the best of luck. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of the industry and our peers this week.

Congratulations to Lizzie Stazicker, our Head of ESG and Responsible Investment, for being recognised as one of Private Equity News' "Twenty Most Influential in ESG 2024".   Lizzie has played a pivotal role in guiding Exponent towards alignment with the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures. Additionally, she has spearheaded the development of our firm's net-zero strategy and has been at the forefront of our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative.   Read more: https://lnkd.in/erVh-ypP

Today we welcome Chanelle Pharma, Ireland’s largest manufacturer of veterinary and medical generic pharmaceuticals, to the Exponent portfolio.      Alongside this, we are also delighted to announce that Carsten Hellmann has joined the company as Chair and a co-investor in the transaction.    Carsten brings a wealth of experience in pharmaceuticals and life sciences having held roles at Novo Nordisk, ThermoFisher and Chr.Hansen. Most recently he was a member of the Executive Committee of Sanofi and CEO of Merial, Sanofi's animal health company, leading to the sale to Boehringer Ingelheim and subsequent to this was CEO of ALK-Abello A/S.   In his capacity as Chair, Carsten will work alongside Exponent, bringing strategic and operational perspectives, supporting Chanelle on its growth journey. The Chair role is an essential one in all Exponent investments, and we are delighted by Carsten's involvement.   Welcome aboard Chanelle Pharma and Carsten. 

Ethos Engineering - our newest investment...   Increasing digitalisation of the global economy, driven by the advent of Artificial Intelligence and provision of cloud services, will continue to drive demand for data centres.    We are excited by the opportunity this creates for today's investment in Ethos Engineering, a Dublin-based leader in sustainable data centre design services delivered across EMEA.   Our seventh platform investment in Ireland, Ethos demonstrates our commitment in supporting market leading, founder-led, Ireland based business.   We look forward to working closely with Greg Hayden and the Ethos team to accelerate its growth plans, expand the range of services, and further develop its technology, capabilities, and people.   For more details, please see here: https://lnkd.in/eGE7xkzn

Welcome aboard…

We are delighted to announce the acquisition of Autovia by Carwow, the leading auto marketplace and car reviews site, in a share for share agreement. Carwow now becomes the home of Auto Express, Carbuyer, evo and DrivingElectric, as well as its annual automotive satisfaction survey, Driver Power. This concludes Exponent’s investment in Broadleaf following the previous sale of Dennis to Future plc. We congratulate both management teams and look forward to joining Carwow on its journey.

Exponent is delighted to announce its investment in Chanelle Pharma, Ireland’s largest indigenous pharma company, from its founder Michael H Burke. This is Exponent’s sixth platform investment in Ireland having invested more than €1 billion to date, and highlights the firm’s expertise in investing in and growing market leading, founder-led, Irish-based businesses. We look forward to investing in the capabilities of the business and supporting Chanelle on its next phase of growth. For more details please see here: https://lnkd.in/eaA28-VB