Ardian, a world leading private investment house, has acquired a majority stake in GBA Group (“GBA”) alongside GBA’s management team and Quadriga Capital. Pava Partners exclusively advised Ardian on the acquisition financing. Closing of the transaction took place in April 2021.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Hamburg, GBA Group is a leading independent testing, inspection and certification provider of bio-analytical laboratory services in the DACH region with a strong presence in Belgium and Poland. GBA’s core testing service competencies are focused on the most attractive and resilient fields of food & beverage, pharmaceutical and environmental analytics.

About Ardian

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$110bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.

Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world. Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 700 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,000 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

About GBA

GBA, founded in 1989, brings together a network of dynamic companies providing laboratory analysis and related services to customers in three major sectors: food, environment, and pharmaceuticals. Unique characteristics of the Company are its comprehensive and differentiated service and testing portfolio, strong service orientation, cutting edge innovation capabilities and its high customer loyalty. These features have assured the business a superior competitive positioning. Today, GBA’s network comprises 39 locations and 44 laboratories with approximately 1,400 employees.