Leading global private investment firm, Bain Capital Private Equity announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Italmatch Chemicals, a global specialty chemical additive manufacturer, from Ardian, a world‐leading private investment house.

Founded in 1997 by current CEO Sergio Iorio, Italmatch is a leading global manufacturer of specialty chemical additives, operating across four key business units: water & oil treatment, lubricants, flame retardants & plastic additives, performance products & personal care. In 2017, the company generated sales of approximately 400 million euros. Headquartered in Genoa (Italy), Italmatch has truly global reach, with 17 manufacturing sites and 780 employees across Europe, the USA and Asia.

Over the past four years under Ardian ownership, Italmatch has more than doubled its sales, both organically and through acquisitions, with nine transactions completed worldwide. Today the company is a global business which focuses on specialty products in resilient and high‐value end markets.

Sergio Iorio, CEO of Italmatch, said: “We are grateful to Ardian for the strong support of Italmatch’s growth over the last four years, mainly through the successful completion of nine acquisitions in our core markets. At the same time, we are proud and honoured by Bain Capital’s decision to support Italmatch through its next phase of growth. We think we have a solid and wide base to build upon through innovation. We are convinced that Bain Capital, thanks to its experience in the chemical sector and its strong global reach, is the right Partner to bring Italmatch to the next level, and we are excited about our next years of cooperation with Bain Capital”.

Yann Chareton, managing director of Ardian in Italy commented: “When Ardian partnered with Italmatch four years ago we had no doubt that the growth path planned with Sergio Iorio and his team would be a success. It has been an incredible journey with a fantastic team of professionals. We are very proud to exit from this investment, which is now a solid and innovative international group with an established presence in key markets such as USA and Asia”.

Ivano Sessa, a managing director at Bain Capital Private Equity added: “Italmatch has a global reputation with its customers for high‐quality innovative products, and an impressive growth track record. Leveraging our experience in the chemicals sector and our global presence, we look forward to supporting Sergio Iorio and the rest of the management team to continue growing the Company, both organically and through an ambitious plan of strategic acquisitions”.