Apax Partners wins Real Deals “Deal of the Year” Award for Azelis

24th April 2019

Apax Partners is pleased to announce it has won the “Deal of the Year” award in Benelux and France for Azelis at the Real Deals Private Equity Awards 2019. 

Apax Partners is pleased to announce it has won the “Deal of the Year” award in Benelux and France for Azelis at the Real Deals Private Equity Awards 2019. The awards, the oldest of their kind in the private equity sector, recognise excellence across the industry. 

Azelis is a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients to more than 43,000 customers in over 40 countries. 

The Apax Funds acquired Azelis in 2015, recognising the company’s strong position to consolidate a highly-fragmented industry and create a global industry leader. Under the Funds’ ownership, and together with management, Azelis successfully executed on its targeted growth strategy through focusing the business on product development and innovation, as well as developing its M&A platform. The company completed nine acquisitions to broaden its geographic reach and product offering. The most significant was the 2015 acquisition of Koda Distribution Group, whose North American presence was complementary to Azelis’ European and Asian reach. This transformational acquisition facilitated the expansion of Azelis into a truly global player with the ability to serve its key suppliers and customers at a global, regional and local level, with an expanded suite of services. The result of these initiatives saw Azelis more than double revenue and triple EBITDA under the Funds’ ownership.   

The Apax Funds sold Azelis in November 2018.