European Venture Capital Journal articles from December 2006

European Venture Capital Journal archives from December 2006

The EVCJ Awards will have Bremner, birds and fortunes: it is best to give and receive.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
December 1, 2006... Alas, award season is upon us--again. And we will all have a chance to congratulate ourselves and drink too much at the EVCJ Awards on 31 January, 2007 at the Dorchester Hotel in London. As this year is our first to have a Black Tie dinner,...

The creep of regulation: with the DoJ widening its probe, a class action law suit being launched in the US and the FSA producing its report, the private equity industry is facing a future of regulation.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2006... At November's Super Return conference in Paris, there were three main issues which cropped up time and time again. One was debt, which has been vexing the minds of GPs for the past two years. The other two issues are more recent additions to...

Northern underexposure: Nordic pension fund management: should it be a political and relationship-based decision or should it be an investment decision?(NEWS ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2006... There has been concern that Scandivanian-based pension funds might decrease their allocations to private equity as the largest among them, Sweden's 87.3bn [euro] AP funds came under the scrutiny of the ministry of finance after a row over...

Deals on meals: Tom Allchome looks at just how hungry private equity investors are for assets in the food and drink sector.(NEWS ANALYSIS)(Industry overview)
December 1, 2006... Traditionally, the food industry is not the most exciting area of investment. Profits are steady rather than spectacular, but it's stable and regarded as pretty much recession-proof. Many food companies are part of large conglomerates and are...

European VCs emerge from the shadows: if home run exits in Europe continue to run at almost twice the US rate, with half the amount of capital needed, then one VC market will outperform--and it isn't the one everyone thinks.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
December 1, 2006... European venture capital is cleverly fighting its way back into investor's portfolios. In the first three quarters 2006 nearly 3bn [euro] was invested in the asset class, an improvement on 2005's figures, and yearend statistics are also...

Close Bros sounds default alarm: extent of lower grade issuance is vast.(RESEARCH)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... Defaults will increase and distressed situations will become more common as high yield bonds given a risky CCC-rating look set to top 3.3bn [euro] in 2006, says a report from London headquartered corporate advisors Close Brothers. This...

EDF sells private equity portfolio: Arcis snaps up investments.(SECONDARY)
December 1, 2006... Arcis, the London headquartered secondaries private equity investor, has acquired the entire portfolio of private equity investments held by EDF Capital Investissement, the private equity arm of Electricite de France, Europe's largest power...

Cinven sells Eutelsat to Abertis: the Spanish group now has a controlling stake.(TRADE SALE)(Abertis Telecom)
December 1, 2006... Cinven, a 60bn [pounds sterling] London-based buyout house, has sold its entire 11.7% stake (25,196,325 shares) of Eutelsat, a Paris-based satellite operator, in two transactions at a price of 15.50 [euro] per share. Cinven will make a...

Another IPO for 3i's oil, gas and power team Salamander preferred stock brings in cash.(LISTING)
December 1, 2006... 3i made US$11.2m on the IPO of Salamander Energy on the London Stock Exchange. The private equity firm investment US$22.6m for a 15% stake in September 2005 and during the IPO the company redeemed US$11.2m in preference shares but it continues...

Longville sold to Carrier.(Longville Group Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bridgepoint has sold Longville, a UK rental group it acquired in September 1999, to Carrier Inc, a business unit of United Technologies, for an undisclosed sum. Bridgepoint invested 44m [euro] in the business, which was formed from the merger...

Inflexion sells ACIS.(SECONDARY)(Carlyle acquires passenger information system provider from Inflexion Private Equity)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Carlyle has acquired ACIS, a UK real time passenger information system provider, for 91.8m [euro] from UK mid-market firm Inflexion Private Equity. Infiexion bough the business in April 2005 for 37m [euro], acquiring Tandata in October the same...

A style-ish IPO.(IPO)
December 1, 2006... Aberdeen Asset Managers Private Equity has made 83m [euro] from the 143m [euro] IPO of Style & Wood, a UK retail property services business. The company was previously owned by 3i, but was acquired by Abderdeen in May 2004 for 11.6m [euro]...

Just Retirement floats.(LISTING)
December 1, 2006... Langholm Capital has overseen the IPO of Just Retirement, a UK life assurance group. The float raised 74m [euro] on AIM, giving it a market capitalisation of 625m [euro]. The exercise of the greenshoe option raised a further 19m [euro].

Madison sells Hiller.(BUY BACK)
December 1, 2006... Madison Private Equity, a Swiss private equity firm, has sold its majority stake in Hiller Group, a German furniture manufacturer, to the management from an undisclosed sum. The sale brings an end to an investment that began in 2002.

EQT sells Plantasjen.(SECONDARY)
December 1, 2006... Apax has acquired Pantasjen, a Norwegian garden centre owner, from Nordic buyout firm EQT for an undisclosed sum. The sale marks a the end of an investment that began in October 2001. Since that time the business has expanded into the Swedish...

Fraikin IPO.(IPO)
December 1, 2006... Fraikin Groupe, a French truck leasing company, is to float on Euronext Paris with an offer range of 14 [euro] to 16.25 [euro] per share, giving the company a market capitalisation of around 1.5bn [euro]. The IPO is expected to raise between...

Barclays floats LSL.(Barclays Private Equity, Barclays Private Equity)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... LSL Property, a UK property service company, has applied for admission to trade on the London Stock Exchange's market for listed securities. The business is hoping to achieve a market cap of 313m [euro]. Mid-market firm Barclays Private Equity...

Amadeus sells Solexa stake.(VENTURE)
December 1, 2006... UK VCs have sold their shares in Solexa, a US-headquartered biotech company, through a sale to Illumina, a US genotyping specialist. The company has received venture backing since 1998 with investors including Abingworth, Amadeus, Oxford...

TSO sold by Apax.(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... Apax has sold its 71% stake in The Stationery Office (TSO), the leading document and publishing services provider to the UK public sector, to Williams Lea, a unit of Deutsche Post, for a reported 193m [euro]. Apax acquired TSO in July 1999.

Duke Street and Englefield sell combined stake: mid-market firms net 845m [euro].(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... London-based mid-market firms Duke Street Capital and Englefield Capital have sold their combined stake in UK insurers Equity Insurance Group to Insurance Anstralia Group (LAG), for 845m [euro]. The deal sees Australasia's largest general...

PPM Phadia and Triton sell Phadia for 1.3bn [euro]: healthcare business now belongs to Cinven.(SECONDARY)(Brief article)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... PPM Capital, the private equity arm of Prudential, and Triton, the Swedish buyout house, has sold Phadia, an allergy specialist, to Cinven in a 1.3bn [euro] deal. Phadia is headquartered in Uppsala, Sweden, and develops, makes and markets...

Advent, RTL and Goldman Sachs score 865m [euro] with Sportfive: sports rights business acquired by Lagardere.(TRADE SALE)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... Advent International, along with consortium members RTL and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, have sold Sportfive, the German-headquartered sports rights marketing group, to Lagardere, a French media group, for 865m [euro]. The deal is...

Quadruple the fun for Bridgepoint: Attendo sold to Industri Kapital.(BUYOUT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK mid-market firm Bridgepoint has sold Attendo, a Nordic provider of older and disabled care for local authorities, to Industri Kapital, generating a 4.4x return. Headquartered in Danderyd, Sweden, the company has been in business since...

Double exit for Gresham.(Blue Group International, Individual Restaurant Company)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Gresham has made two exits this month in the shape of Blue Group International, a UK recruitment company, to HCL for 17.8m [euro] and generating a 2.6x return; and Individual Restaurant Company, a premium restaurant chain, which was acquired by...

3i sells SBL stake.(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... 3i and Nordic VC SEB Foretagsinvest have sold their stakes in SBL Vaccines, a Swedish vaccine distributor, to Crucell, a Dutch biotech company listed on NASDAQ. The sale price is 39.4m [euro]. 3i Nordic, 3i Eurofund IV and SEB Foretagsinvest...

BUPA acquires home help.(Lyceum Capital sold Clinovia to British United Provident Association Ltd.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lyceum Capital, a UK mid-market house that specializes in service businesses, has sold Clinovia, a UK home healthcare services provider, to BUPA for 130m [euro]. Lyceum acquired Clinovia from LVL Holding of France in a 47.5m [euro] deal in...

Financial racqueteering.(BUYOUT)(acquisitions)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Duke Street has sold Esporta, a UK premium racquets and country club operator, to the Halabi family trust for an undisclosed sum. The sale was made following an auction process launched when a number of unsolicited offers were made over the...

Green light for Baird.(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... Baird Capital Partners Europe has sold Traffic Support, a UK traffic warden provider, to Mouchel Parkman, a support services company, for almost 32m [euro]. Added to a 7.1m [euro] pre-completion cash withdrawal, this gives a 3.5x return on...

Gresham makes 6x money: UK food supplier sold to European Capital.(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... UK mid-market firm Gresham Private Equity has sold Whitworths, the own brand food supplier, to buyout house European Capital for approximately 110m [euro]. The deal generated a 6x return for Gresham which backed a 22m [euro] MBO in April...

Candover in bed for 1bn [euro]: Investcorp sells mattress and bed maker.(Candover Investments PLC, Hilding Anders AB, Investcorp Bank B.S.C.)
December 1, 2006... UK buyout house Candover has acquired Hilding Anders, a Swedish manufacturer of mattresses and beds, in a 1bn [euro] deal from Investcorp, the Bahrain headquartered investment firm. The deal marks an end to Investcorp's three year...

Sweet sale for Lion: Activa Capital buys French jam maker.(Materne)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK buyout firm Lion Capital has doubled its profits in French jam makers Materne after two years by selling its stake to French mid-market specialists Activa Capital. The sale price has not been disclosed but the deal has generated an IRR...

Blackstone takes the biscuit: Cinven and MidOcean in 2.4bn [euro] sale of UK cookie company.(United Biscuits)
December 1, 2006... Cinven and MidOcean Partners have more than doubled their investment in United Biscuits (UB), the UK biscuits and snack food producer, following the 2.4bn [euro] sale to Blackstone and PAI. The sale generated a 2.2 return more the six years...

eDreams comes true for Apax: TA Associates buys Spanish online travel company.(BUYOUT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Online travel business eDreams has been sold by its VC backers to US buyout firm TA Associates for 153m [euro]. Largest shareholder Apax made a 2.5x return on the sale according to a source close to the deal, seven years after the firm...

ECI packs up Kirker investment: UK travel agency sold.(TRADE SALE)
December 1, 2006... ECI Partners, the UK mid-market house, has sold its 75% stake in Kirker Travel, a British travel operator, to Kuoni, a premium travel specialist. The deal size was not disclosed for the 20 year old company but reports suggest it was sold...

Bowark sells Concateno.(Bowmark Capital Ltd. sold Medscreen Holdings )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bowmark Capital, a mid-market private equity firm has sold its majority interest in Medscreen Holdings to Concateno. Concteno acquired the entire issued share capital of Medscreen for a total consideration of 30m [euro] from Bowmark,...

Primary sees 3x money.(TRADE SALE)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Primary Capital has sold Rhyme Systems to Bombay stock exchange listed IT company 3i-Infotech for 28m [euro]. The exit represents a money multiple of 3x and an IRR of 50%. Primary Capital originally invested 7.9m [euro] from the Primary Capital...

Warsaw Stock Exchange float.(IPO)
December 1, 2006... Enterprise Investors, the largest private equity firm in Central and Eastern Europe with 1.6bn [euro] in assets, has successfully sold its minority stake in Polish Energy Partners in a secondary offering on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The value...

Premira and SVG profit.(IPO)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Premira agreed to sell its entire holding in Grandi Navi Beloci (GNV). SVG Capital, a minority stakeholder saw approximately 18.9m [euro] on the deal, which represents and uplift of 8.3m [euro] or 5.7p per share to the June 2006 valuation of...

Star sell off: recycling company nets 330m [euro].(Star Capital Partners, BUS, Befesa Medio Ambiente)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Star Capital Partners, a London-based European specialist investment fund manager with over 1bn [euro] in assets under management, has sold recycling company BUS group. The green company was snapped up in a trade sale worth 330m [euro] by...

Vodafone answer VC's call: UK firms sell ASP to mobile phone giant.(TRADE SALE)(application service provider)(Kennet Partners)
December 1, 2006... 3i, InvestCorp and Kennet Partners have sold their shares in Aspective, a UK application service provider (ASP), to Vodafone UK. Financial details have not been disclosed A company formed in the dot.com days, Aspective was created with the...

Candover's 1.7bn [euro] buyout from Premira: private-to-public-to-private strategy for yacht-maker Ferretti pays off.(SECONDARY)
December 1, 2006... Premira, the London-based private equity powerhouse, has finally sold its majority stake in Ferretti to cross-town and European rival Candover. In a deal worth 1.7bn [euro], Candover has taken a 60% stake in the luxury yacht manufacturer....

Gilde sells CABB: AXA takes 70%.(AXA Private Equity)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... French mid-market firm AXA Private Equity has acquired over 70% of the shares of German specialty chemicals company CABB from Dutch buyouts house Glide in a secondary buyout just 15 months after acquiring the business. The management team...

Angels crash to earth: early-stage businesses starved of capital.(British Business Angel Association )
December 1, 2006... The much-lauded return of the to the early-stage funding landscape looks to have ended almost as soon as it began with data released by the British Business Angel Association (BBAA) showing that investment in the first half of 2006 slumped to...

Albany acquired by Alliance: listed investment trust expands VC exposure.(Alliance Trust PLC, Albany Ventures)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Alliance Trust, the UK generalist investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange, has acquired 100% of the shareholding of Albany Ventures, a UK early-stage fund manager set-up in 2000. The venture firm runs three VC funds and has 37m...

Cambridge Consultants return to company creation after four years: Esprit on board to target tech companies.(JOINT VENTURE)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... UK technology development company Cambridge Consultants (CCL) and venture capital firm Esprit Capital Partners have joined forces and launched a 15m [euro] VC fund. The money will be used exclusively to fund Cambridge Consultants own...

Government plants seeds: Amadeus raises 10m [pounds sterling] enterprise capital fund.(LAUNCH)(Brief article)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... The UK Government has launched a second round of Enterprise Capital Funds (ECF), the initiative to bridge the 250,000 [pounds sterling] and 2m [pounds sterling] equity gap for seed stage technology businesses. The Government will be...

Survey predicts investment resurgence: and tech tour brings international delegation to Scotland.(INVESTMENT)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The Scottish Equity Partners Connect Investment Trends Survey, which was conducted in November, polled 16 technology investment experts. The survey found that 80% anticipate resurgence in investment in the next 12 months, driven by rising...

A new audience for Mezzanine: as the growth of mezzanine continues its relentless upward swing Patrick McCurry looks at how important it has become to larger deals and the impact CDOs and hedge funds are having as they swarm into the market.(DEBT)
December 1, 2006... With the dramatic growth in mezzanine, new investors and providers have entered the market and it has become increasingly common in large buyout transactions. "One of the more remarkable facts about the European mezzanine market is how...

Mezzanine in emerging markets: an increase in interest means higher prices.(DEBT)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... The mezzanine market in Central and Eastern Europe is attracting increasing interest, thanks to strong GDP growth in the region and growing demand from businesses for risk capital. "In the CEE region, leverage only really became available...

Cover your assets: insuring investments: insurance is a dirty word in the private equity world. Many firms deny even using it, but as the quest for differentiation between funds becomes ever more important, insurance cover could prove vital in sealing the deal.(INSURANCE)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... Not so long ago, insurance cover for M&A deals, such as warranties and indemnities insurance, was generally a pretty unattractive proposition. "Three or four years ago, there was a lot of talk about the various insurance products on the market,...

Underwriting explained: PE specific coverage reviewed by Vicky Meek.(INSURANCE)(Industry overview)
December 1, 2006... There are several different types of insurance available to private equity houses these days. Some, such as directors' and officers' liability insurance, have been around for years and are pretty much standardised, off-the-shelf products;...

Mercapital has 550m [pounds sterling] for Spanish buyouts: buyout firm beats target for third fund.(CLOSURE)
December 1, 2006... Mercapital, the Madrid-based private equity firm, has raised 550m [euro] for its third buyout fund, 50m [euro] over its original target. Mercapital Spanish Buyout Fund III managed to entice a number of existing investors back, including...

Mid-market firm nets 225m [euro]: Innova's forth fund oversubscribed.(Innova Capital Sp. z.o.o.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Polish buyout house Innova Capital has closed its fourth fund on its hard cap of 225m [euro] just over a year after launching it with a 175m [euro] target. Over 20 investors committed to innova/4, with half of the capital raised coming...

Quartilium fundraising--again: French private equity investor launches third fund.(ASSETS)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Quartilium, Finama Private Equity's fund-of-funds team, has started raising its third generalist fund, Quartilium III, just months after it closed its second vehicle. With Quartilium II already 80% invested, the firm, which is sponsored by...

Inflexion raises 165m [pounds sterling] in assets: Sans placement agent.(Inflexion Private Equity)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Inflexion Private Equity, a London and Manchester-based mid-market private equity investor, has completed the fundraising for its new 2006 Buyout fund at 165m [pounds sterling]. This brings Inflexion's total assets under management to 300m...

VCT rocks ingenious idea: private equity group capitalises on Britain's love of festivals.(LAUNCH)(Market overview)
December 1, 2006... Britain is known throughout Europe for its live music and festivals and the live music and events market is thriving. In 2004 and 2005, annual UK household spending on theatre, concerts and shows increased to an estimated 1.46bn [pounds...

Oligarch's inventive fund: mining in a new manner.(Vladimir Iorikh set up Pala Investment Holdings)
December 1, 2006... Russian financier Vladimir Iorikh, who ranks 451st on Forbes billionaire list with US$1.7bn in assets, has set up a US$900m private equity fund called Pala Investment Holdings. The fund was set up with the proceeds from the sale of the majority...

Warburg Pincus takes in US$1.2bn: real estate proves popular.(Warburg Pincus Real Estate Fund I)
December 1, 2006... Warburg Pincus reached final closing on the Warburg Pincus Real Estate Fund I, a US$1.2bn global fund that will be invested in real estate worldwide. The investor base of WPRE I is comprised of institutional investors, including a number of...

Krokus' first close: Polish fund raises 52m [euro].(Krokus Private Equity's Nova Polonia Natexis II Private Equity Fund)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Krokus Private Equity, the Polish mid-market firm based in Warsaw, has held a first closing of its fourth fund, Nova Polonia Natexis II Private Equity Fund, on 52m [euro]. Limited Partners in the latest vehicle include French investor...

Betfair's VC team: imbedded staff to seed and develop tech companies.(Martyn Holman, David Jack appointed)
December 1, 2006... Betfair, the UK-based online betting exchange that processes 5m transactions a day and more than 300 bets a second, has launched an on-balance sheet VC company to help develop new products, distribution channels and services. This new VC team...

Mass hires at HgCapital.(Florencia Kassai, Justin Leong and Dan Sainsbury appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK mid-market house HgCapital has made three senior appointments and six junior ones, bringing the staff at the firm up to 69 across Europe. Of the senior hires, Florencia Kassai joined the business services team as an associate director...

Fidelity's new investment team.(Fidelity Ventures appointed Shyam Kamadolli and Joshua Maxey )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Late stage US venture firm Fidelity Ventures has made a double appointment in the shape of Shyam Kamadolli and Joshua Maxey as associates. Both will work with Fidelity Ventures' partners in the US and London to identify new investment...

Double promotion for GLSV.(Global Life Science Ventures promoted Stephen McCormack and Holger Reithinger )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... German biotech investors Global Life Science Ventures has promoted Stephen McCormack and Holger Reithinger to partners, bringing the total number of partners at the firm to five. McCormack joined GLSV in their Zug office earlier this year....

Noble Bank founder retires.(Tim Noble to retire from Noble and Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Tim Noble, the founder of UK investment bank Noble, is to retire as chairman and from the board in March 2007. He will be succeeded by group chief executive Ben Thomson. Angus Macpherson who joined Noble in January 2006 will become chief...

Baugur appts HoF management team.(Highland Acquisitions appointed Don McCarthy, Stefan Cassar appointed and David Adams resigned)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Highland Acquisitions, the consortium led by Baugur for the acquisition of House of Fraser, has appointed an executive management team for the UK department store chain. In the role of executive chairman is Don McCarthy formerly of Shoe Studio....

ING adds to leverage team.(ING Bank N.V. appointed Akram Hilmy, Stuart Randell and Tom Tipper )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Dutch bank ING has made a series of additions to its leverage finance and sponsor coverage team. Akram Hilmy joins as a director with responsibility for originating and structuring sponsor driven leveraged financings. He joins from Barclays...

Abingworth appts legal counsel.(Abingworth Management Inc. appointed John Heard )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Life sciences investor Abingworth has appointed John Heard as general counsel. He joins from Intel Capital where he was European legal counsel for the past six years, working on over 60 VC financings and exits for technology start-up companies...

Palamon move for Mytnik.(Palamon Capital Partners appointed Daniel Mytnik )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Mid-market firm Palamon Capital Partners has added Daniel Mytnik of Altium to its investment team as a principal. He will focus on the Nordic region while also participating in the firm's investment programme across other countries in Western...

BoS moves into Scandinavia.(Bank of Scotland appointed John Brimelow for its branch in Stockholm)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Bank of Scotland has opened up its Nordic branch in Stockholm, Sweden. The office will cover Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark and is headed by John Brimelow who has worked with Bank of Scotland since 1996. Private equity deals in Sweden...

Triago-X' US head.(Jean-Marc Cuvilly appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Triago-X, the French private equity secondary investor, has appointed Jean-Marc Cuvilly as head of its US office. He joins from US firm Probitas Partners and in his new role will develop the Triago-X brand in the US by building client...

Primary in double appointment.(Primary Capital appointed Brett Corkery and Alistair Armstrong)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK mid-market firm Primary Capital appointed two associates. Brett Corkery joins from Macquarie Fund Management and is a chartered financial analyst charter-holder and a graduate from the University of Sydney. His fellow appointee is Alistair...

Sovereign hires investment exec.(Sovereign Capital appointed Alex Dampier )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK buy-and-build specialists Sovereign Capital has added investment executive Alex Dampier to its team. He joins from Grant Thornton where he worked on private equity deals for two years after spending three years at Tenon in Manchester where...

Wanadoo head joins Sofinnova.(Olivier Sichel joined Sofinnova Partners)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Former Wanadoo chief Olivier Sichel has moved to French VC firm Sofinnova Partners as a partner. Formerly chairman and CEO of the French internet group, he began his career in 1998 at France Telecom where he spent two years before becoming...

Ingenious appointment.(Ingenious Media appointed David Mansfield )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... UK media investment and advisory group Ingenious has appointed David Mansfield to the board of directors. Mansfield has been a member of the advisory board of Ingenious Media Active Capital, the AIM listed fund, since earlier this year. He has...

TD Capital brings Flood to London.(Michael Flood joined TD Capital Private Equity Investors's new London office)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Michael Flood, vice president and director of US$1.5bn fund of funds investor TD Capital Private Equity Investors, has been appointed head of the firm's new London office which opened in November. He is relocating from Toronto to lead the...

Quester promotes ICT director.(PEOPLE)
December 1, 2006... UK tech VC Quester has promoted investment director Sergio Levi to the position of director. A member of the ICT team, he specalises in investments in the semiconductor and electronics sector and currently manages Quester's investments in...

Vodafone chairs rings in for KKR.(John Bond joined Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co.)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... US buyout giant Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co has appointed John Bond, chairman of Vodafone in the UK, as a senior advisor to the firm. He spent 45 years at HSBC, leaving as group chairman recently. He is currently Chairman of the Mayor of...

Legal brain heads to CDC.(Mark Kenderdine-Davies appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... CDC, the UK Government-backed emerging market private equity fund of funds investor, has appointed Mark Kenderdine-Davies as general counsel and chief compliance officer. He will be responsible for all legal and compliance aspects of CDC's...

Endless adds to Leeds team.(Indra Valeinis hired)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Endless, the UK turnaround buyout specialists, hired Indra Valeinis as an investment executive from food services provider Aramark, where she had been an operations assistant since 2005. She began her career in 2000 with Arthur Andersen in...

Astorg promotes Pascal Noguera.(Astorg Partners )(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... French mid-market firm Astorg Partners has appointed Pascal Noguera as associate, as from November 1, 2006. Pascal Noguera joined Astorg six years ago as a director, subsequently becoming then senior investment director. He worked on the...

Lion Capital hires CEO for La Senza.(Rose Foster appointed)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Lion Capital's portfolio company La Senza, a UK lingerie retailer, has installed Rose Foster as its new chief executive officer. Foster joined women's clothing chain Monsoon in 2001 as group managing director before becoming chief executive in...

3i rings the changes as Bell recruited.(3i Group PLC appointed Rupert Bell)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... 3i has appointed Rupert Bell as a director within its growth capital business, based in London. Bell started his career in 1991 as a chartered accountant at Arthur Andersen before moving to P&O where he was a manager in the head office...

UK VC Esprit appoints partner.(Esprit Capital Partners hired Peter Keen)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Esprit Capital Partners, the UK venture firm, has hired a new partner in the shape of Peter Keen. He will take responsibility for Esprit's financial and fund raising activity as well as providing support for the investment activity particularly...

Barclays Ventures' Birmingham head.(PEOPLE)
December 1, 2006... Barclays Ventures has made Adrian Willetts the new head of its Birmingham office. Willetts joins from Bridgepoint after running their Midlands operations and where he worked on deals that include Adams Childrenswear, Western Wines and Pets at...