Informa Acquires Penton ... and Things Are Good

Informa PLC has completed the acquisition of Penton Information Services, bringing the producers of SupplySide and the Natural Products Expos together.

Heather Granato, VP, Partnerships & Sustainability

November 4, 2016

2 Min Read
Informa Acquires Penton ... and Things Are Good

As most of you know, earlier this summer, Informa PLC proposed to purchase Penton Information Services in a US$1.4 billion deal. We’re pleased to announce that the acquisition has been completed, and we’re excited about next steps. You can see the official announcement from Informa online here.

Since Informa acquired Virgo Publishing three years ago, we’ve had the experience of working with a driven team focused on helping make markets and support business growth. As we’ve collaborated with our now-colleagues on Vitafoods, we’ve seen new initiatives on both sides of the pond informed by our learnings. And we’ve remained committed to the natural products industry, providing the information and forums you need to make critical connections.

Since the early 1990s, Jon Benninger and I have been active in the natural products space—I even started my industry career at New Hope (the photo below was my first Expo West back in 1993). We were there before DSHEA, before the Flavr Savr tomato. We remember the “Gooch-able” standard and have seen Whole Foods’ impact on CPG products in every retail channel. At SupplySide West and Expo West, we talk with our friends about how folks never leave this industry—they always show up again at a different company, still interested in supporting the growth of this natural products space.

Here in Phoenix, our business has gone from a single entrepreneur owner, into private equity ownership (several times), and now we’re part of Informa, a company dedicated to events, content and knowledge, which serves many different specialist communities across the world. And things are good. We’re investing in growth, in content, in the event experience. And we are excited we now have the chance to think about how we move forward with the talented, committed team at New Hope as part of the family. More to come in the months and years ahead, but we wanted to thank you for your continued passion and support. And if you've got questions, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or Jon at [email protected].

Heather at Expo West 1993

About the Author

Heather Granato

VP, Partnerships & Sustainability, Informa Markets, Food EMEA division

Heather Granato is a 30-year veteran of the natural products industry, currently serving as vice president, partnerships & sustainability, in the Food EMEA division of Informa Markets. She is based in London, and leads efforts related to industry partnerships and broader sustainability initiatives for the Vitafoods and Food ingredients brands. She has been a presenter at events including SupplySide, Vitafoods, Food ingredients, Natural Products Expo, the Natural Gourmet Show and the Folio: Show. Her publishing experience includes Natural Products Insider, Food Product Design, Vitafoods Insights, Country Living's Healthy Living, Natural Foods Merchandiser, Delicious Magazine and WomenOf.com. Granato serves as the founding president of Women In Nutraceuticals, a global non-profit founded in 2022 focused on empowering women in the nutraceutical industry; she is also on the board of directors for the Organic & Natural Health Association. From 2016 to 2022, she was a vice president on the national governing board of Kappa Alpha Theta women’s fraternity. Granato was named to the FOLIO: 100 list of top media professionals in 2018, and was selected as a 2015 Top Woman in Media by FOLIO:. She received the 2014 Visionary Award and the 2018 Journalistic Excellence Award from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); and was honored with the CEO Merit Award for Content from Virgo in 2014. Granato graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond, Virginia, in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

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