Consilium Strategic Communications Advises Horizon Discovery on its Agreed Takeover by PerkinElmer for $383 Million

London, 31 December 2020, Consilium Strategic Communications, a global leader in strategic healthcare communications and investor relations, is pleased to have advised Horizon Discovery Group plc (“Horizon”) on its agreed takeover by PerkinElmer, Inc. (“PerkinElmer”) for $383 million (£296 million).

Horizon Discovery is a cell engineering company focused on commercialising the application of gene editing and gene modulation to accelerate scientific innovation and biopharmaceutical drug development. In November 2020, it was announced that the Board of Horizon had reached an agreement with PerkinElmer on the terms of a recommended all cash offer whereby PerkinElmer would acquire Horizon for approximately 383 million (£296 million). This represented 185p per Horizon share, a premium of 108.3 per cent to the closing price of 88.8 pence per share immediately prior to the acquisition. The acquisition completed on 23 December 2020. 

The team advising Horizon Discovery at Consilium was Mary-Jane Elliott, Matthew Neal, Olivia Manser, Melissa Gardiner, Sarah Wilson and Alexander Bridge. Evercore and Numis Securities provided independent financial advice to Horizon Discovery during the acquisition.

Prior to the recent M&A advice, Consilium has provided strategic financial and corporate communications and investor relations support to Horizon since 2014, including on its IPO on the AIM market, a number of M&A transactions, most notably the transformational acquisition of GE Healthcare’s Dharmacon, Inc in 2017 for $85 million, and with the preparation for its planned NASDAQ Listing. 

Mary-Jane Elliott, Managing Partner of Consilium Strategic Communications, said: “We have enjoyed working with Horizon and it has been a pleasure to strategically advise the management team and Board through the Company’s  growth and achievements, culminating in this successful acquisition.”

Terry Pizzie, Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Discovery, said: “The Horizon and Consilium teams have worked exceptionally well together since the relationship was first formed in 2014, and we are extremely grateful for all of their support over the years. They have played a key role in advising us, including through the transaction with PerkinElmer, and we are extremely grateful for their efforts.”

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

Consilium Strategic Communications

Mary-Jane Elliott / Amber Fennell

Tel: +44(0)20 3709 5700

[email protected]

www.consilium-comms.com

Follow us: @consiliumhc

About Consilium Strategic Communications

Consilium Strategic Communications is a global leader in strategic healthcare communications and investor relations advisory with offices in Europe and across the US. Consilium's highly skilled team provides strategic, long-term advice to healthcare companies, Boards, senior decision makers and executives on critical communications and IR programmes and stakeholder challenges. The Company has established deep knowledge across all areas of the global healthcare sector through broad experience in representing international clients spanning the Fortune 500, FTSE100, FTSEurofirst 300 and FTSE250, through to discrete specialist reputation management projects.