Poortugaal, 29 October 2024 – Yellow Hive, the parent company of You Sure, Felixx® werk & inkomen, Yinco and several other speciality insurance broker brands, takes a significant first step into the German market. The insurance broker and employee benefits advisory organisation announces the acquisition of the German insurance broker FVB, specialised in brokering personal and commercial lines insurances and financial investment products, from HDI Deutschland AG. With the acquisition of FVB, Yellow Hive enters the German market and achieves full national coverage in both Germany and the Netherlands. The structure and management of FVB will largely remain unchanged and its founder, Thomas Schallenberg, will support Yellow Hive Germany as an advisor after closing. Closing is anticipated year-end and subject to German merger clearance. The transaction is intended to boost the growth and further development of Yellow Hive and FVB in Germany, both organically and through further add-on acquisitions.

In April 2024, Yellow Hive refinanced with a significant new commitment from its existing shareholder IK Partners (“IK”) to support the continued growth of the company, not just in specific Dutch regions and niche markets, but also in other European countries such as Germany and Spain. The acquisition of FVB in Germany marks the first major milestone of this growth strategy.  Following IK’s initial investment in 2020 and under the leadership of CEO Ger Knikman, Yellow Hive transformed from a local insurance broker to a national distribution platform and is now entering Germany. Benefiting from scale, the company will make additional investments in innovation and have a stronger ability to negotiate better conditions for its customers.

National coverage with local presence

FVB is a renowned insurance broker with national coverage in Germany. The company strongly believes in the importance of close personal engagement with clients, which allows the affiliated advisors, who are well-acquainted with the regions, to provide the best tailored advice. Yellow Hive sees added value in the extensive product expertise of FVB and the local knowledge of the involved advisors in various regions.

Ger Knikman, CEO and Founder of Yellow Hive, said: “In FVB, we have found a partner that pursues the same objectives in the German market as we do with our own growth targets in the Netherlands. Now that we have shifted our focus to European expansion beyond the Netherlands, FVB fits perfectly within our growth strategy. By partnering with FVB, we will work with true specialists, enabling us to expand Yellow Hive with even more expertise. We can’t wait to start to work together with this experienced team within our organisation.”

Thomas Schallenberg, Founder of FVB and Advisor to Yellow Hive Germany, commented: “Joining forces with Yellow Hive will allow FVB to continue growing as an independent insurance broker. The company has a strong record of building an integrated platform to drive sustained organic and acquisitive growth. We are excited to join forces with the team at Yellow Hive to accelerate growth together and offer a broader spectrum of products and services to our customers.”

Jens Warkentin, CEO of HDI Deutschland AG, added: “We are delighted to have secured a very good new owner for FVB in Yellow Hive. HDI Germany will of course remain present in the broker market and further strengthen exclusive sales partners in future. We have utilised the consolidation efforts in the German market to place FVB in new hands at very good conditions. I would like to thank FVB, especially Thomas Schallenberg and his team, for their commitment to the HDI brand.”  

European expansion

In the upcoming years, Yellow Hive will focus its growth strategy on Germany and Spain. In these countries, Yellow Hive intends to acquire existing service providers, underwriting companies and insurance brokers.

For more information or inquiries regarding this message, please contact:

De Bruijn PR
Marianne de Bruijn
marianne@debruijnpr.nl or 06-14441398

October 15, 2024 – Hastings, UK – Medica Group, the leading provider of telemedicine services, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tom Hargreaves as Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Tom will be joining Medica Group in early 2025.

This strategic leadership appointment strengthens Medica’s executive team following its acquisition by IK Partners.

Tom Hargreaves joins Medica with extensive experience in high-growth technology and business services sectors, most recently serving as CFO of Auction Technology Group (ATG). At ATG, he played a pivotal role in scaling the business from $25 million in revenue to its listing on the FTSE250, delivering substantial returns for private equity investors. Prior to ATG, Tom held leadership roles at Vodafone and Yell UK, where he helped drive significant growth.

With a strong foundation in blue-chip finance and a proven track record of success in private equity-backed environments, Tom brings valuable expertise in scaling businesses, enhancing financial performance and delivering shareholder value. His ability to lead and grow companies in dynamic industries aligns with Medica’s ongoing transformation and growth strategy.

Commenting on his appointment, Tom Hargreaves said:
“I am excited to join Medica at this critical juncture in its growth journey. Having spent seven years at ATG, I am ready for a new challenge and see significant growth potential at Medica. The company’s service model, supported by its dedicated teams, has many parallels to my previous experiences, and I am eager to leverage my expertise in a high-growth environment backed by a highly regarded private equity firm like IK Partners.”

Andrew Cannon, CEO at Medica Group, added:
“We are delighted to welcome Tom Hargreaves to Medica’s leadership team. His impressive track record of delivering results in both technology and service-related organisations makes him an ideal fit for Medica as we continue to drive growth and improve lives through excellence in diagnostics and research”

Medica Group continues to play a key role in the healthcare industry by providing innovative teleradiology services to reduce imaging backlogs, improve clinical outcomes and support healthcare professionals across the UK, Ireland, and the US.

Renta Group Oy (“Renta Group” or “Renta”) acquires Caro Design Sp. z o.o. (“Caro Design” or “the Company”). Caro Design is a Polish site modules rental specialist serving construction and industrial customers in the south-eastern part of Poland. On a project basis the Company also does work outside Poland. The Company is headquartered in Brzezówka, has 8 employees across three depots and annual revenues of approximately PLN 12 million.

With the acquisition, Renta adds site modules to its product offering in Poland, which is a strategic step towards building a full-service offering in Poland. Caro Design is a growing company with strong profitability and a modern fleet comprising of c. 2,000 site modules. Renta’s objective, together with the management of Caro Design, is to continue to scale the operations geographically and to capture cross-selling synergies between the Company and Renta.

The acquisition was completed on 31 August 2024.

Kari Aulasmaa, CEO of Renta Group, said: 

“Through the acquisition, Renta takes another step forward in building a full range product offering in Poland. Caro Design is an excellent platform for Renta to launch the site modules operations in Poland given its sizeable and modern fleet and talented team of professionals. We would like to extend a warm welcome to the Caro Design team and look forward to working with them.”

Kazimierz Mikrut, President of the Management Board of Caro Design, said: 

“We are incredibly happy to partner with Renta, a company sharing our ambition for continued development of the business. With the support of Renta, a rental company with a nationwide presence and advanced digital solutions, Caro Design will have good prospects for continued growth and expansion of the business. We look forward to the future collaboration.”

Enquiries: ir@renta.com

Kristian Bentzer has decided to leave his role as CEO and Christine Ehnström, Head of Business Area Risk, Compliance and Finance, has been appointed new CEO as of November 1, 2024.

During the past year, Advisense has continued its growth journey towards becoming a leading European Governance, Risk and Compliance firm. Despite a challenging macroeconomic environment, Advisense has demonstrated remarkable resilience and delivered excellent results.

“We are very pleased to appoint Christine Ehnström as new CEO. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the financial sector, in leading roles as COO, Head of Legal and interim CEO and with her 6 years at Advisense as Head of Business Area Risk, Compliance and Finance, member of the Group Executive Committee and the group board of directors, she has an in-depth understanding of our business. Through her appointment, we will ensure a smooth transition and continuous focus on achieving Advisense’s goals,” says Bo Magnusson, Chairman of the board.

“I am honoured and excited for this opportunity to lead Advisense with its great business and exceptional people. It has been a privilege to work alongside Kristian during the past years. I very much look forward to continuing the successful growth journey Advisense has had under Kristian’s leadership, together with our talented and passionate employees. With the strong position we have as GRC firm, in a market where our expertise will continue to be in high demand, we have great opportunities ahead,” says Christine Ehnström.

Kristian Bentzer joined Advisense in 2011 and has been CEO for eight years. Under his leadership, the company has grown from 80 to 450 employees while maintaining a strong profitability. Advisense is currently operating in 8 countries, and over the past year, the company has continued to grow its revenue significantly faster than the market, maintaining a profitability of around 20%.

“We’ve achieved excellent profits over the last twelve months, and our employee satisfaction is high. The company is in a strong position, and we have tremendous opportunities ahead. It has been an incredibly rewarding journey, and now I feel I am ready for a change. I’m very pleased that the board has appointed Christine to take over the role as CEO,” says Kristian Bentzer.

“Kristian has done an outstanding job. We are very pleased with the extraordinary results he has achieved and are now looking forward to continue working with him in his new capacity as a member of Advisense’s board of directors,” says Bo Magnusson.

Christine Ehnström will take over as CEO on November 1, when Kristian Bentzer will take up his new position as board member of Advisense.

For media enquiries and further information, please contact:

Kristian Bentzer, Group CEO
+46 766 35 05 07
kristian.bentzer@advisense.com

Maria Sandström Anderson, Chief Marketing Officer
+46 73 385 06 43
maria.sandstrom@advisense.com

Christine Ehnström, Head of Business Area Risk, Compliance and Finance
+46 70 343 29 61
christine.ehnstrom@advisense.com

GoodLife Foods is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement to acquire Pure Ingredients, a leading manufacturer in the halal frozen food market. The combination will result in a highly complementary group producing and selling innovative frozen snacks and meal components across Europe. Financial terms of the transaction are not disclosed, and completion is subject to legal and regulatory approvals.

Pure Ingredients, headquartered in Nettetal-Kaldenkirchen, Germany, offers a broad portfolio of branded and private label products focused on halal frozen snacks and meal components. The company specializes in the production and distribution of branded and private label products and serves a customer base active in the ethnic supermarkets, retail and foodservice channels, mainly in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, next to a growing international presence.

Pure Ingredients employs more than 200 people and operates 3 state-of-the-art production facilities in the Netherlands (2) and Germany (1). The owner of the company, Wout van Eeuwijk, will remain connected to the company.

This strategic move represents an important milestone for GoodLife Foods, as the company will be able to further diversify its product offerings and growth opportunities and continue to provide a high level of innovation and service levels to its customers.

Dirk Van de Walle, CEO of GoodLife Foods: “The acquisition of this leading company in halal frozen products, together with the recently announced acquisition of Audens Food Group in Spain and Portugal, gives us every opportunity to exploit the full potential in all our markets with great products and great teams to realize our growth plan for the coming years.”

Wout van Eeuwijk, owner of Pure Ingredients: “I am very pleased that we can combine the strengths of Pure Ingredients with those of GoodLife Foods. In all those years, I have built this company into what it is today, together with the unbridled efforts of my employees, customers and suppliers. This transaction offers great opportunities for the future growth of Pure Ingredients under the wings of GoodLife Foods.”

Jos Bongers, CEO of Pure Ingredients: “Through this transaction, we will have great opportunities to further roll out our halal products in all markets where GoodLife Foods already has a customer network, and in doing so, we will become part of a larger group so that we can also further professionalize internally in all functional areas. In short, a great opportunity for the company, all employees, customers and suppliers.”

Lleida/Zurich/Paris, 18 July 2024 – Jacobs Holding is pleased to announce it has agreed to acquire ILERNA, a leading provider of official vocational education in Spain from Skill & You, a portfolio company of IK Partners (“IK”). Alongside the company’s management team and employees, Jacobs Holding will support ILERNA in building on its leading position, helping it to expand its innovative education offering and making its qualifications accessible to an even broader range of people. The investment in ILERNA is strongly aligned with Jacobs Holding’s strategy to invest in European champions in the Education Sector, one of its three focus sectors.

Founded in Lleida, Catalonia, in 2014, ILERNA is a leading player in the Spanish vocational education space with over 46,000 students. The organization offers a wide range of online courses designed to meet the evolving needs of both students and employers. In recent years, ILERNA has developed a physical presence with 11 centers providing onsite instruction to complement its comprehensive online offering. With the support of Jacobs Holding, ILERNA will further enhance its educational programs, expand its curriculum, promote advanced technological tools, and extend its physical footprint. ILERNA has been a subsidiary of the French Skill & You Group since 2019. Skill & You was acquired by IK in 2021.

Tim Franks, CEO, and Justin Lewis-Oakes, Managing Director, of Jacobs Holding commented: “We have identified vocational education as a highly attractive sector within the European education landscape and Spain as a highly dynamic market with significant further growth opportunities. The online segment provides access to a broad demographic of students who are able to upskill flexibly around existing life commitments in order to enhance their long-term career opportunities. We are excited to back industry leading ILERNA in its next stage of growth, and to partner with co-founders Jordi Giné and Virginia Agelet, two accomplished and innovative leaders in the space.”

Jordi Giné Llorens, CEO of ILERNA, said: “We would like to thank IK Partners for their continuous support over the past three years. It has been a tremendous journey with a tripling of the size of the group and new campuses in Barcelona, Cordoba, Jerez, Lleida, Madrid, Tarragona, Seville, and Valladolid. We would like to welcome Jacobs Holding on board. They have unmatched experience in the global education sector and will provide further support for our next phase of ambitious development.”

Rémi Buttiaux and Diki Korniloff, Partners at IK, added: “ILERNA’s growth achievements stand as a testament to the remarkable leadership of its management team. We wish them well for their next growth phase with Jacobs Holding and look forward to seeing ILERNA thrive in its next chapter.”

Media contacts:

For Jacobs Holding:
Lemongrass Communications, Andreas Hildenbrand
andreas.hildenbrand@lemongrass.agency
+41 44 202 52 38

For IK Partners:
Vidya Verlkumar
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com
+44 7787 558193