08 April 2026
Headway Capital Partners is pleased to announce its second co-investment alongside independent sponsor Ceres Capital, involving the acquisition of Seyntex. The full press release is included below.
The Seynaeve family welcomes Ceres Capital as Seyntex’s new majority shareholder
The Seynaeve family announces the entry of Ceres Capital (“Ceres”) as Seyntex’s majority shareholder, while remaining invested in the company to support the Group’s future development.
The Seynaeve family selected Ceres for its industrial expertise, particularly with militar clients, as well as its ability to support Seyntex in a new phase of development by combining industrial investments, team strengthening, accelerated innovation, and targeted external growth, with the ambition of strengthening Seyntex as a European leader in its field.
The Seynaeve family, fully aligned with this development project, will remain closely involved in Seyntex: Arthy Seynaeve will retain his role as Chairman, the family will remain financially invested alongside Ceres, and both Arthy and Jean-Pierre Seynaeve will continue to serve as board members. The holding company, IPE Group, will remain Belgian, and the Group’s management will continue to be based in Belgium, thereby preserving Seyntex’s strong Belgian heritage.
In addition, Alexandre Desroches has been appointed CEO of IPE Group, the new shareholder of Seyntex. Alexandre Desroches has over 25 years of experience leading international industrial groups active in technical textiles and protective equipment. As CEO of Delta Plus, he supported the group’s strong international growth. More recently, he was Group CEO of C&L, an industrial holding company notably owning Klopman, one of the global leaders in technical textiles.
About Seyntex Group
Founded in 1908 by the Seynaeve family and headquartered in Aalter (Belgium), Seyntex is a leading European player in the design and production of high-tech protective equipment and garments for armed forces and law enforcement agencies across Europe.
Seyntex relies on more than 1,000 employees across four countries and on an integrated industrial organisation comprising several production sites. As a vertically integrated group, Seyntex controls the entire production process, from research and development to design, testing, manufacturing, and logistics. Its in-house laboratory enables advanced research in high-performance textile applications. As a result, Seyntex holds a strong expert and innovation-driven position in technical textiles and is recognised for the quality of its products and its innovation capabilities, notably supported by its internal R&D resources.
Seyntex currently generates over €100 million in revenue across more than 20 countries and is proud to serve numerous European armed forces. International Protective Equipment (IPE) Group is the new controlling holding of Seyntex group.
About Ceres Capital
Founded in 2004, Ceres Capital is a leading investment firm focused on European SMEs and mid-sized companies in industrial and service sectors. With a hybrid team composed of former industrial executives and financial investors, Ceres supports companies in both organic growth and external growth strategies.
Ceres has demonstrated its ability to transform SMEs and mid-sized companies into true European champions. Its track record has established it as a leading mid-market private equity player. Over the past 24 months, Ceres has invested more than €300 million of equity across three LBO transactions. Ceres invests between €30 million and €150 million of equity per transaction to support sustainable and profitable growth in its portfolio companies.
