Permira, a London-based global private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in Acuity Knowledge Partners, a research, analytics and business intelligence company to the financial services sector, from Equistone Partners Europe.
Acuity Knowledge Partners, also headquartered in London, serves a client base of over 500 financial services firms, including banks, asset managers, advisory firms, private equity houses and consultants. Its team of analysts, industry professionals, developers and data scientists work as an extension of clients’ teams look to allow clients to transform their practices and processes, drive revenues and maximize operational efficiency. Equistone will reinvest in Acuity as a minority shareholder.
We see great potential for Acuity to further extend its leadership in existing segments as well as branch into new adjacencies and geographies – growth areas we are very experienced in facilitating via our deep sector knowledge, across both services and technology, and global network,” states Daniel Tan, head of Asia, and Chris Pell, principal at Permira.
Equistone was advised on the transaction by Rothschild & Co. and DC Advisory, and Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel. Robert W. Baird Limited served as financial advisers to Permira, and Clifford Chance is acting as legal counsel. Management was advised by Travers Smith and Jamieson.