Greek Certification Company PeopleCert Reaches $1 Billion

PeopleCert has entered a new phase of global scale and maturity following its landmark acquisition of City & Guilds, a UK-based organisation with 148 years of history and a leading role in professional and technical certifications.

The acquisition marks a strategic turning point for the Greek-founded Group, significantly strengthening its international footprint and placing it at the centre of the global link between education, skills, and employment. The move extends PeopleCert’s reach beyond knowledge and methodology certifications into technical and vocational training that leads directly to real-economy professions.

PeopleCert Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Byron Nikolaidis has built the organisation step by step into a fully international group with proprietary content and complete technological autonomy. Born in Istanbul, Nikolaidis studied at Boğaziçi University and later completed postgraduate studies at the University of La Verne in the United States. His international academic and professional background, combined with fluency in English, Turkish, and French, has shaped his global approach to markets and business cultures.

Nikolaidis began his career in the financial sector at Merrill Lynch, where he rose to the position of International Vice President. He later made a strategic decision to leave the financial industry and pursue his own entrepreneurial path, applying the discipline, speed, and capital-market expertise he gained in a high-pressure international environment.

From its early years, PeopleCert followed a clear strategy focused on controlling its core product, maintaining uncompromising quality, and building long-term resilience. Nikolaidis introduced the ECDL to Greece before founding PeopleCert, which he fully internationalised from 2008 onward. Today, the organisation conducts millions of examinations in more than 215 countries.

PeopleCert holds the intellectual property rights to internationally recognised certification schemes and serves millions of learners, businesses, and public organisations worldwide. The decision to keep all critical functions in-house—from content and examinations to technology and proctoring—reflects a deliberate strategy of independence and speed, designed to support consistent global scaling.

With the acquisition of City & Guilds, PeopleCert now expands decisively into technical and vocational skills, reinforcing its ambition to operate as a global one-stop shop for skills, certification, and professional development.

Following full operational integration and synergies, combined revenues are expected to reach approximately £281 million by the end of 2026 on a pro forma basis. Adjusted EBITDA is projected at around £102 million, with profit margins reaching 36%. Nikolaidis views these figures not as an end goal, but as the result of a business model that prioritises profitability, cash flow, and financial flexibility—principles rooted in his background at Merrill Lynch.

PeopleCert achieved unicorn status in 2021 after acquiring AXELOS, becoming the first company with Greek roots to surpass a valuation of $1 billion. Nikolaidis describes the milestone as proof of international credibility rather than a symbolic title.

He identifies five core principles behind successful acquisitions: quality in people and services, innovation as a daily practice, passion, integrity, and simplicity combined with speed. According to Nikolaidis, a company must remain healthy and independent before pursuing acquisitions, with full operational control, available capital, access to financing, and the ability to leverage equity when needed.

PeopleCert has completed more than ten acquisitions and now operates in over 200 countries. The Group is exploring further expansion into the United States and other major international markets. Plans also include the creation of an Applied Skills University, focusing on practical training and direct links to the labour market.

Nikolaidis’ international recognition includes the European Business Awards’ “Entrepreneur of the Year” title and Ernst & Young Greece’s “Self-Made Entrepreneur of the Year” award. These distinctions underscore a journey that has placed PeopleCert among the top 1% of successful companies globally.

As skills evolve faster than traditional degrees, Greece’s first unicorn demonstrates that global success results from quality, innovation, passion, integrity, and speed rather than chance.

PeopleCert is a global organisation specializing in professional and educational certifications. It designs, delivers, and manages exams and certification programs across a wide range of skills and industries, serving millions of learners, businesses, and public organisations in over 200 countries.