Ayming Partners with Andera Partners to Accelerate its Development Alongside the Management Team

Paris, January 20, 2025 – Ayming, a leading global player in performance consulting, specializing in financing innovation in France and internationally, and human resources in France, announces the entry of Andera Partners into the capital, via its Andera MidCap 5 fund, as majority shareholder. Carried out in partnership with the management team led by Messrs. Hervé Amar and Denis Blanc, and with the renewed support of EMZ, present in the capital since 2022, which is reinvesting in this new cycle, this strategic investment aims to support the strong growth of the group, in particular by accelerating its international development through external growth and continuing to expand its offering.

A strategic player positioned in high-growth markets and established in many countries

During its development, Ayming has built a solid and resilient base around its historical and well-established activities in France, in particular innovation and R&D financing mechanisms and the management of social commitments. The group has relied on an external growth policy and an organic diversification strategy by targeting high-potential geographic areas — Ayming is now established in 14 countries in Europe and North America. At the same time, Ayming has expanded its offering with innovative solutions such as ESG, managed services / Software on human resources and the “IP Box”, thus opening up new growth prospects.

A player recognized for its premium positioning and its technical expertise in its two businesses.

Ayming stands out for its dual technical expertise: consulting expertise and the ability to offer a tooled service (internally developed software platform). This dual expertise helps to strengthen its positive image with its customers and to ensure its long-term support (multi-year contracts). The group benefits from an excellent reputation in all its sectors of activity and in all the geographies where it operates, thanks to the quality of its support and its know-how on often very long-term projects.

A new chapter of growth with Andera Partners

Andera Partners joins the adventure alongside the management team, which is reinvesting significantly, and EMZ, which is continuing its commitment as a minority shareholder. The objective of this partnership is to double the group’s turnover and EBITDA within five years, combining sustained organic growth and an acceleration of targeted acquisitions internationally, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Germany. The ambition is to strengthen the group’s position in these strategic markets, based on what it has just achieved in Italy via the acquisition of Astolfi in 2024. At the same time, the group intends to continue its diversification by developing new offers to activate new growth levers.

To support its ambitions, the group is completing the financing of this development project with new debt provided by Pemberton Asset Management, which is financing the capital restructuring operation and structuring a line dedicated to external growth.

This transaction remains subject to the approval of the competition authority and its completion is expected before the end of the first quarter of 2025.

Quotes

Hervé Amar , President of the Ayming Group , and Denis Blanc , Managing Director of the Ayming Group , declare:

“  We are delighted to welcome Andera as our new majority shareholder. Their expertise and vision, aligned with our values ​​of excellence and innovation, will enable us to accelerate our development and offer an even better customer experience. Thanks to this partnership, Ayming’s 1,500 employees have the necessary resources to rapidly deploy our premium strategy on a global scale. This choice is part of a quality and sustainable growth approach, reinforcing our ambition to consolidate our leadership position in our core business. This is excellent news for our teams and our customers.  ”

François Carré , Managing Director, EMZ , adds:

“In 2022, when we joined forces with Hervé Amar and Denis Blanc, Ayming was experiencing a pivotal moment where we found a team that was highly motivated to relaunch the group’s development and eager to strengthen its capital. This motivation of the management and the alignment of energies were exciting and resulted in a strong increase in activity over the last three financial years. The acquisition of Astolfi at the end of 2024 in Italy crowned the journey already accomplished. The arrival of Andera is part of this dynamic and will further accelerate the group’s development abroad. We are delighted to continue the adventure alongside the management, the teams and Andera Partners.”

François-Xavier Mauron , Partner, and Aurélie Owona , Investment Director, Andera Partners , comment:  

“We are very pleased to join Messrs. Hervé Amar and Denis Blanc and their management team for this new development cycle. The Ayming Group perfectly illustrates Andera Midcap’s investment strategy: an experienced and ambitious team of managers who are successfully leading the change in scale of their group both in France and internationally, thanks to a robust, scalable and diversified business model. In particular, we will support the Group in its international development through external growth.”

About the Ayming Group

Ayming partners with companies around the world to create sustainable value. We transform complex policies into opportunities, while supporting growth-related impacts. Our team is composed of more than 1,500 experts across 14 countries in the fields of Innovation, HR, Tax and ESG. We collaborate directly with our clients to deliver real results
based on trust.

More information on: www.ayming.com

About Andera Partners

Founded nearly 25 years ago, Andera Partners is a major player in unlisted investment in France and internationally. Its teams manage €4.3 billion in life sciences (Andera Life Sciences), growth capital and transmission (Andera MidCap, Andera Expansion/Croissance, Andera Co-Invest), sponsorless operations (Andera Acto) and ecological transition (Andera Infra).

Andera Partners’ mission is to engage with companies and their leaders to support them on the path to strong and sustainable growth. The quality of the performances offered to our investors is based on a strong partnership between the entrepreneurs of our investments and our teams, based on shared values. Performance through collective commitment, the Power of And, represents the DNA of Andera Partners.

Based in Paris, and present in Antwerp, Madrid, Milan and Munich, Andera Partners has 119 people, including 72 investment professionals.