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Overview
With a successful track record spanning two decades, EFG Hermes Private Equity is a leading player in the field today. Rather than adopting a generalist approach to its investments, the division embraces a specialized approach focusing on specific themes and verticals, allowing them to create dedicated teams who have gained expert knowledge of their respective fields. EFG Hermes Private Equity believes in impactful, responsible investment strategies and has specifically chosen to focus on education, renewables, and healthcare. The division seeks to continue driving investments in these fields, which have recently gained traction among global investors. Being a pioneer in these verticals, EFG Hermes Private Equity cemented its presence and expertise years prior, thus remaining at the forefront of strategic and high-impact investments across the region.
The division manages its renewables investments through its Vortex Energy platform, which was established in 2014 to invest in renewable energy projects. The platform has witnessed immense success, completing the entire investment lifecycle from origination through to divestment. Vortex Energy has previously divested Vortex I and Vortex II, which held a 49% stake in a 998 MW pan-European portfolio, including 56 operational windfarms in Belgium, France, Portugal, and Spain. In 2020, the platform additionally divested its managing stake in Vortex Solar, a 100% shareholder of a 365 MW solar PV farm in the United Kingdom.
The EFG Hermes Egypt Education Fund is a USD 150 million investment fund launched in 2018, as part of an education platform in partnership with Dubai-based education provider GEMS Education. The fund targets investments in Egypt’s K-12 private education sector, in line with the Firm’s aim to make investments that are impactful across areas of key development for Egypt.
Rx Healthcare Management was established to manage diverse investments across the healthcare sector in order to meet the ever-growing demand for healthcare products and services across Egypt as well as the MENA and Africa regions at large. The Firm has acquired a stake in leading medical solutions provider United Pharma, which will enable it to make strides in covering the shortage of IV solutions and injectables’ availability in Egypt and other neighboring markets while further propagating its impactful investment strategy across the entirety of the healthcare value chain.
2020 Operational Highlights
Vortex
2020 saw a year of positive returns for Vortex Energy, attesting to the strength of the Firm’s focused strategy. The division divested its managing stake in Vortex Solar (Vortex III) in the third quarter of the year, at a total enterprise value of c. GBP 500 million. This comes following divestments of Vortex Wind (Vortex I and Vortex II) in 2019. Throughout the year, Vortex has sought to adopt a more active investment approach, focusing on investing in renewable assets including both solar and wind, batteries, and other products across the entire renewable energy spectrum in preparation for Vortex IV. This comes as a natural progression as interest increases from global investors and as the division develops as a fund manager, focusing from wind and solar assets to a comprehensive approach towards the entirety of the renewable energy sector.
RX Healthcare Management
In 2020, the division further specialized its investments to focus on the pharmaceuticals sector following its acquisition of United Pharma the previous year. The company’s product offering includes a diverse range of generic categories specifically catering to underserved therapeutic areas as well as IV products. During the year, the company sourced more than 30 different products to add to its portfolio. In addition, it will seek to expand its business by exporting products to countries across the region. The company continued to perform well throughout the year, with medical solutions witnessing heavy demand particularly in the face of increased hospital traffic. The division is currently exploring further acquisitions to enhance its offering and expand its pharmaceuticals platform.
Egypt Education Fund
Upon the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the division was poised for growth due to its track record of innovation in the education space, introducing new solutions and benefiting from new opportunities in the market. The company was the first in Egypt to launch online schooling and was well positioned to assist other institutions in their transition to e-learning in the face of government-imposed lockdowns and restrictions. The year also allowed the company to enhance its educational service offering in order to consistently offer best-in-class services, supported by its qualified management team and an expanded capital base.
In 2020, the platform additionally set into motion several plans to further diversify its investments and broaden its activities in the sector. Its portfolio currently consists of four schools in East Cairo, serving more than 6,000 students. In addition, it is currently in the process of establishing a K-12 school in the Al Rehab City in New Cairo that will see it leverage its premium educational resources. The company had also acquired a majority stake in Option Travel, a leading transport provider in Egypt. This latest acquisition will enable the company to offer specialized buses that will center on the health and safety of children. This will serve to support its educational platform, replacing the multi-purpose buses currently in use across Egypt.
2020 Key Financial Highlights
Revenues for the division in 2020 amounted to EGP 468 million, marking a 37% increase from the EGP 341 million recorded in 2019.
Forward-Looking Strategy
In the coming year, the EFG Hermes Private Equity division will seek to expand on its existing verticals, further driving impactful investment strategies across Egypt and regional markets. The three sectors have garnered increased attention from global investors, attesting to their relevance to the investment world as well as shifting investment trends towards a more impact-centric approach. The division will continue to seek out additional investments to complement its existing ones, allowing it to adopt a more comprehensive approach to its fund management.