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, says Emerald.
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, says CIG.
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.”
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