Gowling WLG has advised AD Education, a European platform specialising in private higher education, on its last external growth operation of 2020: the acquisition of school Barrera Arte Diseno in Valencia, Spain. The school specialises in design, interior graphic design and cinema and has more than 500 students.

Following multiple acquisitions that Gowling WLG advised on during the last semester, the AD Education group now accounts for 15,000 students in 12 schools across France, Italy, Germany and Spain. With 36 campuses dedicated to creativity and innovation, it currently covers four areas: design & arts graphics, media & digital, audio-visual and culture & luxury.

In parallel to the large-scale LBO to be realised with Ardian after antitrust approvals, Gowling WLG is proud to have successfully, and in a very short time, completed this deal in a sector that is particularly dynamic and resilient. The team was led by partner Patrick Mousset, assisted by senior associate Mathias Briatta.