Atif A. Abdulmalik, CEO of Arcapita
Atif A. Abdulmalik, CEO of Arcapita
Atif A. Abdulmalik, CEO of Arcapita
Atif A. Abdulmalik, CEO of Arcapita

Arcapita sells Waste Harmonics to TPG for over $650 million



Arcapita Group Holdings Limited, the global alternative investment firm, has sold Waste Harmonics, a technology-enabled service provider of waste management solutions, to Keter Environmental Services, a leading recycling and waste management company. Keter is backed by TPG, a leading global alternative asset management firm.

Arcapita’s exit of Waste Harmonics follows a holding period of approximately three and a half years during which the company’s revenue nearly quadrupled and is now approaching $400 million.

Over this period, Arcapita worked closely with the Waste Harmonics management team, focusing on a range of growth initiatives such as cross-selling, leveraging the company’s nationwide presence to secure additional client locations, and winning new accounts. Arcapita also supported Waste Harmonics in completing four strategic acquisitions including Talismark Group, Contelligent, Meridian Alliance Partners and New Market Waste Solutions.

Under Arcapita’s leadership, Waste Harmonics developed a network of over 5,000 vendors across more than 25,000 locations in North America, and is today recognised as a partner-of-choice for blue-chip companies with regional, national and global footprints. The successful sale is a testament to Arcapita’s focused business strategy, and its efforts towards identifying and growing attractive businesses.

Waste Harmonics will be combined with Keter Environmental Services, a recycling and waste management company acquired by TPG Growth in 2021. This combination will benefit from evolving customer preferences, including the centralisation of procurement, focus on service quality and increased waste stream complexity.

Martin Tan, Chief Investment Officer at Arcapita
Martin Tan, Chief Investment Officer at Arcapita

Atif A Abdulmalik, Arcapita’s Chief Executive Officer, said: "Waste Harmonics is one of our most successful exits to date and provides further validation of our investment strategy which focuses on acquiring tech-enabled businesses across defensive sectors with strong growth potential. We are pleased to have supported Waste Harmonics in its journey and are proud of what we have accomplished through this partnership."

Martin Tan, Arcapita’s Chief Investment Officer, commented: "There has been a growing need for more cost-effective and efficient waste management solutions, a gap that we were able to identify when we purchased Waste Harmonics in 2019. With our support, Waste Harmonics has played a key role in accelerating this shift towards more cost-efficient waste management solutions through its extensive vendor network. We will continue focusing on acquiring technology-driven businesses that are asset-light, generate strong cash flows, and have the ability to scale across markets."

Michael Hess, Chief Executive Officer of Waste Harmonics said: "Arcapita has been a strong strategic shareholder supporting the development of the business. Our growth accelerated well beyond expectations, and we have developed a clear vision to continue our growth trajectory. I am personally grateful for the trust placed in me by the shareholders and I look forward to continuing to enhance our value proposition so that our customers enjoy easy access to high-quality and cost-efficient waste management solutions across the globe."

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

Updated: October 03, 2023, 2:04 AM