Brave Bison Group plc has acquired MiniMBA
July 2025 — Marketing group Brave Bison Group plc has acquired MiniMBA, the industry training platform founded in 2016 by Mark Ritson, from Centaur Media plc. The deal will see MiniMBA form the foundation of a new skills and capabilities practice within Brave Bison. This practice will operate independently from Brave Bison’s existing marketing businesses while leveraging its AI team and technology hubs. MiniMBA CEO Tim Plyming will lead the new practice.
Brave Bison is a marketing and technology partner for global brands, with operations in eight countries including the UK, India, Australia and Egypt. The group operates through three integrated divisions: Brave Bison, SocialChain and Sport and Entertainment.
Founded in 2016 by marketing professor Mark Ritson, MiniMBA provides MBA-level training in marketing, brand management and leadership through an online platform and virtual teaching, serving over 6,000 delegates annually. With an alumni network of more than 40,000 professionals from 78% of Interbrand’s Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, MiniMBA recruits individual marketers directly and partners with major companies to train and upskill their marketing teams. Clients include American Express, McDonald’s, Nestlé, Salesforce, Red Bull, Oracle, Google and Tesco.
Centaur Media is a UK-based business information, publishing and events group specializing in marketing and information solutions for professional and commercial markets, particularly in the marketing and legal sectors. The company operates through two main business units: Xeim, serving the marketing sector, and The Lawyer, focused on the legal market. Its services include business intelligence, consultancy, training and marketing solutions.
Our role in the transaction
Oaklins Cavendish, one of Oaklins’ member firms in the UK, acted as the sole broker, bookrunner and nominated advisor to Brave Bison on its oversubscribed US$20.5 million (£15.5 million) fundraise and US$25.4 million (£19 million) acquisition of MiniMBA from Centaur Media.
Talk to the deal team
Related deals
DIGMATIX has acquired LLP CRM
DIGMATIX has acquired LLP CRM, a Czech Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Engagement specialist. The acquisition marks DIGMATIX’s entry into the Czech market and strengthens the group’s capabilities in customer relationship management (CRM), sales automation, customer service and AI-powered business solutions.
Learn moreDIGMATIX has entered Romania through the acquisition of Elian Solutions
DIGMATIX, one of the largest providers of Microsoft Business Applications solutions in the region, has acquired Elian Solutions, a Romanian Microsoft Dynamics 365 partner, together with its subsidiary Elian Development Systems. Through the acquisition, DIGMATIX expands its operations into Romania and strengthens its position as a regional leader in the implementation and development of Microsoft Business Applications solutions. The acquisition was financed by an investment from DIGMATIX’s majority shareholder, Baltic private equity fund Livonia Partners, together with financing provided by SEB Bank.
Learn moreEducbank has been acquired by Cogna
Cogna Educação, through its subsidiary Somos Sistemas de Ensino, has acquired an additional 47% stake in Educbank for approximately US$8.9 million, increasing its ownership from 43% to 90% and consolidating control of the platform. The transaction expands Cogna’s presence beyond its traditional enrollment-driven education business into the financial infrastructure that underpins school tuition collection.
Learn more