Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) has signed an agreement to invest in Dorna Sports, a sports management company. CPPIB will acquire a 39% stake in Dorna Sports alongside current shareholders, Bridgepoint and Dorna management. Bridgepoint first invested in Dorna Sports in 2006.
“This is a unique opportunity to invest in a leading international sports management business,” said André Bourbonnais, Senior Vice-President, Private Investments, CPPIB. “Dorna’s experienced management team has demonstrated a remarkable ability to deliver consistent and strong performance.”
Dorna Sports is an international sports management, marketing and media company. Dorna has been the exclusive commercial and television rights holder for the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix MotoGP since 1992. Recently, Dorna Sports acquired the FIM World Superbikes Championship and holds the global rights until 2036 to organize the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, known as MotoGP, the world’s most prestigious motorcycle racing series. Dorna has additional involvement in other motorcycling events, such as the Spanish National Championship and the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup. The company also markets Ad-Time, a rotating advertising board system, in Spain, Italy, Portugal, the UK, South America and Japan – using it in volleyball, baseball and football (soccer). The company was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Madrid with branch offices in Barcelona, London and Tokyo (www.dorna.com) (www.motogp.com).
“I welcome CPPIB as a new shareholder. Alongside Bridgepoint, we now have long-term institutional support in place as we bring together for the first time the two top motorcycle racing series under one roof and as we develop and strengthen both championships,” said Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta.
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board invests in public equities, private equities, real estate, inflation-linked bonds, infrastructure and fixed income instruments. The board is governed and managed independently of the Canada Pension Plan and at arm’s length from governments. The CPPIB is headquartered in Toronto, with offices in London and Hong Kong (www.cppib.ca).
“We look forward to working together with Dorna’s CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta, his management team and Bridgepoint to continue Dorna’s global growth and to pursue exciting opportunities to expand into emerging markets,” said Mr. Bourbonnais.
Bridgepoint typically acquires businesses valued between €200 million and €1 billion in a range of sectors. The firm has offices in Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Stockholm and a portfolio development office in Shanghai (www.bridgepoint.eu).
© 2012 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 10-26-12