The Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board announced the acquisition of a co-control stake in GPA Global from EQT Private Equity and other minority shareholders. GPA's two founders, Tom Wang and Adam Melton will retain ownership of the company and continue to run it. The transaction's terms are not being disclosed.

GPA is a leading full-service provider of premium packaging solutions to brands in North America and Europe, with end-markets ranging from consumer electronics to beverage, jewellery, health, and beauty. GPA provides packaging design, engineering, vendor management, production, and distribution, with manufacturing facilities in Asia, North America, and Europe.

Raju Ruparelia, Senior Managing Director, Private Capital, Asia-Pacific at Ontario Teachers’ said: 

“We are excited to invest in GPA, our first co-control private equity investment in the region. We believe we are well positioned to support the company’s continued growth by leveraging our global reach and track record of success investing in the packaging and consumer sectors. We believe Tom and Adam have created a unique and differentiated packaging platform and look forward to a long-lasting partnership with them and GPA’s talented management team as the business enters its next stage of growth.”

Tom Wang, co-founder and President of GPA, and Adam Melton, co-founder and CEO of GPA, jointly said: 

“We welcome Ontario Teachers’ and are eager to work with them to further build on the base we have created with EQT. Ontario Teachers’ global reach, longer-term collaborative investment approach, and strong track record of relevant industry success make them the ideal next partner for the Company and us. We look forward to working with the Ontario Teachers’ team as we work toward our objective of making GPA a globally recognised leader in sustainable packaging solutions.”

GPA is the most recent investment in Asia by the Ontario Teachers' Private Capital team. Sahyadri Hospitals, the largest private hospital chain in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Greenstone, one of Australia and New Zealand's major insurance distributors, and Princeton Digital Group, a pan-Asian investor, operator, and developer of data centres, are among the most recent investments. 

Ontario Teachers' has extensive expertise in the packaging business, with recent investments in Logoplaste, a Portugal-based manufacturer of sustainable rigid plastics, and TricorBraun, a worldwide packaging leader and the largest distributor of primary packaging in North America.

Source: Ontario Teachers'

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