Global investment firm Permira and the investor GENUI announced that funds advised by Permira had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Westbridge Advisory, a leading European energy and sustainability advisory firm for institutional real estate clients.
Based in Frankfurt, Westbridge advises real estate clients in procuring energy and reducing their carbon footprint to reach their long-term sustainability goals. And the company has international offices in London, Warsaw, and Zurich. Westbridge is currently owned by its founders and GENUI.
The founders will significantly reinvest along with the Permira Funds, while GENUI will fully exit the business. Closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory clearances and is expected by the end of Q1 2025.
Launched in 2015, Westbridge is a trusted advisor to over 600 institutional real estate clients on all energy and sustainability-related matters. The company has also demonstrated double-digit revenue and profitability growth and strong resilience, driven by the increasing demand for green energy solutions and Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG compliance in the property sector. And Westbridge’s services span energy procurement advisory, green building certifications, ESG data management, and sustainability consulting. Permira looks to support the company’s organic and acquisitive growth, especially in its plans to expand internationally in a dynamically evolving market.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are very much looking forward to writing the next chapter of our success story with Permira. Jointly, we will further internationalize our business and invest in our future growth. A big thanks to the team of GENUI that has supported us successfully since 2021. We are passionate in solving our clients’ energy and sustainability needs and, with the Permira funds as our new partner, we will drive the energy transition in real estate.”
- Yama Mahasher, CEO of Westbridge
“We are delighted to partner with the founders of Westbridge. This investment once again underscores our commitment in the DACH region to supporting visionary entrepreneurs in driving profitable growth. With Westbridge playing a pivotal role in reducing the real estate sector’s carbon footprint, the transaction also increasingly aligns with our firm’s new climate investment focus. I’m personally very excited to work together with Yama and the whole Westbridge team and back their vision of building a European champion in energy and sustainability advisory for the real estate sector.”
- Florian Kreuzer, Head of DACH at Permira
“The sustainability trend in real estate presents immense growth potential for expert advisory firms like Westbridge. We look forward to leveraging our tech-enabled Services expertise and international network to help Yama and his team to expand into new markets. Westbridge is a great match with Permira’s Services strategy, which focuses on high revenue quality, sticky client relationships and resilient growth.”
- David Brückmann, Managing Director in Permira’s Services Sector
“It has been a pleasure for our team and GENUI Entrepreneur Andreas Jacobs as Chairman of Westbridge’s Board, to support Westbridge in scaling not only the business and footprint but also the significant environmental impact of the Company. We are proud that Westbridge has developed to become a significant market leader under our ownership with sales having increased sevenfold, and a series of strategic accretive acquisitions and organic extensions realised. We wish the team and the new majority shareholder Permira all the best for the further successful growth story.“
- Max Odefey of GENUI
“We are excited to partner with the founders and management of Westbridge. This investment once again underscores our commitment to support visionary entrepreneurs in the DACH region. The business is a strong fit for Permira’s Services strategy and is also increasingly aligned with our new Climate investment focus. We look forward to supporting Yama and his team and backing their vision of building a European leader in energy and sustainability advisory.”
- Florian Kreuzer, Head of DACH, and David Brückmann, Managing Director
