Pinsent Masons advises China Education on the acquisition of King's Own Institute

China Education Group Holdings Limited, a leading private higher and vocational education group in China, has completed the acquisition of King's Own Institute, a tertiary level higher education institute located in Sydney, Australia.

The deal is China Education's first acquisition outside of China and represents significant international expansion of what they hope to be a cornerstone business in Sydney, with the potential to expand educational activities to other States and Territories in Australia.

Energy and infrastructure partner, Brian Scott, said: "We are very happy to have assisted China Education Group, a leading player in private education in China with over 100,000 students, in establishing its first presence outside China.  

"The acquisition of the King's Own Institute, a private tertiary education provider based in Sydney, provides a fantastic platform for growth combining two excellent businesses to create a new chapter for each. The deal structure required nimble and focused legal advice to assist in delivering the key objective of securing the deal which Pinsent Masons was happy to provide. We look forward to seeing the continued growth of CEG and KOI."

Pinsent Masons advised China Education through the whole lifecycle of the deal, from the initial binding offer and due diligence to the drafting and negotiation of key transaction documentation, and completion.

China Education is headquartered in Hong Kong and was supported by a Pinsent Masons cross-border team, with involvement across each of our Shanghai, Perth and Melbourne offices.

The Pinsent Masons team acting on the transaction includes partner Brian Scott and associate Lucy Carter on M&A matters, with partner Katie Williams and lawyer Patrick Williams advising on employment aspects of the deal. Support from the China team was led by partner Wei Liu and legal director Michael Lin.