ZENITH’S GROWTH PLAN was to turn a set of small state based office interiors suppliers into a leading national group and establish a presence in Asia. The business owners knew they needed to bring the right investment partner on board to support them. They chose Pemba Capital Partners, an investor in supporting growth strategies, to work with them and their management teams to achieve their goal of becoming a national leader in office interiors.
Two of the founders, John Fisher, from Zenith in Melbourne, and Barbara Schmidt, the Canberra business owner, reflect on the successful formation of the national group and the realisation of the “buy and build” strategy. They talk about setting up in China and how the group is becoming a major player across Asia.
After 20 years as independent suppliers of office interiors services, the owners of six state based office interiors businesses decided to come together as a national operator. They recognized that to accelerate growth they needed to win large national corporate and government contracts. To do this they needed to be national, well funded, have a broader product offering and be capable of investing more into product development.
Their Story is a series of interviews between Pemba Capital Partners and the people we partner. In these conversations we explore our working relationships and how, with Pemba Capital Partners’ support, the businesses we invest in are achieving their growth strategies. Zenith is a leader in furniture and services for the corporate, government and commercial market.
