The Cegos Group and Bridgepoint Development Capital in exclusive discussions for the investment fund to acquire a minority stake in the capital of the international leader in Learning and Development

The Cegos Group, the European leader in Learning & Development and one of the world's leading providers in the sector, is pursuing its bold development strategy.With 1,100 employees, offices in 12 countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America, and a network of partners in more than 50 countries, Cegos trains and supports individuals and organisations to help them meet their development challenges.

With a turnover of €200 million and training more than 250,000 people worldwide each year, Cegos has decided to opt for a new LMBO in which Bridgepoint Development Capital (BDC) will take a minority stake, alongside the shareholders already present (around 100 associate managers, a large majority of employees and the Cegos Association).

Benoît Felix, CEO of the Cegos Group, explains:

"After a health crisis that has profoundly transformed the professional world, the L&D market is more buoyant and dynamic than ever. Cegos has returned to growth in 2021, exceeding its targets.

To transform and further enhance our Group's profile, we have defined a bold strategy based on three development areas: accelerating our organic growth by strengthening our teams, our service offering and our presence in new markets (e.g. training for individuals or job seekers); consolidating our profile through key acquisitions (in new areas of expertise, in digital learning, in the BtoC market or internationally); and finally, driving this growth in a responsible and sustainable manner, for ourselves and for all our stakeholders.

By acquiring a stake in our capital and thanks to the expertise of its teams, Bridgepoint Development Capital will support our development by joining Cegos' approach, which has always been based on collective commitment, innovation and the quest for excellence."

Bertrand Demesse, Bridgepoint Development Capital Partner, says:      

"We are very pleased to have this opportunity to support Cegos' teams in their ambitious development project. In addition to its market potential and brand appeal, we were quickly won over by the Cegos management team: its view of future challenges and its desire to anticipate the changes taking place in Learning & Development persuaded us to join them in this exciting project. We are also very aware of the societal projects that our investments support, and the Cegos project for lifelong learning and professional training echoes the values that we uphold."

The Cegos Group is positioned in a particularly buoyant Learning & Development market:

• Whether it is a matter of supporting changes in professions, reskilling, or the emergence of new key skills (technical, digital, environmental, managerial, behavioural, etc.), the needs are huge. Employability and competitiveness challenges are strategic, in both the private and public sectors, all over the world.
• Demand is increasing more particularly in certain verticals and fields, such as IT and digital, sustainable development and issues related to Corporate Social Responsibility.
• The boom in teleworking has accelerated the development of distance learning, which now appears to be a fully effective solution in its own right: by democratizing access to training, distance learning is expanding the market's potential.
• Regulatory changes - particularly in France with the Compte Personnel Formation (Personal Training Account) - are encouraging individuals to take ownership of their skills development through certified training. This leads to the development of a BtoC training market alongside a still buoyant BtoB market.

Have a look at our dedicated press release here.