Helios / Egis Avia

Cavendish Corporate Finance has advised on the successful sale of Helios, Europe’s leading independent air transport consultancy, to Egis Avia, a French based provider of products and services to the air transportation industry. Egis Avia is a member firm of Egis Group, an international leader in consulting and engineering with 12,000 employees and a turnover of €900 million.

The rapid worldwide growth in air travel and transport, with around 40 million flights taking place annually, has resulted in complex problems and issues that require an in-depth understanding of the aviation sector and the trends and developments taking shape on a global basis.

Founded in 1996 Helios advises and produces solutions for air navigation service providers, governments, regulators, airport operators, banks and investors, with solutions and strategies, which help them deal with these existing and emerging challenges. Clients include the European Commission, the European Space Agency, regulators such as the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority, the European Aviation Safety Agency, BAA and international airports, such as Heathrow, Gatwick, Lisbon and Abu Dhabi, and air traffic control providers such as NATS in the UK and others in Asia and the Middle East.

Helios’ world-class team of consultants and specialists, based in Farnborough and Slovakia, have been at the forefront of some of the industry’s most exciting developments, including the Single European Sky Initiative, by which the design, management and regulation of airspace will be coordinated throughout the European Union.

The Cavendish Corporate Finance team was led by Partner John Farrugia. The deal further demonstrates the strength of the Cavendish team in Technology Services, and the ability to close cross-border transactions. The Egis Avia team were advised by M&A International alliance partner, and French member firm, Aelios Finance.

John Farrugia, Partner at Cavendish Corporate Finance, commented:
“The air transport industry, which plays a critical role in the UK and the global economy, faces complex issues and concerns and Helios is at the forefront of providing solutions to meet these challenges. The deal is excellent one for both parties as it gives Helios the benefit of Egis Avia’s greater size and global reach to help drive its own international expansion and it gives Egis Avia access to the intellectual capital, market knowledge and insight of Helios’ world-class consultants.

“TC Group have a fantastic business model and brilliant management team, which combined with Inflexion’s sector and M&A experience, puts us in a great position to help accelerate its already impressive growth. We look forward to working with the team to seize the market opportunity together.”

Malcolm Coffin, Partner and Head of Enterprise Fund at Inflexion

“We are delighted to have found a perfect match to drive the growth of the Company we founded in 2005. After a rigorous sale process, we have no doubt that Davidson Kempner/Pithos Capital will continue to develop the Company as the UK’s largest independent self-storage provider and we look forward to following its progress.”

The finnCap Cavendish team, led by Nehal Patel, did a fantastic job, running a truly competitive process and managing the transaction with great skill. They were instrumental in delivering this deal and the successful outcome.”

Keith Taylor and Cathy Taylor, Co-Founders, UK Storage Company Ltd

“The finnCap Cavendish team did a great job of running a competitive process to establish the best transaction options available for our stakeholders. They were instrumental in delivering the Talan deal and were a pleasure to work with.”

Alex Goody, CEO, Gemserv

“The finnCap Cavendish team has achieved a truly outstanding result for our Shareholders. Their knowledge of our business, the sector and the buyer landscape, as well as their commitment throughout to the process, was critical to our success.”

Steve Beckitt, Founder-CEO, SourceBreaker

“I could not be prouder to be joining the Otonomo team. This is a big, bold step that brings us closer to our vision of safer and smarter mobility for all. Our clients and partners, some of the leading insurers of the world, will have access to a significant and unique set of data products, tools and resources to help them compete and thrive in a connected new world ahead.

We really appreciated Cavendish’s excellent advice, their understanding of the business and getting the best outcome for the company by driving the process.”

Aldo Monteforte, CEO of The Floow

Over the last 16 years, we’ve grown to become the biggest search firm in the world dedicated to executive search in sports and entertainment, working in partnership with brands and wonderful clients across more than 20 countries and in every major sports league. Today, we join with Excel, enhancing our ability to see our clients achieve their fullest potential both on and off the field.

The finnCap Cavendish team played a critical role in helping us to secure the right partner and home for our business. The team’s recruitment sector expertise and commitment throughout the deal was second to none, I would have no hesitation in recommending them to other business owners considering M&A.”

Paul Nolan, Founder-CEO, Nolan Partners

“I have loved working with Andrew, Ben and Hugh at Cavendish! Hamilton Fraser is more than just a company to me. For me to sell, any deal had to deliver value but also see the business find a great new home. Cavendish always listened and provided their advice on these points and how best to achieve what I was looking for. I am delighted to have found the perfect partner in GRP with their support.”

Eddie Hooker, CEO, Hamilton Fraser

“We are delighted with the support received from the finnCap Cavendish team throughout this process. Mike and the team ensured that we prepared meticulously, identified the right pool of potential investors and worked closely with us, the management team and our legal advisers to deliver a great outcome for the Shareholders. We wish the Intelling team and RDCP all the best in their next phase of growth.”

Karl Cockwill, Portfolio Director, NVM

“This transaction is a hugely important step in the company’s development, strongly positioning the business for its next phase of growth, allowing us to meet the growing need for secondary school students to learn in an independent, fluid and remote manner.”

Anthony Coxon, Co-Founder, GCSEPod

“Cortland shares our core values and our customers focus, and their additional resources will help us accelerate our growth in the UK market.”

Nigel Burnand, Managing Director, Qdime