Argon & Co secures new growth funding from Bridgepoint, Carlyle and Ardian
Argon & Co has secured new funding, as part of the global management consultancy’s aim to embark on another chapter of growth.
Announced by its headquarters in France, new funding has been raised with private equity groups Bridgepoint Group (significant minority shareholder) and Carlyle (debt), while current minority investor Ardian has also reinvested further funds.
The fresh round of capital will help Argon & Co to shore up future opportunities, with key elements of the growth plan including further internationalisation (particularly in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the United States), investments in consulting and technology capabilities, and a renewed M&A strategy with a focus on synergistic transactions.
François Laget, CEO of Argon & Co, said: “We are proud of the journey Argon & Co has been on to date with Ardian and are excited to be partnering with Bridgepoint and Carlyle for this next chapter. Their experience in internationalising specialist consultancies, and deep understanding of our sector, make them the ideal partner to help us scale further.”
ANZ team leading the way
Over the past five years, Argon & Co has grown from around 230 staff to around 750 today, and notably, the Australia and New Zealand team was the company’s most important region contributing to that growth. The ANZ team grew from a few dozen members to 220 people to become the firm’s largest market outside of France.
“At the heart of our business is a team that deeply cares for our clients’ businesses, and for delivering impactful projects. When you continually deliver high-quality engagements in an environment clients enjoy working in, it’s a pretty simple model for growth,” noted Paul Eastwood, Managing Partner of Argon & Co.
Growth was also fast tracked by deals all around the world, including six in the ANZ region.
The expansion in headcount has meanwhile enabled Argon & Co to establish itself as a leading and an end-to-end player in supply chain and adjacent domains, offerings expertise in areas such as supply chain planning, manufacturing, logistics, procurement, finance, and shared services. The firm also has a training arm and a solutions unit.
“Our expertise and end-to-end offering enables us to transform our clients’ businesses, delivering real change,” said Eastwood. “This involves creating a step-change to the way a company operates, leading to a substantial improvement in performance through better use of existing competencies and infrastructure, or developing new ones.”
“We are pleased to see continued investor confidence in our firm, as we grow from around 200 to 750 full-time employees over the last four years. We have no plans to slow down this growth any time soon, and that includes the realistic aspiration to grow to around 500 full-time employees by 2030 in the Australian market alone.”
