UK headquartered CloserStill Media has acquired a majority stake in Partnership Network Events (PNE) for an undisclosed amount.
PNE produces hosted-buyer events and conferences across the public sector, healthcare and education sectors in the UK, US and Middle East.
The investment in PNE complements both CloserStill’s existing Healthcare and Learning portfolios in Europe as well as strengthens the growing CloserStill’s hosted buyer portfolio businesses across Europe and North America.
Founder and CEO, Jack Jacob and COO, Dean Finnegan, will continue to lead the 50-strong PNE team from its Sussex-based office in England.
Jacob said: “PNE is a real kitchen table start up success story, and it fills me with immense pride that we are now going into this next phase of PNE’s growth within the CloserStill group. Dean, the wider team and I have worked incredibly hard over the past seven years to get to this already remarkable point. This exciting partnership will help our team to establish PNE as the global leader in the hosted buyer space and reach new heights with product diversification, enabling our growth to skyrocket.”
Commenting on the acquisition, CloserStill Media CEO Gareth Bowhill said: “We are thrilled to welcome PNE into the CloserStill group. This partnership is built upon a shared strategic focus on delivering high-value, content-driven events that nurture professional communities in markets undergoing significant innovation. PNE’s expertise in curating exclusive, senior-level gatherings in healthcare, education, and the public sector perfectly complements our extensive experience in growing successful B2B communities across key industries. By combining PNE’s specialised approach with our global infrastructures, existing portfolio and proven track record, we expect to achieve enhanced growth as well as creating significant positive impact across the vital sectors that PNE serves.”
Novistra, led by Ash Mittel, advised PNE on the transaction.
Photo: Matthew Butler (Group MD, CloserStill), Jack Jacob (CEO, PNE), Dean Finnegan (COO, PNE) and Gareth Bowhill (CEO, CloserStill)
