European Venture Capital Journal articles from February 2008

European Venture Capital Journal archives from February 2008

My, how you've grown! From a cottage industry of millions to a mainstream asset class of billions, private equity has come of age.(EDITOR'S NOTE)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This year marks the momentous 25th anniversary of EVCJ, and we are in celebratory mood with this issue as we take a look back over the ups and downs of a quarter of a century of private equity. As one of the...

PE players negative on UK.(LONDON)(Private Equity)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... According to the most recent quarterly survey conducted by the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA), the proportion of private equity investors viewing the UK as an unattractive place to do business is up from 7% in September 2007 to 29%...

Ventizz targets German-speaking Europe.(ST GALLEN/DUSSELDORF)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Ventizz Capital Partners has completed a speedy fundraising in just six months for its latest fund. Ventizz Capital Fund IV has raised 450m [euro], making the fund one of the largest private equity vehicles for German-speaking Europe. The fund...

European VCs stick close to home.(BRUSSELS)
February 1, 2008... European VCs focus more on European countries than Asia or the Americas, according to the Global Venture Capital Survey by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and EVCA. The study compared the views of investors from Europe, Asia and North America, and...

CapMan Technology makes the grade.(HELSINKI)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] CapMan's latest technology-focused fund, CapMan Technology 2007 fund has closed at 142.3m [euro]. The fund is one of the largest technology funds ever raised in the Nordic countries. A total of 12 Nordic...

Goldman Sachs invests in US$1bn Ukrainian firm.(KYIV)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ukraine-based asset management firm Dragon Capital has sold a minority stake of the business to Goldman Sachs, which acquired it as a financial portfolio investment, Goldman Sachs has invested in Dragon Capital...

The class war continues.(SOFIA)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] At the recent Council of the Party of European Socialists a resolution on private equity and hedge funds was adopted. The European Venture Capital Association (EVCA) has responded by explaining the differences...

Turning back the years: Susan Lloyd, founding editor of EVCJ takes us back through the EVCJ archive.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... Twenty-five years ago, the term private equity didn't exist. Although 3i (under a previous name) had been formed in 1945 to provide long-term and permanent investment capital to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK, it was virtually the...

Social butterfly: the trend for social investment continues as one-time financial services investor Catalyst attracts commitment for its first fund targeting social investment. Angela Sormani looks at the challenges faced along the way.(NEWS ANALYSIS)(Industry overview)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Catalyst Fund Management Research founder Rod Schwartz is pleased. Not only has he recently secured a 5m [pounds sterling] corner-stone investment from Barclays to launch a 25m [pounds sterling] social investment...

PE landmarks of the past 25 years: EVCJ has been covering private equity in Europe for as long as we've had private equity in Europe. From the launch of 3i and Ronald Cohen joining Apax, Tom Allchorne chooses the highlights of the past quarter century.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... 1983 EVCJ is born The UK Venture Capital Journal, the forerunner of EVCJ, is launched by Venture Economics Ltd and edited by Susan Lloyd, who went on to found placement agent Susan Lloyd & Associates. The inaugural issue included a...

European VC--25 years on: Sir David Cooksey, founder of Advent Venture Partners, and the first chairman of the BVCA in 1983, gives his view on venture as he has seen the industry evolve.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... The development of venture capital like so many developments across the EU, has varied in character from member country to member country. In the UK the model adopted was very similar to the successful US model. It worked because equity finance...

The digital revolution made easy: former Sky man helping customers to choose the right media package raises 2.4m [pounds sterling].(VENTURE)(Charles Ponsonby)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Simplifydigital, a new service which looks to make it easier for people to change to digital TV, broadband and/or home phone services, has raised 2.4m [pounds sterling] in its first round of venture capital...

Venture drops in 2007: research shows investment levels down 6.6% on 2006.(VENTURE)
February 1, 2008... European venture capital investment fell last year according to Library House, the Cambridge-headquartered research house. Figures for 2007 reveal that 5.27bn [euro] was invested by VCs in Europe, down 6.6% on the 5.64bn [euro] in 2006. The...

HBM joins SWX.(LISTING)(HBM BioVentures)(Swiss Exchange shortly)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... HBM BioVentures plans to expand its shareholder base through an IPO. The company will list a limited number of new shares and list all shares on the Swiss Exchange shortly. The limited inflow of new funds will be used for new investments...

UK Cleantech sees another 50m [pounds sterling].(JOINT VENTURE)(Foresight Group)(Mouchel Consulting)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Foresight Group and Mouchel, the consulting and business services group, have formed a strategic partnership to invest 50m in cleantech infrastructure projects in the UK. Foresight will provide equity funding of up to 10m [pounds sterling]...

New angel network.(LAUNCH)
February 1, 2008... Oxford Investment Opportunity Network, a UK-based technology business angel investment network, launched a new Medical Devices and Healthcare Technologies Group, known as OION MedTech, to assist companies in the healthcare sector seeking...

Irish spin-out wins cash.(FUNDING)(Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A spin-out from the Institute of Electronics, Communications and Information Technology at Queen's University Belfast, has won seed-corn funding worth 13,500 [pounds sterling] in an all-Ireland business competition. Titan IC Systems emerged as...

Wellington closes tech fund.(FINAL CLOSE)
February 1, 2008... Wellington Partners has closed its latest fund, Wellington Partners IV Technology, at 265m [euro], surpassing its target of 250m [euro] in just over six months. Investors in WPIV Tech include: Access Capital Partners and AGF Private...

Realza reaches seconds base.(SECOND CLOSE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Spanish-focused Realza Capital has reached a second close on its mid-market fund. The fund has received commitments in excess of 110m [euro] for its 150m [euro] fund. A final close is planned for the end of the first quarter. Realza...

Foresight gets 10m [pounds sterling].(TOP-UP)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Foresight Group has launched a top-up for Foresight VCT 2 'C', its tech and cleantech fund. At full subscription this 10m [pounds sterling] share offering will take the total size of the fund, which was launched last year, to 24m [euro]. ...

New fund for CVC.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2008... CVC Capital Partners has unveiled its new infrastructure investment business. Stephen Vineburg has been appointed chief executive of the new venture. The new business will combine investment and industrial expertise to apply a value-added...

Yet another PE firm lists on Euronext: HarbourVest's market cap reaches US$830m.(IPO)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HarbourVest Global Private Equity is celebrating the successful offering of shares on Euronext Amsterdam. The final size of the offering is US$830m (83 million shares) at an offer price of US$10.00 per share. ...

Another ingenious VCT idea: two new funds to raise 30m [pounds sterling] for entertainment.(LAUNCH)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ingenious Media is launching two new VCTs, Ingenious Entertainment VCT 1 plc and Ingenious Entertainment VCT 2 plc. Targeted to jointly raise up to 30m [pounds sterling], the VCTs will invest in UK companies which...

Argos Soditic gets into mezz: buyout firm launches maiden fund.(LAUNCH)
February 1, 2008... Argos Soditic is raising a new fund to meet the evolving needs of mid-sized companies in Europe. The new fund, Argos Expansion, will allow the private equity group to diversify its growth financing activities to include sponsorless LBOs,...

Exponent of two.(CLOSURE)
February 1, 2008... Exponent Private Equity has reached a final close of its second fund, Exponent Private Equity Partners II, with commitments of 805m [euro]. This is double the amount raised for the firm's first fund in 2004. Exponent Private Equity is an...

CapVest grabs a coffee company: Gilde and AAC sell Drie Mollen.(SECONDARY)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dutch private equity firm Gilde Buy Out Partners and AAC Capital Partners, the former ABN AMRO subsidiary, have sold their combined investment in Drie Mollen International, a Netherlands-based coffee company. ...

MySQL sold for US$1bn: European VCs sell open source software company to Sun.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... MySQL, the second largest independent open source software company in the world, has been acquired for US$1bn by US software giant Sun Microsystems, representing a successful exit for a host of European VCs. MySQL was established in Sweden...

Matrix trebles investment.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... UK small buyouts specialist Matrix Private Equity Partners has made a 3.3x return through the sale of BBI Holdings, an AIM-listed healthcare company, to Inverness Medical Innovations. Matrix backed an MBO in November 2000, investing 2.3m...

ISIS sells Hawksmere.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... ISIS Equity Partners has sold Hawksmere, a UK provider of legal, professional, senior management and compliance training, to Kaplan Financial for an undisclosed amount which generated a 2.5x return for the private equity firm.

Spark exits Nomad.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... Spark Venture Management has sold Nomad Payments Limited, a provider of prepaid and debit card processing and licensed software, to Metavante Technologies, a US specialist in banking and payments technology. The exit came through Quester...

Gresham makes 4x return.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... Gresham Private Equity has sold its investment in Warings, a UK building contractor, to French group Bouygues Construction. The sale has made Gresham a 4x return on its original investment in 1998. Based in Portsmouth, the company...

Argos Soditic sells Dorotennis.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... Argos Seditic has sold Dorotennis, a producer of feminine sportswear in France, to the BCBG Max Azria Group, a US business that specialises in women's fashion market The acquisition by BCBG will see Dorotennis reunited with Dorothee bis, a...

Cognetas gets out of jail: prison operator Global Solutions sold for 355m [pounds sterling].(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pan-European mid-market house Cognetas has sold support services provider Global Solutions (GSL) to G4S for 355m [pounds sterling] resulting in a 30-plus IRR for the firm. The sale is subject to EU merger clearance...

Schools out for Sovereign: UK firm sells independent education specialists Alpha Plus.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... Sovereign Capital, the London-headquartered private equity firm, has made a 5.5x return on its sale of Alpha Plus Holdings, a group of independent schools, colleges and nurseries, to investment advisor Delancey. No official transaction...

Advent energy sale.(SECONDARY)
February 1, 2008... Advent International has sold SAG, a German provider of energy infrastructure services, to Nordic private equity house EQT for an undisclosed sum. Advent acquired power cable maker SAG in May 2006 as part of the 700m [euro] LBO of RWE...

Warburg divests LMG.(TRADE SALE)
February 1, 2008... Loyalty Management Group (LMG), a UK loyalty marketing company which owns and operates the Nectar programme as well as owning the trade mark for Air Miles International Trading (AMIT), has been bought by Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Aeroplan,...

Segulah sells Kosan.(SECONDARY)
February 1, 2008... Swedish buyouts firm Segulah has exited Kosan Crisplant Holding, a Danish provider of systems and solutions for the filling and reconditioning of Liquefied Petroleum Gas. Segulah made the purchase in November 2004, and has sold it to...

Cognetas buys Argenta.(SECONDARY)
February 1, 2008... Gruppo Argenta, an Italian vending machine company, has been acquired by Cognetas alongside Italian outfit Investitori Associati. Minority shareholder PM & Partners is selling its stake, with management re-investing a "significant...

Barclays in retail exit.(SECONDARY)
February 1, 2008... Barclays Private Equity has sold its investment in The Original Factory Shop to Duke Street Capital in a 68.5m [pounds sterling] secondary buyout transaction. Barclays invested 18.42m [pounds sterling] in a management buyout]buy-in (BIMBO)...

How things change.... Jon Moulton takes a trip down memory lane to the first UK buyout conference on 19 March 1981 at Nottingham University, and considers the industry in the last quarter of a century.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... I'm really a pretty lucky bloke--I never thought of being a venture capitalist at school or university. I eventually realised that a career in chemistry would involve a decision to live poorly in a declining industry so I became a chartered...

Graphite Capital.(Financial Sponsor of the Year--Small Fund)
February 1, 2008... Graphite Capital had a very active year fundraising in 2007, secured six major disposals, completed its investment programme with three transactions in the Capital Partners VI fund, and supported the buy-and-build programmes of a number of...

Industri Kapital.(Financial Sponsor of the Year--Mid-Sized Fund)(Industri Kapital Group)
February 1, 2008... It was a very active year in all of Industri Kapital's markets in 2007, with four new investments, a speedy fund raising process for its 1.675bn [euro] Industri Kapital 2007 Fund, and eight full realisations and one recapitalisation, generating...

Blackstone.(Financial Sponsor of the year--Large Fund)
February 1, 2008... Among the many achievements scored by The Blackstone Group in 2007 the mega player cites its passing through the US$100bn mark for assets under management during the year, and the US$3bn investment by the Chinese Investment Company CIC as among...

Abingworth.(VC House of the Year--Life Science)(Abingworth Management Ltd.)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last year started impressively for Abingworth as it closed its eighth dedicated life sciences fund, Abingworth Bioventures V, attracting investors from the US and Europe, as well as those located in Canada and Japan....

DFJ Esprit.(VC House of the Year--Technology)
February 1, 2008... In August, Esprit Capital Partners announced that Draper Fisher (DFJ) had acquired a stake in the firm and Esprit became DFJ's exclusive partner in Europe, rebranded as DFJ Esprit, becoming the newest addition to the DFJ Network of venture...

Partners Group.(Fund-of-Funds House of the Year)
February 1, 2008... Swiss alternative asset manager Partners Group calculates that estimated assets under management at the end of December 2007 reached CHF 24.4bn (US$22.1bn), corresponding to a net growth of CHF 7.1bn for the full year 2007 and representing the...

Gilde Healthcare II.(Fund Raising of the Year--Venture)
February 1, 2008... Winner of EVCJ's Fund Raising of the Year--Venture was Gilde Healthcare Partners, a rapidly growing European venture capital firm. The firm's second fund closed last October at 150m [euro], one of the largest venture funds raised to invest in...

Barclays Private Equity.(Fund Raising of the Year--Buyouts)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Barclays Private Equity was awarded EVCJ's Fund Raising of the Year--Buyouts award for its third European fund, which closed in September 2007. Barclays Private Equity European Fund III had total commitments of 2.4bn...

MVision.(Placement Agent of the Year)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Placement Agent of the Year was MVision. The firm had a dozen full closes in 2007, of which eight were in Europe and four in the US. There were also 10 partial closings, of which six were in Europe. "When add that...

Credit Suisse.(LBO Debt Provider of the Year)
February 1, 2008... Last year saw the leveraged finance market go from boom to bust and vast amounts of excess equity in the first half soon dissipated and the second half saw major underwriters nursing long positions. Credit Suisse wins EVCJ's LBO Debt Provider...

Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking.(Mid-market debt provider)
February 1, 2008... Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking has closed and syndicated successive leveraged financings across a broad range of industry sectors across many of Europe's mid-market jurisdictions in 2007 with a total volume in excess of 6bn...

Lehman Brothers.(Mezzanine Debt Provider of the Year)
February 1, 2008... Lehman Brothers was involved in four of the 10 largest European mezzanine loans over the last year comprising ProSiebenSat.1/SBS Broadcasting, PagesJaunes, Formula One and Kion, totalling in excess of 3.3bn [euro]. Lehman Brothers has been...

ICG.(Non-bank mezzanine debt provider of the year)
February 1, 2008... In the last three months of 2007 ICG arranged or provided 566m [pounds sterling] in 10 new investments, compared with 898m [pounds sterling] in 21 transactions in the six months to 30 September 2007. Of this 566m [pounds sterling], 319m [pounds...

Addex Pharmaceuticals.(Venture Realisation of the Year--Life Science)
February 1, 2008... Venture-backed Swiss company Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd raised CHF136.9m (US$111.3m / 82.7m [euro]) on the SWX Swiss Exchange in May 2007, making this one of the largest biotech IPOs in Europe for about five years. The shares priced at...

Last.fm.(Venture Realisation of the Year--Technology)
February 1, 2008... CBS Corporation acquired Last.fm in May 2007 for US$280m in cash from Index Ventures and angel investors and Internet community luminaries Reid Hoffman, and Stefan acquisition followed a number of CBS Interactive announcements including the...

Fat Face.(Buyout Realisation of the Year--Trade/Secondary Sale)
February 1, 2008... Bridgepoint agreed to acquire the UK active lifestyle brand Fat Face from Advent International in March 2007 in a transaction that totalled 360m [pounds sterling], making this one of the most impressive growth stories and realisations in...

Superglass.(Buyout Realisation of the Year--IPO)
February 1, 2008... NBGI Private Equity (NBGI) sold its first fund's 50.9% stake in Superglass as part of the company's IPO on the London Stock Exchange last July, giving the UK's second largest manufacturer of glass wool insulation an enterprise value at that...

Hawkpoint.(Advisory Boutique of the Year)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For the third time in four years Hawkpoint wins the award for Advisory Boutique of the Year. The firm stands out for a number of reasons, including its high quality independent advice, its tailored approach to...

PricewaterhouseCoopers.(Accounting Firm of the Year)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Last year was a record year for us in our private equity work and we were actually busier in the second half than the first," says Chris Hemmings, head of European private equity at PricewaterhouseCoopers, winner of...

Clifford Chance.(Law Firm of the Year)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Clifford Chance wins the Private Equity Law Firm of the Year award, thanks to the range and depth of its deal experience in 2007. It also stands out thanks to its integrated European network, in which its private...

Schroders Private Equity Services.(Administrator of the Year)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Schroders Private Equity Service (SPES) wins the award for Administrator of the Year. The team, which operates from offices in Guernsey and Bermuda, specialises in providing services to the private equity industry,...

Greenpark Capital.(Secondary House of the Year)
February 1, 2008... Greenpark Capital has won the Secondary House of the Year category, thanks to its consolidation as one of Europe's leading private equity secondaries fund managers. "It feels like a good time for Greenpark to be up for this award, as 2007...

Patience is a virtue: in Central and Eastern Europe, private equity has been welcomed with open arms and opportunities are plentiful--if you know the right people. Ian Fraser reports on whether new entrants to the market have the composure and cultural sensitivity to succeed.(FEATURE: CEE)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Fifteen years ago Central Eastern Europe was a mess. More than four decades of Soviet-style central planning had left the region's infrastructure in a dismal state, its buildings shabby, its industry archaic, its...

The changing role of the EBRD: the largest investor of private equity funds in CEE is forced to evolve.(FEATURE: CEE)
February 1, 2008... With over 2bn [euro] in commitments to date, the London-based European Bank of Reconstruction & Development is the largest investor in private equity funds whose focus is investing in Central and Eastern Europe. However, as the region's...

Missed the exit: the public markets look set to remain more or less closed for financing opportunities for at least the first two quarters of 2008.(FEATURE: BIOTECH)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Everyone likes a success because it boosts market confidence. But any confidence looks set to dampened for some time to come on the back of disappointing news reported by two of Europe's biotech hopefuls last year,...

Triumph in a challenging market: largest-ever biotech IPO on Euronext Brussels raises over 85m [euro].(FEATURE: BIOTECH)
February 1, 2008... Despite a succession of postponed or cancelled biotech and life sciences IPOs across Europe and the US in the second half of 2007, venture-backed Belgian biopharmaceutical company Ablynx, focused on the discovery and development of Nanobodies,...

Celebrating its silver year: BVCA chairman Wol Kolade talks to Angela Sormani about his views on the industry over the years.(evcj: 25 years)(Interview)
February 1, 2008... This year, the BVCA is also celebrating 25 year anniversary. Formed in 1983 when a small group of venture capitalists together with John MacGregor MP, the then Minister for Small Firms, got together to form an association that would have a...

LPs wait on Walker: the Walker guidelines on transparency and disclosure in private equity have been welcomed by business groups like the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and criticised by trade union campaigners. But what do LPs think of Walker's reforms? It's a question of time, they tell Patrick McCurry.(LP ANALYSIS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] After a year in which private equity bosses were grilled by UK legislators over their tax arrangements and slammed by trade unions and others over alleged asset-stripping, the Walker report was intended to put things...

Leader of the pack: Angela Sormani talks to Rhoddy Swire, senior partner and founder of pioneering fund-of-funds manager Pantheon, who takes us back over his 25 years in the industry.(evcj: 25 years)(Interview)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Pantheon is a well-known and respected global private equity primary and secondary fund-of-funds manager. Originally formed in 1982 as the private equity investment division of GT Management in London, Pantheon's...

Does law matter? Simon Witney, partner, SJ Berwin, mulls over some of the legal and regulatory landmarks over the years and how they have shaped the industry.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... Does law matter? That may seem like an odd question for a lawyer to ask, but it reflects disagreements among academics about the impact of legal changes on the real world. Put simply, their question is: does the law influence behaviour, or...

Law firms on the block: after a lengthy period of consultation and consideration, the UK government has decided to push ahead in liberalising the country's legal services, par of which includes allowing law firms to list on stock exchanges and to be owned by external investors.(LEGAL ANALYSIS)
February 1, 2008... The new law was passed at the end of October 2007 and comes into force later this year, with staged implementation over the next four years. For private equity houses, institutional investors or investment banks (among others) this opens a 20bn...

Private equity's most influential: Amanda Williams Palmer names but a few.(evcj: 25 years)
February 1, 2008... The words "talent shortage" are often batted around the private equity industry. It is doubtful that their aren't enough smart people out there to run private equity business. But the idea of a talent shortage draws into very sharp focus the...

Vineburg heads new CVC business.(INFRASTRUCTURE)
February 1, 2008... UK private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has named Stephen Vineburg as chief executive of its new infrastructure investment business. This new business will combine investment and industrial expertise to apply a value added approach to...

Cinven promotes three.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... UK private equity firm Cinven has made three investment professionals partners as it opened the New Year with a series of promotions. Caspar Berendsen has been made a partner after over three years at the firm. He is a member of the...

Paul Hastings strengthens PE practice.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... Law firm Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker have added Michelle English, previously with Kirkland & Ellis, as a partner in the private equity practice in London. The practice specializes in both private equity and venture capital...

Hawkpoint adds three.(PEOPLE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Corporate advisory business Hawkpoint Partners has made three senior appointments. Andrew Lynn joins as a director of the firm's debt advisory team, having previously been head of Kaupthing's acquisition and leveraged finance team. Dominic...

HgCapital adds more consumer and leisure firepower.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... UK mid-market firm HgCapital has two new faces in its consumer and leisure (C&L) sector team with the double hiring of Jason Khaksar and Sophie Albizua. Khaksar joins from KPMG Corporate Finance where he spent twelve years advising on...

A Lytle appointment for ECI.(PEOPLE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jeremy Lytle has been hired by UK mid-market firm ECI Partners as investor relations manager. As his new job title implies, he will be acting as a main point of contact for investors, as well as leading future...

Magister hires M&A partner in Moscow.(PEOPLE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Magister & Partners, a leading, CIS-based international law firm, has appointed John Patrick Ryan as an M&A and corporate partner in its Moscow office. Ryan has 14 years of experience working in Russian and international law, including...

Promotions all round at CVC.(PEOPLE)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... CVC has unveiled a series of promotions and appointments. New managing partners include: Geert Duyck, who is responsible for CVC's Paris and Brussels offices and joined in 1998; Roy Kuan, who is responsible for Greater China, Southeast Asia and...

Candover hires former Blair adviser.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... Candover Investments plc, the parent of UK buyouts firm Candover has appointed Lord Jay of Ewelme as a non executive director. Lord Jay is a former permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office and head of the diplomatic service (2002-2006),...

FL appoints new CEO.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... Hannes Smarason, the CEO of Icelandic investment company FL Group, has resigned to be replaced by Sigurdsson, FL's deputy chief executive officer since 2006. Smarason will remain a director of the board and one of the leading shareholders in...

3i Benelux arm strengthens advisory board.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... 3i Benelux has added two new names to its advisory board in the shape of Marc van Gelder--the CEO of pharmaceutical group OPG--and Marcel van Poecke--the founder and ex-CEO of Petroplus, a midstream oil company. The two will offer strategic...

Oostvogels hires new banking partner.(PEOPLE)
February 1, 2008... Luxembourg law firm Oostvogels Pfister Feyten has appointed Francoise Pfeiffer, the former co-head of Loyens Winandy's banking & finance team, who will head up the firm's equivalent practice alongside Stephane Hadet. Before joining Loyens...