FL-GEG
9.7.2021 19:10:10 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
Andreas Helgstrand, CEO of Global Equestrian Group (GEG), and Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEP), announced an unprecedented partnership focused on developing international equestrian sport. GEG will acquire the Wellington, Florida-based Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) and will invest in WEP equestrian lifestyle initiatives. WEP’s largest partners, Mark Bellissimo, Roger Smith, Lisa Lourie, and Marsha Dammerman as well as Michael Stone will co-invest in GEG. Mark Bellissimo and PBIEC have transformed Wellington into the world’s premiere destination for equestrian enthusiasts, with competitions and events across more than 40 weeks every year. PBIEC is home to the Winter Equestrian Festival, spanning 13 weeks and is the world’s largest and longest-running equestrian sports event. 4,000 families, 8,000 horses, and 250,000 spectators from 43 different countries converge on Wellington to compete for over USD 12 million in prize money. A recent independent economic study highlighted the Winter Equestrian Festival’s annual economic impact on Palm Beach County of USD 279 million of total expenditures and 150,000 bed nights. GEG is part of Waterland Private Equity, who manage a global investment portfolio in excess of USD 11 billion.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210709005400/en/
PBIEC operates 16 competition arenas, 2,500 stalls, and provides participants and spectators with a variety of exclusive restaurants, shopping, hospitality areas, and other first-class facilities. PBIEC management will remain intact with Mark Bellissimo continuing as CEO, Michael Stone as President, and David Burton as Chief Operating officer. The GEG initiative will launch major investments in all areas of the facility ensuring that PBIEC will continue to be the pre-eminent sport horse venue in the world with increased exposure in Europe, Asia, and South America. The purchase includes an 11-acre expansion of the Showgrounds. To ensure continuity, the WEP partners required a 50-year deed restriction on the venue that guarantees USEF and FEI sanctioned shows on the property. USEF CEO, Bill Moroney, commented, “As always, we are pleased to see a continued investment in US equestrian sport. This significant commitment to world class facilities, horse and rider welfare, and USEF and FEI competitions further validates the market’s demand, at all levels, for organized sport.” Andreas Helgstrand, co-owner and CEO of GEG added, “The Winter Equestrian Festival and PBIEC are fantastic brands within international equestrian sport. Together, we will strengthen the offering and create a global market leader spreading our passion for equestrian sport and lifestyle to new markets.” Outside of equestrian events the Group is active in other equestrian investments including Helgstrand Dressage, Ludger Beerbaum Stables, Helgstrand Jewellery, and the equestrian apparel and accessories company Kingsland Equestrian. At present, the total revenue of these combined is USD180 million.
GEG will now have event venues in the US, Germany, and Denmark. The partnership will benefit from knowledge sharing and a strengthened positioning of PBIEC within show jumping where Ludger Beerbaum Stables has a unique market position. Furthermore, the partnership enables the Group to leverage PBIEC’s experience and create a European equestrian sports event company. ”Our goal is to enhance equestrian sport by providing superior venues and top sport so riders across the world can live out their passions and dreams. With the acquisition of PBIEC, we now have the perfect setting to do this in the US and with our current expansion of Riesenbeck International in Germany we will have two top professional and attractive show grounds,” says Ludger Beerbaum, four-time Olympic gold medalist in jumping and co-owner of Global Equestrian Group. Bellissimo added, “We are pleased to be collaborating with both Andreas and Ludger, whose passion and commitment to equestrian sport is extraordinary. Opportunities abound to take the sport to a new level.” GEG and WEP are evaluating further investment opportunities in Wellington including a new state-of-the-art Global Dressage Festival showgrounds. Bellissimo will be announcing a comprehensive strategy and a series of investments to elevate Wellington as the World’s premiere equestrian lifestyle destination thus strengthening its international appeal. "The acquisition of PBIEC establishes Global Equestrian Group as a true global market leader in equestrian sports with a strong financial foundation and exciting growth opportunities,” says Kaspar Kristiansen, Managing Director, Waterland Nordic.
About Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) was founded by Mark Bellissimo and Wellington Equestrian Partners in 2006 and has contributed to transforming both equestrian sport and Wellington, Florida’s position as the world’s premiere destination for equestrian enthusiasts. PBIEC arranges 40 weeks of events and operates the Winter Equestrian Festival through its management company, Equestrian Sport Productions. The Winter Equestrian Festival, held over 13 weeks, is the world’s largest and longest-running equestrian sports event with more than 8,000 horses and participants from 50 states and 43 countries. Over 250,000 spectators attend the events. www.pbiec.com
About Global Equestrian Group
Global Equestrian Group is the world’s leading equestrian sports group based on a strategic partnership between internationally acclaimed Helgstrand and Ludger Beerbaum Stables as well as Palm Beach International Equestrian Center and private equity firm Waterland. The Group has 250 full-time employees. Global Equestrian Group has activities in dressage, show jumping and events as well as the jewellery company Helgstrand Jewellery and equestrian apparel and accessories company Kingsland Equestrian as well as other equestrian sports investments. www.globalequestriangroup.com
About Waterland
Waterland is an independent private equity investment group that supports entrepreneurs in realizing their growth ambitions. With substantial financial resources from the firm’s eighth fund of EUR 2.6 billion and committed industry expertise, Waterland enables its portfolio companies to achieve accelerated growth both organically and through acquisitions. To date, Waterland has made investments in over 700 companies. Waterland consistently achieve top tier investment ratings among private equity firms and is the only fund that has consistently been in the top 5 in the HEC/Dow Jones Private Equity Performance Ranking for 10 years. Waterland manages more than EUR 9 billion of investor commitments and has offices in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, France, Ireland, and the UK. www.waterland.nu
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210709005400/en/
Link:
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
ILiAD Biotechnologies Expands Board of Directors and Appoints Chief Business Officer11.8.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
Suha Jhaveri, Bill Warren and Jim Wassil added to ILiAD Board of Directors; Antony Blanc appointed Chief Business OfficerAppointments deepen vaccine development expertise and enhance global commercial and strategic leadership ILiAD Biotechnologies, Inc. (ILiAD), an advanced clinical stage biotech company focused on the prevention and treatment of disease caused by Bordetella pertussis, today announced the appointments of Jim Wassil, currently Chief Operating Officer at Vaxcyte; Suha Jhaveri, former Strategic Advisor at Cidara before its acquisition by Merck; and Bill Warren, former Global Head of Antigen Design at Sanofi Vaccines, as independent members of ILiAD’s Board of Directors. The Company also announced the appointment of Antony Blanc, former VP, Head of Global Marketing and Global Strategic Pricing at GSK Vaccines, as Chief Business Officer. “Our recently appointed colleagues bring an extraordinary depth of experience in vaccine development, global commercialization, and strate
TEC reduces pressure on support teams with proactive outage communications powered by Adtran and GOCare11.8.2026 14:15:00 CEST | Press release
News summary: Fiber broadband providers need faster, more transparent ways to manage outages and reduce support surges TEC is now using GOCare OutageIQ integrated with Adtran’s outage notification API and Mosaic One to automate subscriber messaging Open APIs turn network insight into actionable workflows, improving responsiveness and operational efficiency Adtran and GOCare today announced that Telephone Electronics Corporation (TEC) has improved outage responses and reduced inbound support tickets using GOCare’s OutageIQ solution integrated with Adtran’s outage notification API and Mosaic One. Serving communities across Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, TEC delivers fiber broadband services built on a foundation of community investment and reliable service. By combining proactive notifications with real-time network insights, the service provider can now inform customers as issues are detected while equipping support teams with immediate context. This transparency helps build subscr
Kinaxis-Sponsored Study Identifies Supply Chain AI Accountability Gap Amidst Rapid Adoption Expectations11.8.2026 14:07:00 CEST | Press release
Trust, measurable outcomes, and governance lag, even as 41% expect autonomous-at-scale operations within two years Kinaxis® (TSX:KXS), a global leader in supply chain orchestration, today announced the findings of new independent research from IDC. The IDC InfoBrief, sponsored by Kinaxis, “Making Supply Chain AI Accountable,” reveals a growing chasm between organizations’ aggressive ambitions for autonomous AI adoption and their readiness to hold these advanced systems - which we believe underscores the need for a disciplined approach to AI investment and deployment to prevent costly failures and deliver measurable business value. What This Means for Supply Chain Leaders The IDC InfoBrief, which surveyed more than 2,000 supply chain leaders across nine global markets, found that while AI adoption is nearly universal - only 2% of respondents report no AI-enabled capabilities, and just 12% consider themselves AI leaders. Over half (52%) cite trust in AI-driven decisions as a top barrier
One in Four Executives Say AI Errors Have Reached External Audiences or Boards, According to New Research From Workiva11.8.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Although 84% of executives are at least somewhat confident in AI output without human review, only 11% believe their data quality is sufficient for AI use Workiva Inc. (NYSE: WK), a leading, audit-ready platform for trust, transparency, and accountability, today released findings from its 2026 Midyear Executive Benchmark Survey. Although 84% of surveyed executives say they are at least somewhat confident in the accuracy of AI output without human review, one in four (26%) say internal audits have detected AI errors that reached external audiences or board members. This data suggests there is a disconnect between what executives believe and what evidence shows. As AI reshapes the enterprise at unprecedented speed, a new risk is emerging: transformation could be outpacing the instincts of the leaders tasked with overseeing it. "Confidence in AI without control over data quality is a liability, not a strategy. CFOs need platforms that connect AI to trusted, auditable data so every output
Altasciences Continues to Expand North American Bioanalytical Footprint11.8.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Altasciences today announced a major expansion of its North American bioanalytical laboratory footprint, reinforcing its commitment to helping sponsors accelerate drug development through increased capacity, advanced automation, and harmonized scientific operations. The expansion includes a 4,000-square-foot addition to the company’s laboratory in Greater Montréal, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of Q3 2026. The company has also announced a new 13,000-square-foot purpose-built laboratory in Harleysville, Pennsylvania. Construction will proceed in phases, with Phase 1 scheduled for completion in Q1 2027. These investments significantly increase Altasciences' ability to support the growing demand for late-stage clinical bioanalysis while providing sponsors with greater flexibility, scalability, and operational resilience. Designed to support increasingly complex development programs, the expanded laboratories will result in increased capacity to conduct larger studie
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom