Cambridge Information Group buys The Emerald Group for undisclosed sum

Publishing firm The Emerald Group has been bought by Cambridge Information Group (CIG) for an undisclosed sum.  

It will continue with its current management team and remain headquartered in Yorkshire. 

The Emerald Group was formed more than 50 years ago by a group of management academics at the University of Bradford, and latterly run as a family-owned business, spearheaded by the late Dr Keith Howard.  

It is a publisher of academic journals, books, and case studies in the social sciences, and has recently diversified into corporate learning through a suite of acquisitions which now form Emerald Works. 

The Emerald Group said 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”. 

CIG is a family-owned investment firm with a history of long-term investments in education, information, and software companies. Last year, it sold US information and technology company ProQuest to scientific and academic analytics firm Clarivate for $5.3bn (£3.8bn).

A press statement said: “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.” 

Vicky Williams, c.e.o. of the Emerald Group, said: “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.” 

Pankaj Sharma, head of private investments for CIG, added: “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. 

“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.”