OCP Asia Becomes Controlling Shareholder of Bothar Australia and Canada
It was recently announced that funds managed by OCP Asia have become the controlling shareholder of Bothar Group Pty Ltd’s Australian and Canadian operations following Bothar’s successful restructure.
Bothar has emerged from the organized restructuring process as a strong, stable business, primed for growth. To support this momentum, the company has appointed Shane Kimpton as group chief executive officer and Stephen Kemp as group chief financial officer.
Kimpton brings to the company extensive leadership experience in the construction and engineering industries across Australia, Canada and the Middle East. Kemp brings a track record of successfully leading organizational change and supporting business turnarounds across a range of industries including engineering services and contracting.
“Bothar has a first-class reputation in sub-surface tunnel construction internationally, with a highly experienced and committed workforce, and now with a substantial and well capitalized shareholder,” said Matthew Hunter, chairman of Bothar and OCP Asia advisor. “OCP Asia is a leading pan Asian investor in mid cap companies with a proven track record across the Asia Pacific region and a longstanding presence in the Australian market.
“Bothar’s balance sheet will be significantly strengthened by the support from OCP Asia, enabling it to capitalise on the major Australian infrastructure investments we are seeing in the market. This unprecedented expenditure on public infrastructure provides the Bothar business with an ideal platform for growth,” Hunter said.
OCP Asia is an established investment manager with a track record of providing customized secured lending solutions for small and medium sized enterprises across the Asia Pacific region. Since its inception in 2009, OCP Asia has completed over US$5 billion of investments throughout Asia Pacific.
“Through the transition to OCP Asia, I am pleased to advise that we have retained the significant Bothar experience gained over the last 30 years and added experienced leadership. I welcome OCP Asia as the controlling shareholder of Bothar and look forward to working with them to execute a strategy to re-establish Bothar as the leader in its chosen markets and growth beyond that,” said Kimpton. “Throughout this process, the dedicated Bothar team has remained focused on our clients and is continuing to deliver complex projects. Bothar remains committed to caring for our people, protecting the environment, and enhancing value for our clients.”
Bothar is an international leader in the provision of engineering solutions for complex subsurface infrastructure. The company provides microtunnelling, traditional tunnelling (pipe jacking), as well as shaft construction, Direct Pipe installation and auger boring utilizing a portfolio of specialist equipment. Bothar is headquartered in Brisbane, Australia with regional offices in Australia and North America.
SOURCE – Bothar
