Leading national law firm, Mills Oakley, is pleased to have advised the shareholders of Acknowledge Education (AE) on the sale of AE to UP Education.
AE is a group of Australian private tertiary colleges with a 140+ year history. It has a national footprint of eight campuses across Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane.
Focusing on international education AE is a dual sector education provider offering VET and HE courses across the three main verticals of Community Services, Cooking and Hospitality, and English Language. AE had approximately 5,000 students at the time of sale.
AE will now form part of UP Education, an independent provider of vocational, higher education opportunities and university pathways programs in New Zealand and Australia. UP Education is majority owned by funds who are managed by Pacific Equity Partners. AE’s chief executive officer, Suzanne Jackson, will continue to be involved in the management of the Company.
The Mills Oakley team was led by corporate partners Tony Symons and Andrew Chan, who were assisted by associate Zara Treacy and lawyer Laura Chesney. Assistance was also provided by Isabella Matassoni in the Banking and Finance Team.
Commenting on the transaction, Tony Symons noted “it was a pleasure to assist the Acknowledge Education team on such a significant transaction. This transaction marks an exciting opportunity to drive growth in the Acknowledge Education business and we look forward to seeing it continue to thrive under the Up Education banner.”
Acknowledge Education was also advised by PwC. UP Education was advised by Clayton Utz.
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