Rhone Capital invests in GardaWorld Security

The global private investment firm Rhône Capital signs a definitive agreement to acquire a significant minority stake in Corporation de Sécurité GardaWorld, officially reconfiguring the shareholding structure of the targeted security provider. Finalized as a massive structural recapitalization, this transaction establishes an overall valuation corresponding to an CAD 1–10bn. Under the rigorously negotiated capital restructuring, the incoming institutional backer captures exactly 45 percent of the outstanding shares of the target's parent company. This specific equity block is acquired directly from a subsidiary investment vehicle advised by the historical financial sponsor, Apax Partners, alongside select equity divestments from members of the internal management team. Despite this substantial capital injection from the new transatlantic investor, the historical sponsor Apax Partners and the target's founding Chief Executive Officer actively retain majority ownership of the consolidated enterprise. To ensure strict operational continuity and enduring leadership alignment, this controlling consortium formally retains the strategic right to appoint 60 percent of the members to the corporate board of directors. Furthermore, the existing board composition remains entirely unchanged following the close of the transaction, and all involved parties are subject to standard shareholder provisions governing this specific class of minority investment. The financial architecture governing this partial buyout is explicitly engineered to provide fresh institutional capital without disrupting the day-to-day enterprise continuity of the global operator. At the time of this complex cross-border capitalization shift, preliminary financial disclosures indicated that the target was projected to generate an annual CAD 1–10bn, while maintaining robust profitability metrics highlighted by an adjusted CAD 250–500M. This strategic maneuver seamlessly integrates a value-add partner capable of supporting the organization's continued structural growth across international markets. Subject strictly to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions and mandatory regulatory approvals from competent authorities, the definitive completion of this landmark transaction is officially anticipated to occur during the fiscal quarter ending on July 31, 2016.

It is worth noting that the fund Apax Partners took control of GardaWorld Security through an LBO in 2012.