News

BC Partners has agreed to recapitalize Portland, Oregon-based Navex Global, a provider of governance, risk management and compliance software. No financial terms were disclosed. Noble Rock Advisors Incorporated will also be investing in the transaction. Navex’s previous backer Vista Equity Partners will retain a minority stake in the company.

PRESS RELEASE

Portland, OR – July 17, 2018 – NAVEX Global, the leading global provider of governance, risk management and compliance software, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a majority recapitalization by leading international investment firm BC Partners. Existing investor Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”) initially acquired NAVEX Global in October of 2014 and will retain a minority stake in the company.

NAVEX Global was formed in 2012 from the joining of four industry leading firms, with histories tracing back to 1981, and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, United States. Today, the company works with over 13,000 businesses globally and provides the world’s most comprehensive ethics and compliance software platform, allowing clients to address issues and respond quickly and effectively in increasingly complex regulatory environments.

“This transaction speaks to the tremendous value NAVEX Global has built by providing the best governance, risk management and compliance solutions for our thousands of customers worldwide,” said NAVEX Global CEO Bob Conlin. “We’re thrilled to begin our next chapter with BC Partners, and excited to renew our partnership with Vista, whose enterprise expertise has proved invaluable during the past four years. Both firms understand our value and will offer the tools and resources necessary to help us continue to grow and thrive.”

BC Partners intends to help accelerate NAVEX Global’s expansion into international markets, as well as to broaden its product offering of governance, risk management and compliance solutions, one of the fastest growing sectors in the software industry.

“We are excited to work with NAVEX Global and its leadership team, and look forward to investing in new products as well as international expansion,” commented BC Partners Senior Partner Mark Fariborz. “NAVEX Global is already a leader in governance, risk management and compliance and we are confident that the company has even more room to grow organically and through M&A.”

For Vista, its agreement to reinvest in NAVEX Global represents a continued commitment to the company and belief in its potential for sustained growth.

“We acquired NAVEX Global in October of 2014 because we saw tremendous potential for growth in both the company and the market,” said Robert F. Smith, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners. “We are reinvesting in NAVEX Global because we see an opportunity for further product development and international expansion, and are excited to be a part of the company’s next phase of growth.”

Noble Rock Advisors Incorporated will also be investing in the transaction.

BC Partners was advised on legal matters by Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and Shea & Co served as financial advisors. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC served as financial advisors to NAVEX Global, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as the company’s legal advisors.

About NAVEX Global
NAVEX Global’s comprehensive suite of ethics and compliance software, content and services helps organizations protect their people, reputation and bottom line. Trusted by 95 of the FORTUNE 100 and more than 13,000 clients, our solutions are informed by the largest ethics and compliance community in the world. For more information, visit www.navexglobal.com.

Learn more about NAVEX Global (www.navexglobal.com) online: Ethics & Compliance Matters Blog (www.navexglobal.com/blog), @NAVEXGlobal (twitter.com/navexglobal), LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/navex-global), Facebook (www.facebook.com/NAVEXGlobal).

About BC Partners
BC Partners is a leading international investment firm with over US$21 billion of assets under management in private equity and private credit. Established in 1986, BC Partners has played an active role in developing the European buy-out market for three decades. Today, BC Partners executives operate across markets as an integrated team through the firm’s offices in North America and Europe.

Since inception, BC Partners has completed 102 private equity investments in companies with a total enterprise value of US$156 billion and is currently investing its tenth private equity fund. For more information, please visit www.bcpartners.com.

About Vista Equity Partners
Vista Equity Partners, a U.S.-based investment firm with offices in Austin, San Francisco, Chicago, and Oakland with more than $31 billion in cumulative capital commitments, currently invests in software, data and technology-enabled organizations led by world-class management teams with long-term perspective. Vista is a value-added investor, contributing professional expertise and multi-level support towards companies realizing their full potential. Vista’s investment approach is anchored by a sizable long-term capital base, experience in structuring technology-oriented transactions, and proven management techniques that yield flexibility and opportunity in private equity investing. For more information, please visit www.vistaequitypartners.com.