MONZA-ARES and Brain Institute merge to form one of Romania's leading private hospital operators

BUCHAREST, Romania, May 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MONZA-ARES, a leading Romanian private hospital group focused on cardiology and complex surgery, and Brain Institute, the country's premier private neurosurgery center, today announced they are combining operations to create one of Romania's leading private healthcare platforms. The joint group is backed by U.S.-based private equity firm Highlander Partners and will focus on complex surgical procedures and high-acuity care across cardiology, neurosurgery, ENT, orthopedics, thoracic surgery, general surgery, gynecology and related specialties.

Following the merger, the MONZA-ARES Group will integrate and capitalize on the Brain Institute expertise, teams and shareholders to continue its rapid growth and market consolidation as a platform for high-quality, high-complexity medicine, anchored in a national network serving patients with chronic and complex conditions. In addition to its flagship Monza Hospital in Bucharest — one of the leading private complex-surgery hospitals in Romania — the Group operates facilities in Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Tulcea, Onești and Târgu Jiu, with plans for further geographical expansion of its hospitals, polyclinics and dental clinics.

"In 2023, together with our partners from MONZA-ARES, we acquired the operations of our host hospital, Monza Hospital — a significant milestone in our accelerated development. The merger signed today is the natural next step in bringing Brain Institute together with the MONZA-ARES Group. We are confident that this merger will strengthen Monza Hospital's operations and enable us to further accelerate investments in technology and deliver high-quality, innovative care," said Sergiu Stoica, MD, Head of brain neurosurgery and main shareholder of Brain Institute.

"We are excited to bring together MONZA-ARES and Brain Institute — two private operators dedicated to medical innovation that have delivered numerous medical breakthroughs within the Romanian healthcare system. With the continued support of our American investors, the MONZA-ARES Group will expand beyond ARES's original cardiology focus into fields such as brain and spinal neurosurgery, ENT, pediatric orthopedics and general surgery. We are also pleased that many doctors from our combined teams have chosen to become shareholders as part of this merger — a testament to their confidence in our growth prospects and a privilege for the management team to welcome them into our shareholding structure," added Geanina Durigu, MD, CEO of the MONZA-ARES Group.

"The flagship hospital of the MONZA-ARES Group is entering a new, synergistic phase of development, reuniting two strong medical and administrative teams within what was historically a single hospital — now returning to unified management. We now have the combined capacity to more than double our hospital operations over the next 3 to 5 years, as well as the backing of our investors to further enhance Monza Hospital's capabilities and establish it as a reference center for complex surgery in Central and Eastern Europe," said Adrian Demusca, General Manager of Monza Hospital.

"We see this merger as a step-change in our development, both in scale and in medical complexity capability. We are honored that a significant number of doctors have become shareholders in the MONZA-ARES Group, and we are set on a strong growth trajectory — supported by the kind of physician-shareholder team that any healthcare investor would aspire to have," said Adrian Stroilescu, MD, CO-Managing Partner of  Highlander Partners in Romania.

The transaction was supported by the following advisors: for MONZA-ARES — legal advisor RTPR, financial advisor TS Partners, tax advisor Contradiction and valuation advisor Quest Partners; for Brain Institute — legal advisor Mittel & Associates, and tax advisor Tax House. Raiffeisen Bank, the financing bank of the MONZA-ARES Group, arranged the financing for this transaction.

Brain Institute

Brain Institute is a modern neurosurgery center established in 2013 in partnership with Monza Hospital, under the coordination of Sergiu Stoica - MD, senior neurosurgeon. Over more than a decade of activity, Brain Institute has built a strong team of doctors specializing in neurology, neurosurgery, ENT and pediatric orthopedics, who perform complex, minimally invasive interventions.

The MONZA-ARES Group

MONZA ARES is the largest private national network specialized in cardiology, offering therapeutic solutions in microinvasive cardiology through cardiovascular surgery and interventional cardiology. The group owns 7 centers in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Târgu Jiu, Tulcea and Onești, as well as 3 multidisciplinary clinics, with a focus on cardiology, in Cluj-Napoca. The MONZA ARES Group has been majority-owned, since 2019, by U.S.-based private equity firm Highlander Partners.

Highlander Partners

Highlander Partners, L.P. is a Dallas-based private investment firm with more than $3 billion in assets under management. The firm focuses on making investments in businesses in targeted industries in which the principals of the firm have significant operating and investing experience. Highlander Partners employs a buy and build investment approach, creating value by helping companies grow both organically and through acquisitions. For more information, visit www.highlander-partners.com.

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