Permira backs Iberian engineering group Quadrante in second Energy Transition deal
Permira has agreed to make a strategic investment in Quadrante, marking the second deal under the global investment firm's Energy Transition strategy.
Quadrante’s management, founders, and existing backer Henko Partners will remain significant investors, and terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Under Permira’s ownership, Quadrante plans to accelerate growth by deepening support for its blue-chip clients, expanding further internationally, including into the US, and making greater use of AI to sharpen its service offering. The private equity firm intends to scale the business into a globally diversified engineering partner focused on the energy transition and critical infrastructure.
The deal follows Permira’s recently announced investment in CDP, the global environmental disclosure system, as the firm builds out its Energy Transition portfolio.
Founded in 1998, Quadrante provides asset-light, white-collar engineering services spanning energy, including renewables development, transmission and distribution; sustainable cities, covering data centres, water utilities, and waste infrastructure; and mobility, taking in railways, subways, airports, and ports. The business operates in more than 20 countries, with established positions in Portugal, Spain, Brazil, and Mexico, and employs over 1,500 professionals.
“Quadrante has built a differentiated platform at the heart of two powerful secular growth trends: the energy transition and the global buildout of critical infrastructure,” Kush Patel, Partner and Co-Head of Energy Transition at Permira, said in a statement. “We see a significant opportunity to support the company’s international expansion, particularly in the United States.”
Anish Patel, Partner and Co-Head of Energy Transition at Permira, said the target fit the strategy’s core criteria. “Quadrante is exactly the type of business we seek to back through our Energy Transition strategy: deep technical expertise, strong customer relationships and a management team with a clear vision for where the market is heading,” he said, pointing to the firm’s sector and AI capabilities as levers for the next stage of growth.
The transaction also marks an exit chapter for Henko Partners, which will stay on as a co-investor alongside the incoming owner.