Montagu Private Equity ("Montagu"), one of Europe's leading private equity companies, announces the sale of Sebia SA ("Sebia"), a leading oncology focused diagnostic company with a strong electrophoresis technology platform, to Cinven Ltd ("Cinven"). Closing of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory clearances.

Montagu led the buyout of Sebia in September 2006, alongside Astorg Partners, Intermediate Capital Group PLC (ICG) and the historic founder of the company, Guy Barouh. In 2008, Benoît Adelus, the former CEO of bioMérieux, joined Sebia, succeeding Guy Barouh as CEO. Since the acquisition and under Benoît Adelus' leadership, Sebia has performed strongly within its core markets whilst pushing into new high growth areas. The company has been able to both increase market share in existing markets and also significantly expand its global footprint, selling equipment in more than 110 countries. Benoît Adelus will continue leading Sebia's growth strategy following the sale of the company.

Sylvain Berger-Duquene, Head of French Investments at Montagu, said:

"We are proud of the constructive partnership we have built over time with Sebia's management that has crystallised into significant organic growth, further accelerated by a strategic acquisition. Sebia exceeded all our expectations both from an operational and investment perspective. The company has a talented management team and we believe Cinven will be a good partner for the Company going forward. This transaction will generate a substantial return for Montagu's investors and clearly demonstrates our strategy of selecting and investing in high quality companies positioned in high value markets."

Benoît Adelus, CEO of Sebia, said:

"Montagu was a strong, supportive partner for Sebia over the last four years and I am proud of the progress the Company has made in strengthening its leadership position over that period. I believe the strong team we have in place, coupled with our leading market expertise, leave us well placed to drive the expansion of the company into new geographies and product lines with the support of a quality shareholder like Cinven."

Nicolas Paulmier, a Partner at Cinven, added:

"We were deeply impressed by Sebia, which we see as a robust organisation with exciting prospects. Under the strong leadership of Benoît Adelus, we believe the company will continue its rapid growth trajectory for many years to come. The acquisition of Sebia fits with our strategy of investing in high value diagnostic categories, illustrated by our 2006 acquisition of Phadia, the market leader in allergy testing."

Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive financial advisor to Montagu and the law firm Weil Gotshal acted as legal advisor. Latham Watkins acted as legal advisor to Cinven. Oloryn Partners and the law firm Frieh & Associés acted as advisors to the Management team

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