Waterland Private Equity has announced a new strategic partnership with Black & White Engineering, as the engineering design consultancy seeks to expand its footprint across EMEA.
The investment will be funded by Waterland Private Equity Fund IX, with Waterland taking a large stake in the company. The founder, senior leadership and employees of Black & White will also retain a significant stake.
Black & White Engineering was established in 2014 and today employs over 500 people, working with 110 clients across 23 countries in EMEA.
With Waterland as a strategic partner, Black & White aims to expand geographically as well as widening its engineering offering. The company will be extending its footprint into new territories and pursuing acquisitions across Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
The Black & White leadership team will all be remaining with the businesses following the partnership with Waterland, with Mick Cairns, current CEO and Founder Black & White, continuing as CEO.
Cairns said of the investment, “Black & White has grown hugely since I founded the business and I could not be prouder of our team, who have helped us to reach this huge milestone in our journey. We are delighted to be partnering with Waterland and leveraging their track record of international growth and acquisition experience. We are looking forward to supercharging the momentum we have built with Waterland acting as a hands-on partner, which supports our vision and ambitions.”
“Mick Cairns is an impressive entrepreneur who has built an outstanding business. We look forward to supporting Mick and the senior team in this next chapter and will continue to back their philosophy of investing in people and working together with the best talent to create a global leader in engineering for the data centre market,” added Wendy McMillan, Partner at Waterland Private Equity.
“We will be leveraging our network and expertise in acquisitions and international expansion to help Black & White reach the next level and we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for the business.”
