The Cegos Group expands global growth through acquisition of Interactive Workshops in the UK

Learning and development

The Cegos Group, an international leader in learning and development (L&D) and reference training partner for organisations, continues to deploy its strategic roadmap for the period 2022-2025. Leading an ambitious organic and external growth strategy, Cegos can rely on the strong demand from organisations for skills development all over the world.

Now posting a consolidated turnover of €250 million, Cegos is continuing its external growth through the acquisition of Interactive Workshops, a dynamic player in Learning & Development founded in 2006 in the United Kingdom, with teams based in London and New York.

An acquisition that fits perfectly into the external growth dynamic of the Cegos Group, “global learning and development partner” of organisations

Determined to consolidate its position as an international leader, the Cegos Group has for several years opted for acquisitions to acquire additional expertise or consolidate its geographical positions in promising markets.

Thus, over the past few years, three companies have joined the group in markets where it was already established: Posiciona in Brazil (leader in sales and commercial training), Next Group in France (a player specialising in apprenticeships and professional reskilling) and Neves de Almeida in Portugal (one of the main players in learning and talent development in this market).

The acquisition of Interactive Workshops today fits perfectly into this development dynamic since it allows the Cegos Group to strengthen its positions in the United Kingdom, a key market that is particularly buoyant in the field of learning and development.

Supporting organisations in their learning and development challenges in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and around the world

This acquisition consolidates the positioning and activities of Cegos in the United Kingdom, where its teams have been supporting organisations in their transformations for several decades through skills development.

Interactive Workshops, which brings together a team of 30 talented people based in London and New York, designs and delivers learning solutions in the areas of leadership development, sales, teambuilding and personal development.

The company enjoys a strong client portfolio and supports renowned international companies in their Learning & Development programs.

Cegos UK and Interactive Workshops will merge and Jonna Sercombe, Founder and CEO of Interactive Workshops, will take the helm of the new organisation.

All teams will be brought together. Pooling their expertise will allow them to support our customers with the very high level of commitment and quality that has always been ours.

They will thus continue to support and develop local and international clients in the United Kingdom, Europe, the United States and around the world.

Emanuele Castellani, member of the Board, Cegos Group, said: “Our strategy is ambitious because we know that we operate in a growing market: all over the world, skills development is seen as a major lever to respond to current and future challenges.

“Our development strategy is therefore structured around three priorities: accelerating our organic growth, continuing our external growth dynamic and carrying out our mission in an ever more sustainable and responsible manner.

“The acquisition of Interactive Workshops is part of our logic of external growth and strengthens our positions in the United Kingdom, a growing market where we have been present for several decades.

“By bringing together the teams and know-how of Cegos and Interactive Workshops, we wish to capture the full potential of the British market: it is a market which has leading companies in many sectors, is often a pioneer in terms of training and is absolutely key for all our international customers.

“The presence of Interactive Workshops in New York is also an asset since Cegos has worked for a long time and very regularly in the United States for its clients.

“I have every confidence in Jonna Sercombe and all the teams to lead this new stage with enthusiasm and success.”

Jonna Sercombe, Interactive Workshops CEO and Founder, said: “It has always been a dream to take our offering global.

“This merger with the Cegos Group increases our joint global possibilities. It allows Cegos to assert its position in the United Kingdom and the United States and it allows us to access the international network of experts, partners and customers of the Cegos group.

“Our teams are united around common values, and our offers are extremely complementary. I'm very excited to be part of a best-in-class organisation that is committed to outstanding learning and growth.”

Advisors

For Cegos:

M&A: Grant Thornton (Andrew Frame, Tom Eskell, Himanshu Batra)

Legal: VWV (Emma Cameron, Hannah Radclyffe)

Legal US: Stinson (Kim Larsen, Gregory Payton)

Commercial due diligence: Edacto (Lucinda Nicholson)

Financial due diligence: Kroll (Renaud Régner, Alice Sergent, Sophie Reiss, Léo Curial)

Tax due diligence: Kroll (Wing Tse)

For Interactive Workshops:

M&A: CM&A (Bruce Ramsay, Ed Groome), Karen Chu

Legal: Wallace (Sabrina Mitchell)

Media contacts

Alexandra Cavanna : acavanna@cegos.fr +33 6 72 80 06 59

Flora Milteau-Garnier : fmgarnier@cegos.fr + 33 6 88 21 97 30

Emily Larson : emilylarson@interactiveworkshops.com

About the Cegos Group - www.cegos.com

Created in 1926, the Cegos Group is a worldwide leader in learning and development. The group now runs its own operations in 12 European, Asian and Latin American countries

It is also active in more than 50 countries through its network of partners and distributors, all of whom are leading training providers and top-tier technology experts.

With 1,500 employees and more than 3,000 partner consultants, the group trains 250,000 people around the globe every year and generates a turnover of €250 million.

To accomplish its mission – to train individuals and to support organisations to meet their development challenges – Cegos deploys a global offering, including ready-to-use and tailored training, managed training services and international training projects.

Its "blended learning" approach aims to provide the most suitable and competitive learner experience, by combining multiple learning formats (classroom training, e-learning modules, videoconferences, webcasts, e-training programs and more, including more than 3 000 digital contents available in up to 30 languages).

Follow us on LinkedIn: Cegos Group

About Interactive Workshops – www.interactiveworkshops.com

Interactive Workshops is a highly creative and agile L&D agency with more than 15 years track record of success. With a team of 30 based in London and New York, Interactive Workshops is present in two of the largest and most important markets for international companies and is proud to work with executives in some of the world’s most famous organisations.

Renowned for its “espoke” approach, Interactive Workshops designs, builds and delivers fully customised learning resources and programs built together with input from its glittering roster of clients.

Whether face to face, virtually, or digitally, clients love the highly energetic, personal and creative power of the Interactive Workshops experience.

To bring all the clients dreams to fruition, the Interactive Workshops studio team is packed full of animators, film makers, illustrators, graphic designers and tech people who work alongside clients with the highly experienced consulting team in a truly collaborative partnership, worldwide.

Follow us on LinkedIn: Interactive Workshops