Onex Corporation (“Onex”) (TSX: ONEX) today announced that Onex
Partners V, Onex’ $7.2 billion fund, has agreed to acquire Tes
Global (“Tes” or the “Company”), a leading education technology
services provider, from Providence Equity Partners L.L.C.
(“Providence”), a premier private equity firm that specializes in
growth-oriented investments in media, communications, education and
technology. Tes’ management team will also invest alongside Onex.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Based in London, England, Tes is an
international provider of comprehensive software solutions for the
education sector. Its core vision is to power schools and enable
great teaching worldwide by creating intelligent online products
and services to make the greatest difference in education. Tes’
offering falls into three pillars – Staff Management, Safeguarding
& Compliance, and Pupil & Learning Management – hosting
over 13 million teachers on its online platform and serving over
17,000 schools in 117 countries. Tes also provides teachers with
continuous professional development training in addition to
software tools to deliver excellence in the classroom. The
Company’s products and services have proven critical throughout the
COVID-19 pandemic as teaching and assessment have largely taken
place remotely.
“Tes has a well-established brand and
deep-rooted relationships with teachers, creating an unparalleled
and highly differentiated place in the market. We were attracted to
its focus of helping both teachers and school administrators
deliver better educational outcomes for students in the UK and
around the world,” said Nigel Wright, a Senior Managing Director at
Onex. “The Company is well-positioned to grow and to expand its
offering of EdTech point-solutions. Onex’ experience in both the
Business Services industry and supporting companies in their
acquisition plans makes us the ideal partner for Tes. We’re
thrilled to be joining Rod and the entire Tes team as we look to
accelerate the Company’s next phase of growth.”
“Onex has a wealth of experience and an
impressive track record of helping the companies it partners with
to grow and thrive. We’re delighted to have found another team
whose values are aligned with our vision for the Company and are
committed to our future,” stated Rod Williams, Chief Executive
Officer of Tes. “On behalf of everyone at Tes, we’d like to thank
Providence for their guidance and support as we transformed our
business under their stewardship.”
Andrew Tisdale, Senior Managing Director at
Providence, said: “We are honored to have partnered with Tes and
help the Company accelerate its mission of providing world-class
tools to drive high quality education. Since partnering with Tes in
2019, we have supported several strategic acquisitions, including
Edval, EduCare and SchoolCloud. Together with the launch of new
products and services, these efforts have seen Tes firmly
transition into a technology-first partner for teachers and
schools, which has been invaluable during a period of sustained
remote learning owing to the global pandemic. We are confident Rod
and his team have a strong partner in Onex to build on its existing
momentum and continue to grow the business.”
The transaction is anticipated to close in the
first quarter of 2022. With this transaction, Onex Partners V will
be approximately 78% invested.
Onex was advised by Rothschild & Co. as
financial advisors and Latham & Watkins LLP as legal counsel.
Tes was advised by Arma Partners and Morgan Stanley & Co.
International plc (“Morgan Stanley”) as financial advisors and by
Weil, Gotshal & Manges as legal counsel.
About OnexFounded in 1984, Onex manages and
invests capital on behalf of its shareholders, institutional
investors and high net worth clients from around the world. Onex’
platforms include: Onex Partners, private equity funds focused on
mid- to large-cap opportunities in North America and Western
Europe; ONCAP, private equity funds focused on middle market and
smaller opportunities in North America; Onex Credit, which manages
primarily non-investment grade debt through tradeable, private and
opportunistic credit strategies as well as actively managed public
equity and public credit funds; and Gluskin Sheff’s wealth
management services. In total, as of September 30, 2021, Onex has
approximately $47 billion of assets under management, of which
approximately $7.9 billion is its own investing capital. With
offices in Toronto, New York, New Jersey, Boston and London, Onex
and its experienced management teams are collectively the largest
investors across Onex’ platforms.
Onex shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange
under the stock symbol ONEX. For more information on Onex, visit
its website at www.onex.com. Onex’ security filings can also be
accessed at www.sedar.com.
About Tes GlobalTes Global is an international
provider of software services to make life easier for schools and
teachers. All products and services are built with teachers and
schools needs at the core, ensuring they are innovative, trusted
education solutions. Tes Global products play a critical role
helping teachers and school leaders deal with the challenges of
teaching, including safeguarding and compliance, smart pupil
management, and staff management. This dedication and focus
supports educators across the globe in providing high quality
education to millions of children using smart, flexible, and
cost-effective solutions. A global Company, Tes Global employs over
500 people operating across 10 offices, including in London,
Sheffield, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Sydney, and Dubai. For more
information, please visit www.tes.com.
About Providence Equity PartnersProvidence
Equity Partners is a premier global private equity firm with
approximately $45 billion in aggregate capital commitments.
Providence pioneered a sector-focused approach to private equity
investing with the vision that a dedicated team of industry experts
could build exceptional companies of enduring value. Since the
firm's inception in 1989, Providence has invested in over 170
companies and is a leading equity investment firm focused on
growth-oriented investments in media, communications, education and
technology. Providence is headquartered in Providence, RI, and also
has offices in New York and London. For more information, please
visit www.provequity.com.
DisclaimersThis press release may contain,
without limitation, statements concerning possible or assumed
future operations, performance or results preceded by, followed by
or that include words such as “believes”, “expects”, “potential”,
“anticipates”, “estimates”, “intends”, “plans” and words of similar
connotation, which would constitute forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees. The reader should
not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and
information because they involve significant and diverse risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual operations, performance or
results to be materially different from those indicated in these
forward-looking statements. Except as may be required by Canadian
securities law, Onex is under no obligation to update any
forward-looking statements contained herein should material facts
change due to new information, future events or other factors.
These cautionary statements expressly qualify all forward-looking
statements in this press release.
Morgan Stanley, which is authorised by the
Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial
Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the
United Kingdom, is acting exclusively as financial adviser to Tes
and no one else in connection with the transaction. In connection
with such matters, Morgan Stanley, its affiliates and their
respective directors, officers, employees and agents will not
regard any other person as their client, nor will they be
responsible to anyone other than Tes for providing the protections
afforded to clients of Morgan Stanley nor for providing advice in
connection with the Transaction, the contents of this announcement
or any matter referred to herein.
For Further Information:
OnexJill HomenukManaging Director – Shareholder
Relations and CommunicationsJHomenuk@onex.com +1 416.362.7711 |
Tes Global Tom EndeanChief Marketing
OfficerTom.Endean@tes.com +44 (0) 203 194 3000 |
Providence Equity PartnersCharlie Chichester /
Rory King Sard Verbinnen & Co. Prov-SVC@sardverb.com |
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