H.I.G. WhiteHorse Supports Apax Partners’ Acquisition of SK FireSafety Group

LONDON – October 29, 2014 – H.I.G. WhiteHorse, a credit affiliate of global investment firm H.I.G. Capital, has jointly provided a €70m unitranche debt financing for SK FireSafety Group, a leading fire safety specialist based in Western Europe. With the support of Apax Partners and the new financing facilities, SK FireSafety Group aims to continue its international expansion strategy.

Haseeb Aziz, Managing Director at H.I.G. WhiteHorse, said: “We are pleased to support Apax in its acquisition of SK FireSafety Group and provide a financing package that allows the business to grow to the next stage.”

Bertrand Pivin, Partner at Apax Partners, added: “We greatly appreciate the supportive, pragmatic and helpful approach of H.I.G. WhiteHorse to the financing. We look forward to working with H.I.G. WhiteHorse in the future.”

About SK FireSafety Group
SK FireSafety Group is a leading fire safety specialist based in Western Europe and specialized in 3 areas:

• Sale and maintenance of fire protection products (fire extinguishers, hose reels, evacuation route signaling, emergency lighting)
• Design and installation of fire detection and suppression systems for critical environments in industry, infrastructure, IT and Oil & Gas business
• Maintenance of cabin safety equipment specific to the aviation sector (fire extinguishers, oxygen masks, life rafts)

The group is based in the Netherlands and operates in Belgium, the United Kingdom, Norway and the United Arab Emirates. In 2013 the group had a turnover of more than €100 million and 650 employees. For more information, please visit www.skfiresafetygroup.com.

About Apax Partners
Apax Partners is a leading private equity firm in French-speaking European countries. With more than 40 years of experience, Apax Partners provides long-term equity financing to build and strengthen world-class companies. Funds managed and advised by Apax Partners exceed €2.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.apax.fr.

About H.I.G. WhiteHorse
H.I.G. WhiteHorse is the primary lending credit affiliate of H.I.G. Capital focused on providing flexible debt financing solutions to middle market companies in Europe and the United States. Operating a broad investment mandate, H.I.G. WhiteHorse provides unitranche, senior and subordinated debt capital for refinancings, growth capital, acquisitions, buyouts, and balance sheet recapitalizations. Credit facilities typically range from €10 million to €75 million for companies with revenues of €40 million or more. For more information, please visit www.higwhitehorse.com.

About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. Capital is a leading global investment firm with more than €13 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, H.I.G. Capital has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York and San Francisco in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Paris, Milan and Rio de Janeiro.

* Based on total capital commitments to funds managed by H.I.G. Capital and its affiliates.