Montagu Private Equity (“Montagu”), one of Europe’s leading private
equity companies, announces the sale of Sebia SA (“Sebia”), a
leading oncology focused diagnostic company with a strong
electrophoresis technology platform, to Cinven Ltd (“Cinven”).
Closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory
clearances.
Montagu led the buyout of Sebia in September 2006, alongside Astorg
Partners, Intermediate Capital Group PLC (ICG) and the historic
founder of the company, Guy Barouh. In 2008, Benoît Adelus, the
former CEO of bioMérieux, joined Sebia, succeeding Guy Barouh as
CEO. Since the acquisition and under Benoît Adelus' leadership,
Sebia has performed strongly within its core markets whilst pushing
into new high growth areas. The company has been able to both
increase market share in existing markets and also significantly
expand its global footprint, selling equipment in more than 110
countries. Benoît Adelus will continue leading Sebia's growth
strategy following the sale of the company.
Sylvain Berger-Duquene, Head of French Investments at Montagu,
said:
“We are proud of the constructive partnership we have built over
time with Sebia’s management that has crystallised into significant
organic growth, further accelerated by a strategic acquisition.
Sebia exceeded all our expectations both from an operational and
investment perspective. The company has a talented management team
and we believe Cinven will be a good partner for the Company going
forward. This transaction will generate a substantial return for
Montagu’s investors and clearly demonstrates our strategy of
selecting and investing in high quality companies positioned in
high value markets.”
Benoît Adelus, CEO of Sebia, said:
“Montagu was a strong, supportive partner for Sebia over the last
four years and I am proud of the progress the Company has made in
strengthening its leadership position over that period. I believe
the strong team we have in place, coupled with our leading market
expertise, leave us well placed to drive the expansion of the
company into new geographies and product lines with the support of
a quality shareholder like Cinven.”
Nicolas Paulmier, a Partner at Cinven, added:
“We were deeply impressed by Sebia, which we see as a robust
organisation with exciting prospects. Under the strong leadership
of Benoît Adelus, we believe the company will continue its rapid
growth trajectory for many years to come. The acquisition of Sebia
fits with our strategy of investing in high value diagnostic
categories, illustrated by our 2006 acquisition of Phadia, the
market leader in allergy testing.”
Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive financial advisor to Montagu and
the law firm Weil Gotshal acted as legal advisor. Latham Watkins
acted as legal advisor to Cinven. Oloryn Partners and the law firm
Frieh & Associés acted as advisors to the Management team.