European listed private equity investor Gimv is taking an indirect minority stake in Equine Care Group (ECG) from Belgian family-owned investor Compagnie Nationale à Portefeuille (CNP). ECG becomes one of Gimv’s ten largest holdings. CNP will remain the firm’s lead strategic partner.
By joining CNP, Bencis, the founders, managers and the veterinarians, Gimv becomes part of a shareholder group aiming to accelerate ECG’s development into the world’s leading one-stop partner for high-quality equine medicine.
Xavier Le Clef, CEO, and David Caudron, CFO at CNP reckon that Gimv’s healthcare expertise complements CNP’s ambition and reinforces its shared mission to deliver world-class equine care and make this available all over the world.
CNP acquired its controlling stake in ECG from Bencis in July. Gimv now joins through a joint entity that will retain majority ownership, with CNP as lead strategic partner. Gimv is committed to further support ECG’s global expansion alongside CNP and CEO Mariën.
“We see clear parallels between ECG and our previous healthcare success stories,” said Bart Diels, managing partner – head of Healthcare at Gimv. “We are excited to support CNP and ECG’s management in accelerating the group’s international expansion and innovation in equine care.”
Created in 2021 by merging Dr Tom Mariën, founder of EquiTom, Dr Frederik Bruyninx‘s Ambulatory Care practice, and Bencis, ECG has evolved into a leading European provider of high-quality equine care. It offers equine hospitals, ambulatory veterinary services, reproductive solutions, nutrition and supplement brands and specialised laboratories.
Mariën, CEO, and Julie Santens, managing director, at ECG, believe that the partnership strengthens its foundations and help further professionalise the company’s veterinarian-led model and raise the standards of equine veterinary care.
Known for partnering with Olympic teams and leading stud farms, ECG treats over 50,000 horses annually and has grown quickly through organic expansion and over 30 acquisitions.
This investment supports Gimv’s ambition to become a leading European private equity investor and makes ECG one of its ten largest holdings.
Press release: Gimv joins forces with CNP to accelerate the global expansion of Equine Care Group | Gimv
