Aenova Acquired by Kühne Holding

• Kühne Holding AG has agreed to acquire Aenova Group, a pharma contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), from BC Partners.

• The acquisition is a strategic step for Kühne Holding AG to expand its investment portfolio into healthcare and pharmaceutical assets.

• Aenova Group plans to continue its strategy of being the go-to CDMO in Europe under the new ownership structure.

Kühne Holding AG, a Swiss-based company with a diverse portfolio, has announced its acquisition of the Aenova Group, a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) sector. The deal was made with BC Partners, an international investment firm.

Aenova Group, headquartered in Starnberg, near Munich, employs approximately 4,000 people across 14 manufacturing sites worldwide. The company is a comprehensive service provider for the development, manufacturing, and packaging of drug products for pharmaceutical companies globally.

The acquisition marks a significant strategic move for Kühne Holding AG, which is based in Schindellegi, Switzerland. The company combines the business interests of Klaus-Michael Kühne and holds a majority stake in Kühne+Nagel International AG. It is also the largest single shareholder of Hapag-Lloyd AG, Deutsche Lufthansa AG, and Brenntag SE.

Dominik de Daniel, CEO at Kühne Holding AG stated, “With this investment, we are taking an important strategic step to enlarge our investment portfolio to include healthcare and pharmaceutical assets with a strong financial base and long-term growth prospects. Aenova is on a great performance track, and we are excited to accelerate it even further under our ownership.”

Jan Kengelbach, CEO at Aenova, also shared his optimism about the new ownership structure. He said, “With the new ownership structure, we will continue to implement our strategy of making Aenova the go-to CDMO with market-leading capabilities and innovative specialty technologies in Europe. With its long-term investment horizon, Kühne Holding AG is a perfect fit for the business to support this strategy. It allows us to continue down the path of operational excellence in the conventional manufacturing business, while building highly sought-after technology platforms and development services to satisfy the customer demand of the future.”