Helvetia Environnement Groupe: Founders sell their shares
Helvetia Environnement Groupe, a leading provider of waste management services in Switzerland, has announced a change in its shareholder structure. Paprec International is now acquiring the shares of the company's founders.
The founders of Helvetia Environnement (see an earlier report here), a leader in waste management in French-speaking Switzerland in particular, is selling its shares to Paprec International. This company, founded in 1994 by the Petithuguenin family, is a leading recycling company in France and has become one of the major players in Europe in the field of waste management and green energy production. The Group employs 15,000 people at 300 sites in 10 countries. Its projected turnover for 2024 is 3 billion euros. In Switzerland, the company has already been operating for 13 years with 6 sites and 200 employees in Switzerland. In a fast-growing key sector of the circular economy and decarbonization, Paprec will now support the development and growth of the Swiss group as a new shareholder, according to a statement. The chairmanship of the Board of Directors will be entrusted to Thomas Schmid and Hugues Bapst will be appointed CEO of Helvetia Environnement Groupe.
Industrialization of the waste sector
In addition to the institutional investors, consisting of an energy infrastructure fund - managed by Swiss Life Asset Managers and UBS Asset Management - with exclusively Swiss investors, and an infrastructure fund - managed by Reichmuth Infrastructure - which are continuing their commitment, Paprec International is taking a minority stake in the capital of Helvetia Environnement Groupe. The arrival of this major industrial player in the field of waste collection and recycling in Europe represents a real advantage for the development of Helvetia Environnement Groupe, according to the company. "It is a great opportunity to use the expertise of an innovative and internationally active company to accelerate our development in Switzerland," says Thomas Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Helvetia Environnement Groupe. He continues: "Today, the future of recycling and reuse of materials lies in the industrialization of the waste sector. This meets the expectations of companies and public bodies that want to work with players that are able to ensure efficient processing of materials and fit into a circular economy logic".
Successor to Vincent Chapel
Thomas Schmid, who has been on the Board of Directors of Helvetia Environnement Groupe for eight years, succeeds Vincent Chapel. The new Board of Directors has appointed Hugues Bapst as CEO of the Group. Hugues Bapst will be supported by the existing operational management team consisting of Ludovic Balmer, Arthur Bataille, Andrew Mackay and Bernard Moret.
Source: Helvetia Environnement Groupe
