Cambridge Information Group Acquires the Emerald Group
NISO Member News
The Emerald Group today announced they were acquired by Cambridge Information Group (CIG).
For over 50 years, Emerald has been an independent publishing house, formed by a group of management academics at the University of Bradford, UK, and latterly run as a family-owned business, spearheaded by the late Dr. Keith Howard OBE. A publisher of academic journals, books, and case studies in the social sciences, Emerald has recently diversified into corporate learning through a suite of acquisitions which now form Emerald Works.
The acquisition signals a key milestone in the Group’s history; one which allows continuity as well as change, and the opportunity to accelerate growth, particularly in response to the evolving open research landscape.
Cambridge Information Group is a family-owned, mission-led investment firm with a history of long-term investments in education, information, and software companies. During CIG’s multi-decade ownership of ProQuest, the business grew rapidly through investments in new products and multiple strategic acquisitions. CIG’s acquisition of Emerald builds on their deep experience in the higher education industry, with real ambition for long-term growth of the business.
Vicky Williams, CEO of the Emerald Group, comments “We are delighted to become part of the CIG family, and to continue to build on the legacy created by Dr. Keith Howard. Noting CIG’s heritage in the information industry and their mission to acquire and build businesses that have a positive impact on large numbers of people, we’re excited about both mission alignment and the growth path ahead of us.
Our ambition to drive positive change and publish impactful research that makes a difference will be bolstered significantly by the expertise in the CIG team, and we look forward to an exciting future driven by shared values.”
“We are thrilled to welcome the Emerald Group to the CIG family and are excited about the opportunity to invest in building a global leader serving the critical needs of higher education research and learning” said Pankaj Sharma, Head of Private Investments for CIG. “Given our family ownership and decades of experience building global information services businesses, we are uniquely positioned to help continue Emerald’s purpose of helping people making impactful decisions.”
About These Organizations
About Emerald
Emerald Group is a market leading global provider of social science research (Emerald Publishing) and leadership and management corporate learning solutions (Emerald Works). Founded in 1967, Emerald is headquartered in Bingley, UK.
Emerald believes that knowledge and learning can diminish divides and be an inclusive force for change. Its collective aim is to empower everyone to thrive in education, workplaces, communities and society at large.
About CIG
CIG is a family-owned investment firm based in New York City and has a long tradition of building businesses through continuous reinvestment and close partnership with management teams. Founded in 1971, CIG’s focus is on building companies for long-term success by reinvesting in the growth and development of existing portfolio companies as well as acquiring new businesses with sustainable growth and profitability. CIG’s long-term investment perspective and commitment of personal time and resources differentiates us from traditional sources of private capital.
Emerald is a Voting Member organization of NISO.
Their press release is available here.