BC Partners to acquire Metropolitan College and AKMI IEK

April 3, 2023

• The investment, alongside founders Konstantinos and Kalliopi Rodopoulos, underscores BC Partners’ focus on the highly resilient education sector and its deep local network in the Greek market

Athens, 3rd April 2023 – BC Partners, a leading international investment firm, announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Metropolitan College and AKMI IEK (together the “Group”), the leading providers of post-secondary education in Greece, in continued partnership with the founders, Konstantinos and Kalliopi Rodopoulos, who remain shareholders and will continue to support the business.

Celebrating this year its 40th anniversary, the Group has achieved uninterrupted growth since inception. Today it operates a well-invested network of 27 campuses and venues across all main cities in Greece, each with state-of-the-art facilities. Led by excellent academic staff, the Group delivers an international and innovative education to over 22,000 students across a wide range of disciplines. The Group has been a pioneer in post-secondary education, driven by its firm commitment to continuous innovation and to delivering best-in-class class degree programs tailored to today’s job market.

The deal represents the second investment of BC Partners GR Investment LP (“BCPGR”), a special purpose fund that seeks to invest in and support high growth companies in Greece. Over the past 16 years, funds managed by BC Partners have invested over €6bn in Greece, including Pharmathen, Pet City, Wind and Nova (committing €2bn towards the development of an optical fibre network).

The BCPGR investment in the Group leverages BC Partners’ thematic sector focus on education, building on its investments in Springer Nature, a leading global scientific, technical, and medical information service provider, Keesing, the leading developer and publisher of education puzzle content, and EAB, the leading provider of subscription-based research, software, and technology-enabled services to the higher education industry.

Nikos Stathopoulos, Chairman of Europe, BC Partners, commented: “The Group exemplifies the characteristics we look for in our investments: market leaders benefiting from long term and resilient growth with multiple value creation levers. In partnership with Konstantinos and Kalliopi, we will support the Group in its next stage of growth through innovative learning programs, digital initiatives, and expanding the business internationally.”

Konstantinos and Kalliopi Rodopoulos, founders of the Group, commented: “We are excited by this partnership with BC Partners, who have built a proven franchise in Greece and bring a wealth of international and operational expertise. This landmark investment highlights the robust fundamentals of the Greek market and will support us to continue delivering the highest standards of education to young people in Greece and beyond.”

The transaction remains subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected to close by Q2 2023. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BC Partners was advised by Deloitte, PMSI, Eurvad, and Karatzas & Partners

About IEK AKMI and Metropolitan College

IEK AKMI provides education and training in over 100 specialties across 14 fields. It currently operates 19 facilities across 9 Greek cities. Last year, IEK AKMI was recognized as the most innovative Vocational Education Training (VET) provider by the European Commission in the VET Excellence Awards 2022.

METROPOLITAN COLLEGE operates eight facilities across eight cities in Greece. It provides private education services and post-secondary education and training across 12 fields with over 70 undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programmes, and a dedicated research department.

Metropolitan College degrees are recognised internationally and can be awarded directly by international partner universities. In the UK, it is the largest provider of Transnational Education (TNE) and is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC) as an independent higher education institution. All its academic degrees are recognized by the UK Academic Qualifications Commission (NARIC) and meet UK Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) standards.