A deal valued at £38 million has seen investment firm ISIS Equity Partners inject £18 million into a new portfolio company.
London-based YSC is the business to receive backing, and will be using the capital to continue with its international expansion in emerging markets.
The business, which comprises of 120 consultants in the business psychology space, has offices in New York, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro. It has also recently opened bases in Singapore and Shanghai, where it says a large proportion of its growth will come from.
YSC currently works with FTSE 100 companies including BP, Diageo and HSBC and helps with services such as assessments, leadership and building talent pipelines.
Gurnek Bains, chairman of YSC, says that the investment from ISIS secures YSC’s independence and will help to ‘cement its position as the most innovative player’ in the market.
Going forward, YSC will be led by a team comprising of Paul Ballman, Andy Houghton and Robert Sharrock. Bains and Ken Rowe, who have headed YSC since its foundation in the early 1990s, will become chairman and vice chairman through a transition of leadership.
More on ISIS Equity Partners:
Liz Jones, partner at ISIS, comments, ‘We have developed our relationship with YSC over the past five years, attracted by its market-leading position, blue-chip client base and the calibre of its global people.
‘Now the time is right, we are delighted to support its leadership transition and to partner with such an exceptional organisation.’
ISIS Equity Partners’ last deal came earlier in July when it invested £8.5 million into Coventry-based online bathroom products retailer BathEmpire.com.
The firm has now made seven new investments during 2013 involving companies such as Red Box Recorders and Create Health, secured the exits of LBM Direct Marketing and Micro Librarian Systems and closed a new fund – its ISIS Growth I fund.
The investment in YSC has utilised funds from ISIS V, while the firm has funds under management of £1.2 billion (correct March 2013).
