Ardian to acquire majority stake in F2A

The F2A Group was created in 2006 through the integration of FIS (established in 1962 as a supplier of accounting and administration outsourced activities) and Antex (also founded in 1962, and active in the delivery of HR services). The product offering includes HR services such as time and attendance records, processing and control of payroll, support in tax filing, in HR management, management of expense reports, definition of HR budgeting; with reference to accounting services in outsourcing including general ledger and VAT accounts, statutory and consolidated accounts, organizational consultancy and IAS/IFRS consultancy, etc. 

The Group’s expertise lies in managing critical “non-core” corporate processes, improving its clients’ efficiency in terms of profitability increase and reducing IT expenditures. The Group has a modular and integrated offering, and is able to tailor a final service package to the clients’ exact needs. 

Ardian will support the management in its expansion strategy by strengthening the current sales coverage in Italy to find new potential customers, and by helping the Group to explore build-up opportunities to consolidate the market, currently extremely fragmented.

Luciana. Dolci, Chairman and CEO of the F2A Group, said: “We are very happy to welcome Ardian as a new majority shareholder. It will be able to assist us significantly in our further development, thanks to its experienced management team and its strong expertise in supporting add-on deals.”

Paolo Bergonzini, Managing Director and Head of Expansion in Ardian Italy , added: “We see a lot of growth opportunities in this fragmented industry, and we believe F2A, the leading player in its sector, is best positioned to pursue them successfully. We look forward to working with management, and sharing our expertise in growing businesses, to take the business to its next stage of development.” 

Jean-Pierre Di Benedetto, Partner of Argos Soditic and co-head of the Italian office, stated: “Despite very difficult market conditions, F2A has grown and transformed from an entrepreneurial company, exclusively focused on Italy, into a firm with a strong management and a vocation to work in international scenarios. We are proud to have supported the excellent work of the management. We are sure that the new shareholder will support F2A’s new challenges in the coming years.”