Hanway Associates Completes Sale of HAPP Holdings Limited
Hanway Associates completes sale of HAPP Holdings events portfolio including Cannabis Europa and European Cannabis Week
London-based Hanway Associates, the leading cannabis industry strategic consultancy, has successfully sold HAPP Holdings Limited to global player NOBL Group, handing over the reins to the group’s portfolio including the massively-successful conference series, Cannabis Europa.
Cannabis Europa, was co-founded in 2018 as a joint venture between Hanway Associates and NOBL Group portfolio company, Prohibition Partners, and saw over 3,000 delegates attend 3 European events, fast-became the definitive, market leading annual conference for the cannabis industry.
HAPP Holdings went on to launch the inaugural European Cannabis Week in 2019. Co-Founder Alastair Moore will remain on as Creative Director, with Rachel Jones joining as Managing Director of HAPP Holdings. Prior to Cannabis Europa, Rachel held senior leadership positions at The FT Live, the global event arm of The Financial Times.
Hanway Associates, which advises a wide range of businesses, institutions, investors and high-net-worth-individuals, is eyeing growth in the UK and abroad, with a range of new propositions and partnerships planned for 2020.
Alastair Moore said:
“In only two years, the Hanway Associates team built a platform that has had a huge impact on the industry and has created a well-respected forum for discussion, debate and opportunity-sharing around the burgeoning cannabis industry.
“I’m incredibly proud of Cannabis Europa and European Cannabis Week, but now felt like the right time for us to hand over the reins fully. The team at NOBL, who have been invaluable long-term partners, are perfectly positioned for rapid global expansion of the HAPP Holdings platform.
“This deal is a proof of concept for us at Hanway, showing that we can build, operate and sell companies that connect people, engage professional audiences and bring the cannabis industry into the mainstream.”
Stephen Murphy, Founder and CEO of The NOBL Group said:
“We have worked with Alastair and Hanway Associates for a long time and they have worked tirelessly to help make Cannabis Europa what it is today.
“We are are thrilled to bring this brilliant platform within the ecosystem of a global group which will be crucial in helping us achieve our ambitious expansion plans. We will be taking this established, must-attend cannabis conference series to numerous new markets, supercharging our mission to open up, demystify and facilitate access to this exciting industry.”
DLA Piper acted as sole legal adviser for Hanway Associates, with Andy Phillips, Dylan Kennett and Rob Salter leading on the transaction. Speaking on behalf of the DLA team Dylan Kennett said:
“Having collaborated with Hanway on different projects in the burgeoning cannabis sector as well as supporting First Wednesdays and Cannabis Europa, it felt like a natural fit acting for Hanway in what will be a transformational transaction for their business.
We were delighted that they engaged us, as the team at Hanway are fantastic to work with, being both market and thought leaders in this space. We cannot wait to see what they do next and we'll be glad to join them on the journey as we help build this nascent market alongside them.”
For more information, contact:
Paul Brannon – Corporate PR Director
M: +44 7759 629 406