Ionisos was founded in 1993 and is based near Lyon, France. The company specialises in cold sterilisation services (ionisation) for medical equipment, raw materials and goods produced in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical and packaging industries. The group employs around 100 staff based in seven sites across France, Spain and China.
The deal will allow Ionisos to pursue its growth strategy with the aim of creating a fully European platform and expanding its offer. The company is already assessing targeted acquisition opportunities to further diversify its business and enter into new markets.
Michel Gominet and Christoph Herkens, respectively President and Managing Director of Ionisos, said: “Ionisos has enjoyed strong growth since its launch, becoming the leader in France and the third-biggest player in the global market. With Ardian, we'll be able to take full advantage of their expertise and international network to begin a new phase in our development.”
François Jerphagnon, Chief Investment Officer at Ardian Expansion, added: “We are looking forward to working alongside Ionisos' management. Together, we will accelerate international growth by combining organic growth and acquisitions.”
ABOUT IONISOS
Ionisos is a specialist in ionising radiation sterilisation and was created through the 1993 merger of Conservatome and Amphytrion. Ionisos is the leading cold sterilisation service provider in France and Spain. It is the only group in France that provides all three cold sterilisation technologies: gamma radiation, beta radiation and ethylene oxide.
The company employs about one hundred staff across its seven sites: Dagneux (01), Sablé (72), Pouzauges (85), Chaumesnil (10) and Gien (45) in France; Tarancon, near Madrid, in Spain; and Anji, near Shanghai, in China.
ABOUT ARDIAN
Ardian, founded in 1996 and led by Dominique Senequier, is an independent private investment company with assets of US$55bn managed or advised in Europe, North America and Asia. The company, which is majority-owned by its employees, keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and delivers investment performance to its global investors while fuelling growth in economies across the world. Ardian’s investment process embodies three values: excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship.
Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 430 employees working through twelve offices in Paris, London, Frankfurt, Milan, Madrid, Zurich, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, Singapore, Jersey and Luxembourg. The company offers its 490 investors a diversified choice of funds covering the full range of asset classes through Ardian Funds of Funds (comprising primary, early secondary and secondary activities), Ardian Private Debt, Ardian Direct Funds (comprising Ardian Mid Cap Buyout, Ardian Expansion, Ardian Growth and Ardian Co-Investment), Ardian Infrastructure, Ardian Real Estate and customized mandate solutions with Ardian Mandates.
Participants
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ARDIAN
- Ardian Expansion: François Jerphagnon, Marie Arnaud-Battandier, Maxime Séquier
- M&A advisor: Natixis Partners (François Rivalland, Philippe Charbonnier, Joseph El Khoury, Romain Azoulai), Wil Consulting (Jacques Ittah)
- Legal and tax advisor France: Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (Frédéric Cazals, Edouard de Lamy, Alexandre Groult, James Clarke, Paul Leroy, Alexandra Stoicescu)
- Corporate advisor France: BL & Associés (Anne-Laure Bénet, Victoire Potocki)
- Legal, tax and corporate advisor Spain: Pérez-Llorca (Paula De Biase)
- Strategic advisor: Horizons Partners (Alain Polonsky)
- Financial advisor: PwC (David Willems, Julien Honorat, Camille Chatelle)
- Environmental advisor: AECOM (Bertrand Latrobe, Julie de Valence)
- Insurance advisor: Groupe Satec (Pierre Le Morzadec, Charles-Edouard Traeger)
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IONISOS
- Legal advisor: AZ & Cie (Julien Alvarez)
- Tax advisor: Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP (Stéphane Chaouat)
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FINANCING
- ICG (Mathieu Vigier, Andreas Klein, Yann Prevost)
- Legal advisor: Jones Day (Diane Sénéchal)