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London Stock Exchange
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Incisive Media is a business to business (B2B) publisher founded by Tim Weller, James Hanbury and Nick Rapley in 1994 with the launch of Investment Week. It was listed on the main market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2000 which valued the business at c. £73m. During the next six years the business completed a number of acquisitions including Matching Hat, RiskWaters, Initiative Europe (Unquote), Search Engine Strategies, Global Professional Media, Asian Venture Capital Journal and Pacific Prospect. In 2004, Incisive Media launched a new web-based conference activity, Conjecture Limited, in partnership with BrightTALK, a webinar and video solution provider. BrightTALK owns 25% of Conjecture Limited.[1]
However, as a public company it was difficult to take advantage of some of the larger consolidation opportunities that existed, so in December 2006 it was taken private again in a management buyout deal back by Apax Partners[2] valued at £275 million.[3]
Within a few months of going private, Incisive Media completed the acquisitions of MSM International and UK publishing business VNU Business Publications Ltd, formerly part of The Nielsen Company, from venture capital group 3i in 2007.[4] In August 2007 the company completed a $630m deal to acquire ALM, an American magazine publisher that was backed by Bruce Wasserstein, doubling the size of the group again.[3]
However, following the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the downturn in the financial services market, Incisive Media's revenue came under significant pressure and the debt levels were no longer sustainable. In October 2009 Incisive Media announced the refinancing of the Group's debt.[5] ALM was separated from the Group and is now owned by RBS and Apax Partners. Incisive Media agreed a debt-for-equity swap with its lenders, who are now the owners of the business with management.
The company employs more than 750 people working in London, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and India. The new chairman of Incisive Media, Helen Alexander,[6] is the current President of the Confederation of British Industry.[7] Brian Larcombe, former CEO of 3i, has also recently been appointed to the Board as a non-Executive.[8]