Press Release

XIO Group Completes Acquisition of J.D. Power and Associates

LONDON AND COSTA MESA (CA), September 7, 2016 — XIO Group, a global alternative investments firm  headquartered in London, today confirmed that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of J.D. Power and Associates, the leading provider of marketing data and analytics for businesses and consumers worldwide, from S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) for $1.1 billion.  J.D. Power will remain headquartered in Costa Mesa, California and continue to be led by its existing senior management team.

The transaction represents a compelling opportunity for J.D. Power to accelerate core growth, further refine and develop innovative customer solutions, broaden its international reach, and leverage its access to proprietary data and analytics to enhance consumer decision-making.  XIO Group is committed to supporting J.D. Power in its mission to use data-driven knowledge to help consumers and companies navigate today’s complex business environment.

“We are delighted to be partnering with J.D. Power and working together to build on the company’s strong foundation,” said Joseph Pacini, Chief Executive Officer of XIO Group. “J.D. Power has excellent brand recognition supported by a first-class management team and we are extremely optimistic about the company’s long-term prospects.  We are particularly excited to continue working with Fin and his team to expand J.D. Power’s global business, specifically its capabilities for unique and proprietary big data and analytics solutions for blue-chip customers in many key international markets.”

“This is an exciting time for J.D. Power,” said Finbarr O’Neill, President of J.D. Power. “We are joining a firm with the resources and motivation we need to accelerate our growth, bolster our competitive position, and broaden our global footprint.  We believe that XIO Group is the ideal partner to help us expand our data and analytics capabilities globally, enhancing our customer solutions and meeting our clients’ needs in an increasingly mobile, connected world.”  

Carsten Geyer, Partner of XIO Group, commented, “The acquisition of J.D. Power underscores our focus of investing in market-leading businesses in North America and Europe with untapped potential for global expansion, and helping companies to capitalize on these opportunities in high growth markets.  J.D. Power is a perfect fit for this strategy and we have been impressed and appreciative of the company’s efficiency in establishing a standalone business and enabling a smooth transition ahead of executing new and exciting growth strategies.”    

About XIO Group 

Headquartered in London, XIO Group is a global alternative investments firm that employs an international team of more than 70 professionals. Representing more than 15 nationalities among its employees and its network of advisors, the firm has operations in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Hong Kong and mainland China. With a seasoned international investment team that includes professionals with experience working at many of the world's leading private equity firms, XIO Group seeks to deploy over $5 billion of committed capital for global transactions. XIO Group's strategy is to identify and invest in market-leading businesses located across North America and Europe and help these companies to capitalize on untapped opportunities in fast growing markets, particularly in Asia.

About J.D. Power 

J.D. Power, headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, is a world leader in consumer data and analytics that has been representing the voice of the consumer since 1968. The company is known for its independent consumer surveys of product and service quality, customer satisfaction, and buyer behavior in more than a dozen industries including automotive, financial services, insurance, energy, and telecommunications. For more than forty years, J.D. Power has been listening to consumers and business customers, analyzing their opinions and perceptions, and refining research techniques and study methodologies to offer essential market intelligence. The company's quality and customer satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. Established in 1968 and headquartered in Costa Mesa, California, J.D. Power has 16 locations serving North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region.

Contacts

FTI Consulting for XIO Group: 

New York

Brian Shiver 

+1 212 850 5683

Brian.Shiver@fticonsulting.com

Alyssa LaCorte 

+1 212 850 5636

Alyssa.LaCorte@fticonsulting.com

London

Fergus Wheeler

+44 020 3727 1522

Fergus.Wheeler@fticonsulting.com

Hong Kong

Christine Wood

+852 3768 4557

Christine.Wood@fticonsulting.com 

For J.D. Power: 

Detroit

John Tews

+1 248 680 6218

media.relations@jdpa.com

Los Angeles

Geno Effler

+1 714 621 6224

media.relations@jdpa.com