Cognita

>£1bn



Jamieson is pleased to have been able to advise the management team of the global private schools group, Cognita, on its sale from Bregal & KKR to Jacob’s Holding (Zurich-based family office).

Cognita, headquartered in London, was formed in 2004 by Sir Chris Woodhead (former Chief Inspector of Schools England) alongside Bregal with the acquisition of a single school in the UK and has since successfully expanded into Europe, Asia and Latin America. The Group now operates 70 schools across 8 countries, employing over 7,000 teachers and educates 40,000 pupils.

“KKR and Bregal have been long-term, supportive and excellent owners of Cognita.  Equally, we are delighted to secure a new partnership with Jacob’s Holding, who we are confident will be excellent owners.  Changing ownership can be a challenging process but we have been expertly advised by Jamieson.  As a result the entire management team are all personally invested and highly motivated for the future.”

Chris Jansen, CEO 

The Cognita management team were advised by Ian Jamieson, John Greenland, Ross Wheeler and Pippa Knowles on their re-investment and the new management equity plan going forward.