Houlihan Lokey Advises BPP
Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that BPP Education Group (BPP), a portfolio company of TDR Capital, has acquired Acsenda School of Management and Arbutus College in Canada, CIC Higher Education in Australia, and a U.S. Partnerships recruitment business, all from EduCo International Group, a portfolio company of EQT. The transaction closed on 10 July 2024.
Acsenda School of Management, founded in 2004 and located in the business district of Vancouver, is one of Canada’s most highly acclaimed institutes of management studies. The well-established private post-secondary institution has its own degree-awarding powers and offers bachelor’s degrees in business administration and hospitality management to international learners from more than 40 different countries.
Arbutus College, established in 2002, is an international college also located in Canada. It offers more than 30 courses in subjects such as marketing, hospitality, international trade, and business management. Arbutus College’s range of diplomas and placement programmes focuses on developing technical and professional skills for the workplace. Collaborating with key employers in Vancouver, Arbutus College recruits learners from more than 20 different countries.
The U.S. Partnerships recruitment business recruits top-quality international students into a number of prestigious and highly regarded U.S. universities. The acquisition of U.S. Partnerships and its global recruitment team adds a new dimension to BPP’s existing European portfolio and will provide increased connections to both international students and a long-established network of universities.
CIC Higher Education, established in 2012, is a private higher education institution based in Melbourne, Australia. It provides both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in subjects such as accounting, business, and information technology. Its highly qualified faculty is focused on equipping international students from more than 40 countries with the conceptual knowledge and skills to implement in their careers.
BPP is a global leader in professional and vocational education. It provides education and training in law, business, finance, accountancy, banking, technology, psychology, and nursing—both through relationships with corporations and directly to consumers—across test preparation, university, apprenticeships, and professional development. Established for more than 45 years, BPP’s education is delivered to be as real-world, relevant, and innovative as possible.
Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to BPP on its acquisitions of Acsenda School of Management, Arbutus College, the U.S. Partnerships recruitment business, and CIC Higher Education.
This transaction builds on Houlihan Lokey’s market-leading position in the global education, and training sector in general and the higher education, professional training, and apprenticeship market in particular. Within this market, the Houlihan Lokey deal team has advised on the sales of FutureLearn to Global University Systems, ICS Learn to Skill and You, BIMM to ICG, the College of Law to Montagu Private Equity, and BPP to Apollo Education Group, as well as the acquisitions of BPP by TDR Capital—and its subsequent acquisitions of Digital Marketing Institute, Firebrand Training, and Estio Training—Arden University, the University of Law, and LCCM by Global University Systems, Corndel by THI Investments, and Lifetime Training by Silverfleet Capital. Other Houlihan Lokey roles in the higher education and professional training sector include acting for RelyOn Nutec on its sale to Mubadala Capital, Trainor on its sale to Apave Group, Circus Street on its sale to QA, Skillsoft on its Chapter 11 restructuring and subsequent sale to Churchill Capital Corp. II, EducationDynamics on its sale to Renovus Capital, Questionmark on its sale to Learnosity, Oakley Capital on the acquisition of Seagull, Kallidus on its sale to Apse Capital, Inflexion on its acquisitions of Times Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Calco, Atlas Knowledge on its sale to Mintra Group, and Primary Capital on the acquisition of ICS Learn.*
*Selected transactions were executed by Houlihan Lokey professionals while at other firms acquired by Houlihan Lokey or by professionals from a Houlihan Lokey joint venture company.
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