Principle One has announced that it has sold a majority stake to Tico Digital. Global M&A advisor, SI Partners, advised on the deal from buyer engagement through to transaction negotiation.
Principle One, founded by James Oliver in 2003, delivers projects and services across 11 countries in Asia from offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan with clients including UBS, Moncler, The Harbour School and over 150 hedge funds.
Following the deal, James Oliver remains a shareholder and the Principle One leadership team of James Oliver and Joey Yeung will take positions as CEO and COO respectively. Principle One will remain an independent brand, operating in close collaboration with Tico.
Founded in 1994, Tico is a distributor and service provider of AV system solutions in China.
The partnership with Tico will allow Principle One to continue to expand regionally and beyond in addition to further developing its unique offerings.
Commenting on the deal James Oliver said: "This is a great strategic fit for Principle One; Tico understands the opportunities that the convergence of AV and IT present, where so many others do not. Building a company that thrived on this convergence was at the heart of Principle One from when I started the company.”
Zhou Zhou, President of Tico Digital, comments: "With the increase in Chinese investment overseas in recent years, the ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative has brought new opportunities to Chinese corporations. Driven by continuing corporate globalisation, clients increasingly require cross-border communication capabilities."