European Venture Capital Journal articles from May 2006

European Venture Capital Journal archives from May 2006

Too much of a good thing?(European private equity firms)
May 1, 2006... A record private equity fund raising year in 2005 and greater predicted for 2006 has intensified the spotlight on the private equity asset class. In 2005 M&A activity in the UK was dominated by private equity buyers, with them making up more...

PE sparks competition concerns.(private equity diversement plans)
May 1, 2006... As the private equity market in Europe reaches record levels in terms of both fund raising and deal sizes, a rise in competition concerns is predicted as private equity portfolios become larger and businesses within these portfolios are merged...

PE recruitment: when is the right time?(Private equity)
May 1, 2006... The people pages of EVCJ have been crammed over the last year, with firms recruiting in anticipation of and following new fund raisings. Bowmark Capital is one of the latest on a recruitment drive looking to appoint junior level professionals...

Challenges ahead for AIM: AIM is the current champion of Europe's, if not the world's, public markets. Tom Allchorne looks at whether the good times can last.(NEWS ANALYSIS)
May 1, 2006... After a record-breaking year of IPOs, the European public markets look set to remain more than welcoming to new companies. Across Europe, the number of IPOs and the offering values reached new heights, even outstripping the US for the first...

Cazenove PE and prelude to merge.(NEWS)
May 1, 2006... Cazenove Private Equity (CPE), the UK venture firm, is to spin out from Cazenove Capital Management and merge with Prelude Ventures. The new business is expected to launch officially in mid-2006, following approval from CPE's LPs and after...

Bol opens in Germany.(NEWS)(Bank of Ireland)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Bank of Ireland (BoI) has opened its first office in Germany after around nine years of operating in the market. The Frankfurt team will be jointly led by Ralph Betz and Maurice FitzGerald. German national Betz recently crossed to BoI from...

Oxford and Cambridge money race.(University of Oxford)(University of Cambridge)
May 1, 2006... Oxford and Cambridge universities, taking the lead from their US counterparts, have decided to take the plunge into the world of financial investment. Three Oxford University colleges, Balliol, Christ Church and St Catherine's, have committed...

Interregnum's secondary sale collapses.(Interregnum PLC sold its portfolio to Greenpark Capital)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The sale of technology merchant bank Interregnum plc's portfolio to Greenpark Capital for 5m [pounds sterling] prior to expenses has collapsed. In a statement Interregnum said: "The agreement was conditional upon, amongst other things,...

AnaCap targets financial services.(NEWS)(AnaCap Financial Partners LP)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... AnaCap Financial Partners has reached a final close of its maiden private equity fund, AnaCap Financial Partners LP, with total commitments of 300m [euro]. The fund size was raised to this level from the initial target of 250m [euro] in order...

Growing interest in food sector.(NEWS)
May 1, 2006... Mergers and acquisitions in Europe's food sector bounced back last year, boosted by increased activity at the top end of the market, with the total disclosed value of deals up 44% to 10.5bn [pounds sterling], compared to 7.3bn [pounds sterling]...

Europe's VCs big funders of biotech.(NEWS)
May 1, 2006... Venture capital investment in biotech companies increased by 20% to 1.4bn [euro] in Europe last year, with three out of four of the top venture fund raisings coming from the UK, according to figures compiled as part of Ernst & Young's twentieth...

Overseas companies continue to float on AIM.(NEWS)
May 1, 2006... In Q1 2006, 21 foreign businesses launched an IPO on AIM, compared to three on the main market and 14 during the same time last year according to figures published by Close Brothers. Four of the companies that listed were from the US, two...

Lyceum capital is born.(NEWS)(WestLB)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... West Private Equity has gained independence from WestLB and will change its name to Lyceum Capital. Facilitating this move to independence, AlpInvest Partners N.V.(AlpInvest) and AXA Private Equity have committed to a combined secondary and...

Rising stars fund II reaches first close.(SEED THROUGH EARLY STAGE)(Enterprise Ventures)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Enterprise Ventures, the North West UK-based venture capital management company, has achieved a first closing of its new 10-year venture capital limited partnership fund, RisingStars Growth Fund II. The new fund will follow the successful...

Venturefest in its eighth year.(SEED THROUGH EARLY STAGE)
May 1, 2006... Venturefest 2006 will take place on 3 and 4 July at the University of Oxford's Said Business School, a new venue for the event. The conference this year includes presentations by Tim Smit, chief executive and founder of the Eden Project and...

Triangle sells portfolio.(SEED THROUGH EARLY STAGE)(Triangle Venture Capital Group GmbH has sold the majority of its Fund to an undisclosed European financial investor.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... German seed and early stage investor Triangle Venture Capital Group has sold the majority of its Fund I-III portfolio companies to an undisclosed European financial investor. Existing Triangle investors will receive a significant cash return....

Cambridge Consultants restarts venture unit.(SEED THROUGH EARLY STAGE)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Cambridge Consultants, the technology design and development company that specialises in the areas of wireless, drug delivery, diagnostics, radar and electronics, is restarting its spin-out business with the creation of a new venture fund that...

Euro mezz attracts funds.(FUNDS)(mezzanine)(GSC Partners)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Another record year is predicted for the European mezzanine market and alternative asset manager GSC Partners is ready to benefit from the opportunities on offer. The firm has just closed its second mega mezzanine offering with over 1bn [euro]...

Syngenta launches biotechfund.(FUNDS)(Syngenta AG launches LSP BioVentures.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Agribusiness group Syngenta has launched a US$100m venture fund aimed at the plant science sector. Managed by Dutch biotech firm Life Science Partners (LSP), the fund, called LSP BioVentures, is based in Boston in the US and will target...

Big Bang 1st close.(FUNDS)(Big Bang Ventures has held a first closing on its second fund and will invest in early stage information, semiconductor and communication technology companies)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Big Bang Ventures has held a first closing on its second fund at 17.3m [euro], which far exceeds the total raised for its first fund, which closed on 10m [euro] in 2000. The firm aims to close Big Bang Ventures II on between 30m [euro] and...

Puma VCTIII & IV raise 39m [pounds sterling].(FUNDS)(Shore Capital Group PLC.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * PUMA VCT III& IV, which are managed by Shore Capital Group plc, the investment bank, have raised 39m [pounds sterling]. Shore Capital raised two PUMA funds (I & II) last year, which raised a combined total of 21m [pounds sterling]. This means...

Primary Capital raises 200m [pounds sterling].(FUNDS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Primary Capital has reached a final closing of its third buyout fund, Primary III, at its hard cap of 200m [pounds sterling]. Investors in Primary III include insurance and life companies, corporate and local authority pension funds,...

IMAC raises 150m [pounds sterling].(FUNDS)(O'Melveny and Myers L.L.P.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Ingenious Media has raised 150m [pounds sterling] on London's AIM market for its new fund Ingenious Media Active Capital (IMAC). The fund will invest in unquoted media companies. O'Melveny & Myers structured and closed the fund. IMAC is...

Schroders FoFsclose.(FUNDS)(Schroders and SVG Advisers have reached a final close of the Schroder Private Equity Fund)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Schroders and SVG Advisers have reached a final close of the Schroder Private Equity Fund of Funds III (SPEFOFIII) at 422m [euro], significantly exceeding both the 242m [euro] and 285m [euro] raised for the previous two Schroder Private...

SEPfund launch.(FUNDS)(Scottish Equity Partners)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Scottish Equity Partners has launched its most recent venture capital fund, SEP III, and has already secured participations of over 120m [pounds sterling] from UK and European institutional investors. A final decision on the size of the...

Northzone closes fifth fund.(FUNDS)(Northzone Ventures)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Northzone Ventures has closed its fifth fund, Northzone V, on 175m [euro] in its one and only closing. A whole host of investors from previous funds returned for the latest offering from the Nordic firm, including Access Capital Partners,...

Polaris closes fund.(FUNDS)(Polaris Private Equity)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... * Polaris Private Equity has reached a final close on its second fund on 270m [euro], following the first close in February with initial commitments of 180m [euro]. The fund will focus on investments in small and medium-sized industrial and...

Legrand IPO sparks stampede: French electrical equipment manufacturer Legrand became one of the most successful private equity-backed IPOs when it floated on Euronext Paris. The offering was oversubscribed by 30x and the shares were so popular it pushed the price of the company beyond the limits allowed by the stock exchange, forcing trading to be suspended for 15 minutes.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... Legrand raised 972m [euro] at the IPO, giving it a market capitalisation of 5.4bn [euro], and another 129m [euro] has been raised following the exercise of the over-allotment option. Private equity owners KKR and Wendel Investissement, who...

Advent sells Terapia.(EXITS)(Advent International sells Terapia S.P. to Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Advent International has sold its 96.7% stake in Terapia, a Romanian generic pharmaceuticals manufacturer, to India's Ranbaxy Laboratories Limited for US$324m. The acquisition of Terapia in August 2003 for US$49.3m was the first ever...

Sogetrel sold in secondary buyout.(EXITS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Barclays Private Equity France has led a management buyout of Sogetrel, an integrated engineering firm, from shareholders ABN AMRO Capital France and BBS Capital for 90.3m [euro]. ABN AMRO Capital acquired Sogetrel in July 1999 in a 31.5m...

Astorg sells RLD.(EXITS)(Astorg Partners, Redgie Linge Developpement)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Astorg Partners has made a 2.3x return on the sale of Rdgie Linge Developpement (RLD), a French linen rental company, to Sagard Private Equity Partners in a secondary buyout for a reported 150m [euro]. Astorg II invested in the Nantes-based...

3i Fairways sale.(EXITS)(3i Group PLC is selling one of its funeral company to Co-operative Group)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... 3i is selling its minority stake in Fairways Group, a funeral services company, for 11.2m [pounds sterling] to the Co-operative Group. The transaction will produce an IRR for 3i of 57%. Surbiton-based Fairways, currently the fourth-largest...

Earlybird sells Identify Software.(EXITS)(BMC Software, a US IT solutions business, has agreed to buy Identify Software owned by earlybird.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... BMC Software, a US IT solutions business, has agreed to buy Identify Software, a VC-backed Israeli-based provider of application problem resolution software, for US$150m. VCs that own stakes in the company include Earlybird, Evergreen...

3i and Accent no longer in Alignment.(EXITS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... 3i and Accent Equity Partners, the Swedish firm, have agreed to sell their shares in Alignment Systems, a manufacturer of vehicle repair equipment, to FSN Capital Limited Partnership II. Financial details have not been disclosed. The...

Paragon passes to HgCapital.(EXITS)(Paragon Healthcare has been sold by Duke Street Capital to HgCapital)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Paragon Healthcare, an independent provider of specialist healthcare and rehabilitation services for patients with learning disabilities and severely challenging behaviours, has been sold by Duke Street Capital to HgCapital by way of a...

Allianz sells Hansen Transmissions.(EXITS)(Allianz Capital Partners and Apax Partners have sold Hansen Transmissions to Suzlon Energy's subsidiary Rotor Holdings )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Allianz Capital Partners and Apax Partners have sold their interest in Hansen Transmissions to Suzlon Energy's Dutch subsidiary Rotor Holdings for 435m [euro] in an all cash deal. Allianz Capital Partners and Apax Partners first invested in...

Mayfair Gaming changes hands.(EXITS)(Hermes Private Equity buys Mayfair Gaming.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Risk Capital Partners has sold its stake in Mayfair Gaming, a UK-based independent bingo operator, which it bought in June 2004 when it supported a management buy-in of the business. Hermes Private Equity has bought Mayfair Gaming for an...

Mecatherm secondary buyout.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... French mid-market buyout houses Astorg Partners, 21 Centrale Partners, and the investment firm of the DuvaI-Fleury family Cogepa, has sold Mecatherm, a French manufacturer of industrial baking equipment, to Alpha Associates. The company...

US company floats on AIM.(EXITS)(Entelos Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... VC backed company Entelos, a US life sciences company, has floated on London's AIM market. At a placing price of 82.75 pence, the business achieved a market capitalisation of approximately 63m [euro], and raised 16m [euro]. Based in...

Barclays PE trebles Cabot investment.(EXITS)(Barclays Private Equity has sold its company Cabot Financial to Nikko Principal Investments Limited (NPIL))(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Barclays Private Equity has sold UK debt purchasing company Cabot Financial to Nikko Principal Investments Limited (NPIL) for 275m [pounds sterling]. The disposal of the business has earned Barclays Private Equity a 3x return on its January...

Irish VCs exit SteelTrace.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... Trinity Venture Capital, the Irish early stage investor, has sold its stake in SteelTrace, a Dublin-based IT company, to Compuware for US$20m. Trinity invested in the business when it led a US$2.3m series A round in January 2004, with...

GIMV sells Food Partners.(EXITS)(Duke Street Capital has acquired UK food business Food Partners from GIMV)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Duke Street Capital has acquired UK food business Food Partners from GIMV and the Pan European Food fund for an undisclosed sum. Food Partners was created in 2001 through the acquisition and merger of four sandwich companies. The company...

Stroili Oro in secondary buyout.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... Investindustrial is leading the secondary buyout of a 65% stake in Italian jewellery retailer Stroili Oro. The transaction is valued at around 190m [euro]. L Capital and Ergon Capital, former shareholders of the company, will retain a 35%...

Lionhead Studios sold to Microsoft.(EXITS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Lionhead Studios, a video game developer, has been sold to Microsoft Game Studios for an undisclosed sum. The sale provides an exit for investors Add Partners, IDG Ventures Europe and Ingenious Ventures. The consortium invested in the...

Renovo float.(EXITS)(Renovo Group that received seed funding from Atlas Ventures has floated on the London Stock Exchange.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Renovo Group, a biopharmaceutical company that received seed funding from Atlas Ventures six years ago, has floated on the London Stock Exchange. The offer price of 87 pence per share saw the business raise approximately 50m [pounds sterling],...

Magix IPO.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... German software company Magix has floated on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, generating a 3.8x return for 3i. The IPO floated at the top of its price range, 16.40 [euro] per share, and was 13.2x oversubscribed. 3i sold 40% of its stake, worth 38m...

Zumtobel plans IPO.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... German lighting business Zumtobel is planning an IPO on the Vienna Stock Exchange before the summer. Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts holds a 49.96% stake in the business, which it acquired in 2000 for an undisclosed sum. The Zumtobel family holds...

Debenhams to float.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... Debenhams is returning to the stock market less than three years after being bought by private equity backers CVC Capital, Merrill Lynch Private Equity and Texas Pacific. The price range of its IPO on the London Stock Exchange has been set at...

SAF IPO.(EXITS)
May 1, 2006... Venture-backed Swiss company SAF has floated on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange at an issue price of 17.60 [euro], giving it a market cap of 90m [euro]. A software company based in Tagerwilen, SAF saw its IPO oversubscribed by 8.6x, generating...

ABN sells RTD.(EXITS)(ABN AMRO Capital sells Rontgen Technische Dienst Holding (RTD) to Applus Servicios Tecnologicos.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... ABN AMRO Capital has agreed to sell Rontgen Technische Dienst Holding (RTD), a Dutch headquartered testing and inspection company, to Applus Servicios Tecnologicos, for an enterprise value of 193m [euro]. Return details were not disclosed...

Duke Street sells Marie Brizard.(EXITS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Duke Street Capital has sold its majority stake in Marie Brizard & Roger International (MBRI) to French Spirits Group Belvedere, for a total consideration of 397m [euro]. Return details of the transaction have not been disclosed. Duke...

OREFI goes to Investcorp.(EXITS)(PPM Capital is selling OREFI Participation, a European distributor of industrial parts, to Investcorp.)(Outsourcing d'achats au service de l'industrie(OREFI))(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... PPM Capital is selling OREFI Participation, a European distributor of industrial parts, to Investcorp. Financial details of the transaction have not been disclosed. PPM Capital backed the buyout of the business in 1998 for an undisclosed...

Alpha sells Noble Gibbons.(EXITS)(Alpha Capital Partners Ltd. sells Noble Gibbons to CB Richard Ellis)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... CB Richard Ellis has acquired a 51% ownership interest in Noble Gibbons, a Russian real estate business from Alpha Capital Partner's investors and other shareholders. CB Richard Ellis has committed to purchasing the remaining outstanding shares...

Motorola gets Orthogon.(EXITS)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Carlyle Group and Atlas Venture are to sell Orthogon Systems to Motorola. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The exit is reported to represent a good return for investors. Orthogon designs wireless ethernet bridges...

Appetite for healthcare continues.(EXITS)(BC Partners has sold General Healthcare Group to General Healthcare Group (GHG))
May 1, 2006... Healthcare deals continue to attract private equity buyers and high prices, as the latest mega deal in this space proves. BC Partners has sold General Healthcare Group (GHG) in a tertiary buyout transaction to Network Healthcare Holdings, a...

Apax sells jewellery chain.(EXITS)(Apax Partners Holdings Ltd. sells Histoire d'Or to PPM Capital.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... PPM Capital is acquiring French jewellery distributor Histoire d'Or in a secondary buyout transaction from a group of investors led by Apax Partners for a consideration of 230m [euro]. The transaction is subject to French competition...

Carlyle sells Dr Pepper/Seven Up.(EXITS)(Dr Pepper/Seven Up Inc. being sold to Cadbury Schweppes PLC)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Carlyle is selling its 53% stake in drinks business Dr Pepper/Seven Up bottling Group (BG) to its joint venture partner Cadbury Schweppes in a US$353m cash transaction. Cadbury will also acquire the remaining shares held by management and...

Rutland sells Carron.(EXITS)(Rutland Partners is selling its entire interest in Carron Energy Limited to Deutsche Bank AG)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Rutland Partners is selling its entire interest in Carron Energy Limited, the owner of Uskmouth Power Station, to a specially formed company backed by Deutsche Bank AG and funds under the management of Strategic Value Partners and Trafalgar...

Calendar.(EXITS)(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... MAY 2006 15-16 MAY Subordinated Debt London Telephone +44 (0)20 7878 6888 21-23 MAY Asset Allocation Summit Middle East Dubai www.terrapinn.com/2006/aasme 22-24 MAY Here Funds Masterclass ...

UK buyout market fails to impress.(BUYOUTS)(statistical table)(Statistical table)
May 1, 2006... UK buyouts recorded their lowest quarter for two and a half years in Q1 2006, according to figures released by KPMG's private equity group, which tracks UK buyouts with a value over 10m [pounds sterling]. In total 31 transactions valued at...

UK PtPs ill fated in Q1.(BUYOUTS)(Centre for Management Buy-Out Research (CMBOR))(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Latest research from the Centre for Management Buy-Out Research (CMBOR) based at the University of Nottingham in the UK shows the UK buyout market hasn't got off to a great start this year, despite the wall of money available to invest. CMBOR...

LBO syndications arranged April.(BUYOUTS)
May 1, 2006... COMPANIES IN THIS SECTION AVR CAGELAC CEP FINDUS JVH GAMING LOXAM MTU NOCIBE SAUER SEVES UPC SVERIGE WARNER HOWARD Auto distribution TARGET NATION: FRANCE DATE ANNOUNCED: 12/04/06 DEAL TYPE: SECONDARY BUYOUT ...

Refinancings.(BUYOUTS)(Allianz Capital Partners)
May 1, 2006... COMPANIES IN THIS SECTION BARTEC CEVA SANTE ANIMALE EDITIS FTE AUTOMOTIVE HT TROPLAST MINOVA PICARDS SURGELES Bartec TARGET NATION: GERMANY DATE ANNOUNCED: 13/04/06 SPONSOR: ALLIANZ CAPITAL PARTNERS MANDATED...

Private equity-backed takeovers subject to EU competition law companies in this section.(BUYOUTS)(List)
May 1, 2006... COMPANIES IN THIS SECTION CENTER PARCS ELIOR Center Parcs PRIVATE EQUITY BACKER: BLACKSTONE BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: HOLIDAY HOMES OPERATOR DEAL VALUE: APPROXIMATELY 205.4M [pounds sterling] NOTIFIED: 10/03/06 ...

Kirkland appts.(PEOPLE)(Kirkland and Ellis appointed Graham White and Raymond McKeeve)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Kirkland & Ellis has poached two senior lawyers from Linklaters' private equity group in London: Graham White, the former global head of private equity for Linklaters; and partner Raymond McKeeve. The two joined the firm together in 2001 from...

TVM promotes.(PEOPLE)(TVM Capital promoted Chris Cobbold, Annegret de Baey-Diepolder and Axel Polack)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... TVM Capital has made three promotions: Chris Cobbold and Dr Annegret de Baey-Diepolder have been promoted from principal to partner, and Dr Axel Polack is now a general partner. Cobbold joined the ICT team of TVM in Munich in August 2001 as...

SVC recruits.(PEOPLE)(Siemens Venture Capital appointed Sebastian Wossagk )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Sebastian Wossagk has joined Siemens Venture Capital as investment partner in the communications fund. He will be focusing on wireless applications and infrastructure, mobile devices and machine-to-machine systems. He comes from Siemens...

IFE Conseil hires.(PEOPLE)(Dominique Fouquoire)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... IFE Conseil, the French mid-cap mezzanine specialist, has recruited Dominique Fouquoire. He joins from Mezzanis, the mezzanine fund of Credit Lyonnais Private Equity, where he had been managing director since 2002. He had been at Credit...

Bol opens in Germany.(PEOPLE)(Bank of Ireland appointed Ralph Betz and Maurice FitzGerald)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... The Bank of Ireland has opened an office in Frankfurt. The bank has been active in the German market since 1997, focused primarily on the provision of debt funding to leveraged finance transactions. The new German-based team will offer...

TA appts.(PEOPLE)(TA Associates appointed Christopher Parkin)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... TA Associates has appointed Christopher Parkin to the London office as a vice-president. He will focus on growth equity capital, leveraged recapitalisations and management buyouts to help implement TA's investment strategy and support the...

Springwell renamed.(PEOPLE)(UK Bioscience Consultants Ltd )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Springwell Ltd, the UK early stage biotech and healthcare consultancy, has renamed itself UK Bioscience Consultants Ltd as part of a relaunch to reflect the increased range of services it now offers. Springwell was founded in 2001 by Dr...

Close Bros expands.(PEOPLE)(Close Brothers Growth Capital appointed Simon Jobson)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Close Brothers Growth Capital has appointed Simon Jobson as investment executive. He joins from Deloitte & Touche where he was a manager in the lead advisory practice of its corporate finance division. He previously worked in Deloitte's audit...

Bridgepoint appts.(PEOPLE)(Bridgepoint Capital named Mikael Lovgren )(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Bridgepoint has named Mikael Lovgren as chairman of its Nordic business. Lovgren, who becomes an advisory partner of Bridgepoint, spent 20 years at Boston Consulting Group, where he held a number of positions including that of managing director...

Linklaters promotes.(PEOPLE)(Annette Kurdian, Tim Ross, Jaroslaw Miller and Sabrena Silver)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Linklaters has elected seven new partners to its banking practice. Private equity-related appointments include Annette Kurdian, who specialises in acquisition financing, debt restructuring, plain vanilla and structured corporate lending...

Lehman appts.(PEOPLE)(Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. appointed Vittorio Pignatti Morano)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Lehman Brothers has named Vittorio Pignatti Morano, formerly the co-head of the banking giants' European M&A business, as head of its European private equity activities. In this newly created role, Morano will oversee the launch of several...

CVC appts.(PEOPLE)(CVC Capital Partners has recruited David Wood)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... CVC Capital Partners has recruited David Wood from Deutsche Bank, where he was co-head of European leverage finance for six years following a stint at JPMorgan as a senior banker in acquisition finance. He has worked within the leveraged...

Sovereign hires.(PEOPLE)(Sovereign Capital promoted Jose Rodriguez, Dominic Dalli and Simon Hitchcock)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Lower mid-market specialists Sovereign Capital has made three promotions. Dominic Dalli and Simon Hitchcock have been made directors and Jose Rodriguez has been promoted to investment manager. Dalli joined Sovereign in 2002 and specialises...

Capital Dynamics reshuffle.(PEOPLE)(promoted Stefan Amman and Mark Coppin)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Capital Dynamics has promoted two people this month. The first is Stefan Amman, CFO, COO and member of the executive committee, who has been made a managing director and principal of the firm. Also finding himself in a new role is Mark...

Actis appts.(PEOPLE)(Actis Capital LLP appointed Rajiv Kaul)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Actis, a private equity investor in emerging markets, has appointed Rajiv Kaul as partner, based in London. Kaul, who until recently was the managing director of Microsoft in India, moved last year to Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, US as...

DLJ recruits.(PEOPLE)(DLJ Merchant Banking Partners appointed Tim Schoonmaker, Nigel Walmsley and Rupert Shaw)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, the private equity investment arm of Credit Suisse, has created a media investment team, appointing Tim Schoonmaker, Nigel Walmsley, and Rupert Shaw. The team will focus on investments in the UK and European...

HgCapital expands.(PEOPLE)(appointed Robin Lincoln, Ian Moore, Alastair Laing, Dominik Vonier and Jonathan Boyes)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... HgCapital has created a services sector team to be led by Robin Lincoln. Ian Moore has been appointed associate director of the leisure team, joining from KPMG corporate finance where he focused on mid-market transactions in the leisure sector....

Bol builds.(PEOPLE)(Bank of Ireland recruited Peter Mullen)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... Bank of Ireland has recruited Peter Mullen as the head of its new London-based syndications team. Other appointments will be announced. Mullen has extensive knowledge of the syndications market having spent eight years working for Societe...

3i promotes.(PEOPLE)(3i Group PLC promoted Ian Nolan)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... 3i has promoted Ian Nolan to head its UK buyout operations. He began his 3i career in 1987 in Manchester, moving to London in 1995 as a director in the buyouts team. In 1998, he returned to Manchester as MD of 3i's business in the North West of...

ECI recruits.(PEOPLE)(ECI Partners L.L.P. appointed Tom Wrenn)(Brief article)
May 1, 2006... ECI Partners has hired Tom Wrenn as investment executive. He will take a wide-ranging role across all aspects of ECI's investment activities, deal origination, execution, transformation and exit. He joins after spending two years with the...