Slingshot secures new clients CSR Sugar, Solahart and Guardian Early Learning
May 3, 2017 1:10
Independent media agency Slingshot has won three new clients, signing on Sugar Australia, Solahart and Guardian Early Learning Group. The accounts were all secured without a pitch. Slingshot has been tasked with handling media strategy, planning and buying for CSR Sugar with the account to be managed from the agency’s Melbourne office. Simon Rutherford, CEO at Slingshot, said in a statement: “Sugar Australia have some big plans in 2017 that will see them invigorate the CSR brand and we’re delighted to be playing a role in helping them with that. It gives us more business in Melbourne and caps off a good start to the year for us around new business.”
Solahart has appointed the agency for media planning and buying. The account was previously held by PHD. Stephen Cranch, general manager at Solahart, said in a statement: “In today’s complicated media landscape we felt it was it was important to align with a partner who would immerse themselves in our business with the single goal to optimise media spend and maximise the number of qualified leads.”
Slingshot will also be responsible for acquiring and retaining customer in addition to launching new centres for the Guardian Early Learning Group. Bonnie Blackburn, marketing manager at Guardian Early Learning Group, said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Slingshot as our media agency partner for Guardian’s new centre openings. We feel Slingshot’s passionate and strategic approach make them the ideal partner for our business.”
Simon Corbett, partner at Slingshot, said: “Guardian are leaders in the early learning category and have been constantly raising the bar for some time. Their values very much complement our own and that is always the basis of a productive and rewarding relationship.”
Miranda Ward
Miranda Ward is the deputy editor at Mumbrella.Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News and has covered creative agencies, PR and publishing in her three years with the company and now covers a wider media remit. She also edits the weekly newsletter CommsCon and the weekly publishing newsletter Publish.

Slingshot secures new clients CSR Sugar, Solahart and Guardian Early Learning

Partners Group to buy Guardian Early Learning from Navis Capital
February 1, 2016
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Partners Group will acquire a majority stake in Guardian Early Learning Group from Navis Capital Partners. Financial terms were not disclosed. Guardian operates a network of early learning centers across Australia. As part of the deal, Cyrus Driver, Partners Group managing director and head of Asian private equity, will join Guardian’s board. PRESS RELEASE
Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has agreed to acquire a
controlling stake in Guardian Early Learning Group (“Guardian”), one of the largest childcare
groups and providers of early childhood education in Australia, on behalf of its clients. The stake is
being acquired from the Asian private equity firm Navis Capital Partners. The transaction gives
Guardian an enterprise value of approximately AUD 440 million and is expected to close in the
first quarter of this year. Founded in 2004, Guardian today owns 71 early learning centers that provide more than 10’000
families and their children with high-quality early learning and care on a daily basis. In addition to
its local community centers, Guardian is Australia’s leading provider of company-sponsored
childcare centers, providing the staff of some of the country’s leading corporations with on- or
near-site care for their children. Guardian is also developing, designing and constructing ten new
childcare centers, which will become operational over the next 12 months. Following the investment, Partners Group will draw on its long track record of investment in the
childcare and education sectors globally to support the Guardian management team’s growth
aspirations for the business as it continues to expand its network of centers. Tom Hardwick, the founder and CEO of Guardian, comments: “We are thrilled to welcome
Partners Group as our new majority shareholder – it is a real honor that a global investment group
with the prestige, size and experience of Partners Group has chosen to back our vision to grow
the size and quality of our business. We are looking forward to working with Partners Group to
pursue our business objectives and in the process enhance the quality of the early learning and
care experience we provide to families in the communities we serve.”
Cyrus Driver, Managing Director and Head Private Equity Asia, Partners Group, will join the
Board of Guardian once the transaction completes. He states: “Early childhood has been proven
to be a crucial stage for a child’s learning and development and innovators like Guardian provide
an essential service in society. With its strong reputation, Guardian has a great opportunity to
continue its robust growth and provide more children across Australia with the benefits of highquality
early-years education. We look forward to working with Tom and his management team.”
In the past decade, Partners Group has made over 15 direct investments in education-related
businesses including Permotio (ISP), Busy Bees, Nord Anglia and Grupo Santillana, AcadeMedia
and Nobel Learning, the last of which was exited in 2015 at a gross return of approximately 4x
cost. Most recently, in August 2015, Partners Group acquired KinderCare Education, the largest
for-profit provider of early childhood education in the US and the parent company of KinderCare
Learning Centers. Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with over EUR 46 billion
(USD 50 billion) in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate,
private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios
for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug,
Switzerland, and has offices in San Francisco, Houston, New York, São Paulo, London, Guernsey,
Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 800 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a
major ownership by its partners and employees. © 2015 Buyouts Insider / Argosy Group LLC

Partners Group to buy Guardian Early Learning from Navis Capital

Partners Group to Acquire Guardian Early Learning from Navis Capital
2/1/16
Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Guardian Early Learning Group, one of the largest childcare groups and providers of early childhood education in Australia, on behalf of its clients. The stake is being acquired from the Asian private equity firm Navis Capital Partners. The transaction gives Guardian an enterprise value of approximately AUD 440 million and is expected to close in the first quarter of this year. Founded in 2004, Guardian today owns 71 early learning centers that provide more than 10’000 families and their children with high-quality early learning and care on a daily basis. In addition to its local community centers, Guardian is Australia’s leading provider of company-sponsored childcare centers, providing the staff of some of the country’s leading corporations with on- or near-site care for their children. Guardian is also developing, designing and constructing ten new childcare centers, which will become operational over the next 12 months. Following the investment, Partners Group will draw on its long track record of investment in the childcare and education sectors globally to support the Guardian management team’s growth aspirations for the business as it continues to expand its network of centers. Tom Hardwick, the founder and CEO of Guardian, comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Partners Group as our new majority shareholder – it is a real honor that a global investment group with the prestige, size and experience of Partners Group has chosen to back our vision to grow the size and quality of our business. We are looking forward to working with Partners Group to pursue our business objectives and in the process enhance the quality of the early learning and care experience we provide to families in the communities we serve.”
Cyrus Driver, Managing Director and Head Private Equity Asia, Partners Group, will join the Board of Guardian once the transaction completes. He states: “Early childhood has been proven to be a crucial stage for a child’s learning and development and innovators like Guardian provide an essential service in society. With its strong reputation, Guardian has a great opportunity to continue its robust growth and provide more children across Australia with the benefits of highquality early-years education. We look forward to working with Tom and his management team.”
In the past decade, Partners Group has made over 15 direct investments in education-related businesses including Permotio (ISP), Busy Bees, Nord Anglia and Grupo Santillana, AcadeMedia and Nobel Learning, the last of which was exited in 2015 at a gross return of approximately 4x cost. Most recently, in August 2015, Partners Group acquired KinderCare Education, the largestfor-profit provider of early childhood education in the US and the parent company of KinderCare Learning Centers. About Partners Group
Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with over EUR 46 billion (USD 50 billion) in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, and has offices in San Francisco, Houston, New York, São Paulo, London, Guernsey, Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 800 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a major ownership by its partners and employees. Stories you Need to Know
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Partners Group to Acquire Guardian Early Learning from Navis Capital

Partners Group, the global private markets investment manager, has agreed to acquire a controlling stake in Guardian Early Learning Group ("Guardian"), one of the largest childcare groups and providers of early childhood education in Australia, on behalf of its clients. The stake is being acquired from the Asian private equity firm Navis Capital Partners. The transaction gives Guardian an enterprise value of approximately AUD 440 million and is expected to close in the first quarter of this year. Founded in 2004, Guardian today owns 71 early learning centers that provide more than 10'000 families and their children with high-quality early learning and care on a daily basis. In addition to its local community centers, Guardian is Australia's leading provider of company-sponsored childcare centers, providing the staff of some of the country's leading corporations with on- or near-site care for their children. Guardian is also developing, designing and constructing ten new childcare centers, which will become operational over the next 12 months. Following the investment, Partners Group will draw on its long track record of investment in the childcare and education sectors globally to support the Guardian management team's growth aspirations for the business as it continues to expand its network of centers. Tom Hardwick, the founder and CEO of Guardian, comments: "We are thrilled to welcome Partners Group as our new majority shareholder - it is a real honor that a global investment group with the prestige, size and experience of Partners Group has chosen to back our vision to grow the size and quality of our business. We are looking forward to working with Partners Group to pursue our business objectives and in the process enhance the quality of the early learning and care experience we provide to families in the communities we serve. "
Cyrus Driver, Managing Director and Head Private Equity Asia, Partners Group, will join the Board of Guardian once the transaction completes. He states: "Early childhood has been proven to be a crucial stage for a child's learning and development and innovators like Guardian provide an essential service in society. With its strong reputation, Guardian has a great opportunity to continue its robust growth and provide more children across Australia with the benefits of high-quality early-years education. We look forward to working with Tom and his management team. "
In the past decade, Partners Group has made over 15 direct investments in education-related businesses including Permotio (ISP), Busy Bees, Nord Anglia and Grupo Santillana, AcadeMedia and Nobel Learning, the last of which was exited in 2015 at a gross return of approximately 4x cost. Most recently, in August 2015, Partners Group acquired KinderCare Education, the largest for-profit provider of early childhood education in the US and the parent company of KinderCare Learning Centers. About Partners Group
Partners Group is a global private markets investment management firm with over EUR 46 billion (USD 50 billion) in investment programs under management in private equity, private real estate, private infrastructure and private debt. The firm manages a broad range of customized portfolios for an international clientele of institutional investors. Partners Group is headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, and has offices in San Francisco, Houston, New York, São Paulo, London, Guernsey, Paris, Luxembourg, Milan, Munich, Dubai, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo and Sydney. The firm employs over 800 people and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (symbol: PGHN) with a major ownership by its partners and employees. Investor relations contact

Partners Group to acquire Guardian Early Learning Group, a leading provider of early childhood education in Australia

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Guardian Early Learning focuses on early learning and development across its 3 business units Guardian Early Learning Centres, Jigsaw Corporate Childcare and Guardian Childcare Management.

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