Press Release – 12 October 2020<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
IK Investment Partners (\u201cIK\u201d), a leading private equity firm, is pleased to announce that the IK IX Fund (\u201cthe Fund\u201d) has entered into exclusive negotiations with Ardian, a world-leading private investment house, to acquire a majority stake in Kersia (\u201cthe Company\u201d), <\/strong>a global leader in biosecurity and food safety<\/strong>. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Kersia was formed as a new company in 2016 after Hypred acquired Antigerm, LCB Food Safety, G3, Kilco, Choisy Laboratories and Holchem, with each acquisition carefully chosen for their complementary technologies, leading market positions, and business expertise. The Company has tripled in size in less than four years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Over the last four years, Kersia has grown to become a global leader in biosecurity and food safety. The Company, which has revenues in excess of \u20ac300 million, now operates in more than 120 countries with a workforce of over 1,500 people.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n S\u00e9bastien Bossard, CEO of Kersia said<\/strong>: \u201cWe are delighted that IK, one of the most educated and experienced sponsors in our sectors of activity, has entered into negotiations to support us on our next stage of growth.<\/em> Together, we will be able to pursue this extraordinary entrepreneurial adventure, of which we are proud. We will rely on our teams and innovative solutions, while continuing to serve farmers, food manufacturers and restaurant owners, as well as our customers in the health sector, who have placed their trust in us for many years. We would like to thank Ardian for their incredible contribution over the past four years.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Dan Soudry, Managing Partner at IK and advisor to the IK IX Fund <\/strong>said<\/strong>: \u201cWe are very impressed by Kersia\u2019s expertise and impressive track record of growth demonstrated over recent years. Kersia has built robust market positions globally, while keeping its customers at the centre of its strategy. We are delighted to have the opportunity to support Kersia and its management team in their growth strategy and consolidation of the biosecurity market<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thibault Basquin, Head of Americas Investments for Ardian Buyout and Managing Director added<\/strong>:\u00a0\u201cI would like to sincerely congratulate S\u00e9bastien Bossard and all the teams at Kersia for the tremendous adventure we have experienced in recent years. With the support of Ardian, Kersia has notably deployed a strong sustainability roadmap. Leading a responsible growth strategy and the integration of six companies in such a short period of time requires first-rate skills and discipline. We are proud to have contributed to this success.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The transaction remains subject to the approval of antitrust authorities and to the information and consultation processes of the relevant employee representative bodies in accordance with applicable laws.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kersia is the first investment in the IK IX Fund, which closed earlier this year at its hard cap of \u20ac2.85 billion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Parties involved with the transaction<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n IK Investment Partners<\/strong>: Dan Soudry, R\u00e9mi Buttiaux, Vincent Elriz, Guillaume Veber, Mathieu Carton<\/p>\n Buyer Financial advisor<\/strong>: Amala Partners (Jean-Baptiste Marchand), Natixis Partners (Ludovic Tron, Thomas Laroque, Bertrand Duquesne)<\/p>\n Buyer Legal advisor<\/strong>: Willkie Farr & Gallagher (Eduardo Fernandez, Gr\u00e9gory de Saxc\u00e9)<\/p>\n Buyer Strategic DD<\/strong>: Bain & Company (Daphne Vattier)<\/p>\n Buyer Financial DD<\/strong>: Eight Advisory (Pascal Raidron, Katia Wagner, Fran\u00e7ois Gallizia)<\/p>\n Buyer legal, tax, social DD<\/strong>: KPMG (Florence Olivier, Albane Eglinger, Xavier Houard)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Management legal advisor<\/strong>: Claris Avocats (Me Marie-Isabelle Leveques),\u00a0Cornet Vincent Segurel (Me Pierre Lamidon)<\/p>\n Management Financial advisor<\/strong>: ManageMens (Guillaume Darbon)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ardian<\/strong>: Thibault Basquin, Nicolas Darnaud, Alexis Manet, Alexandre Vannelle, Jean-Baptiste Hunaut<\/p>\n Sellers Financial Advisor<\/strong>: Evercore (Tom Massey, Greg-Henri Bize, Paul-Emmanuel Prunet, Maximilian Rempel), Sycomore Corporate Finance (Fran\u00e7ois Vigne, Tristan Dupont, Aur\u00e9lien Singer, Quentin de Fr\u00e9minville)<\/p>\n Sellers Legal advisor<\/strong>: Latham & Watkins (Ga\u00ebtan Gianasso, Timoth\u00e9e Brunello, Aymeric Fradin, Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet)<\/p>\n Strategic VDD<\/strong>: Bain & Company (J\u00e9r\u00f4me Brunet, Andrea Gondekova, Ghofrane Maaroufi)<\/p>\n Financial VDD<\/strong>: Accuracy (Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Loeper, Florent Lachenaud, Thomas Brandt)<\/p>\n Legal VDD<\/strong>: Latham & Watkins (Ga\u00ebtan Gianasso, Timoth\u00e9e Brunello, Aymeric Fradin, Fran\u00e7ois Blanchet)<\/p>\n Tax VDD:<\/strong> Arsene Taxand (Mirouna Verban, Ludovic Genet)<\/p>\n Environment VDD<\/strong>: Aecom (ChinChin Lim)<\/p>\n Insurance VDD<\/strong>: Marsh (Jean-Marie Dargaignaratz)<\/p>\n ESG VDD<\/strong>: Indefi (Emmanuel Parmentier, Maxence Lavolle)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For further questions, please contact: <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kersia<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Blandine Serpaud<\/p>\n Phone: +33 2 99 16 50 04<\/p>\n blandine.serpaud@kersia-group.com<\/u><\/p>\n <\/p>\n IK Investment Partners <\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Maitland\/AMO <\/strong><\/p>\n James McFarlane<\/p>\n Phone: +44 (0) 7584 142 665<\/p>\n jmcfarlane@maitland.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ardian<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n Headland<\/strong><\/p>\n Carl Leijonhufvud<\/p>\n Phone: +44 (0)20 3805 4827<\/p>\n cleijonhufvud@headlandconsultancy.com<\/u><\/p>\n <\/p>\n About Kersia <\/strong><\/p>\n Kersia is a global leader in biosecurity and food safety with value added products and solutions to prevent diseases or contamination in both animals and humans at every stage of the food supply chain. The company also offers solutions to the healthcare sector. Kersia operates in more than 120 countries with a workforce of over 1,500 people and a turnover of more than 300 million euros. For more information, visit www.kersia-group.com<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n About IK Investment Partners<\/strong><\/p>\n IK Investment Partners (\u201cIK\u201d) is a Pan-European private equity firm focused on investments in the Benelux, DACH, France, Nordics and the UK. Since 1989, IK has raised more than \u20ac13 billion of capital and invested in over 135 European companies. IK supports 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<\/p>\n