Unquote
Dr Kevin Johnson formally joins Index Ventures
Following a six-year association with the venture investor as an advisor, life sciences specialist and entrepreneur Dr Kevin Johnson has joined Index Ventures as a Partner.
Cinven finally scents deal with Spice
Cinven's revised offer of 70p per share for Leeds-based utility support services group Spice is likely to be recommended by the company's management.
Q&A: The evolution of due diligence
Due dilience can be a time consuming process, and seems to be taking longer since the crisis. Emanuel Eftimiu talks to Dr Joachim Scholz of Rothgordt & Cie about the increased emphasis on due diligence in the current environment.
Take-privates: Playing hard to get?
Shares in troubled care provider Southern Cross leaped 67% late last week after it declined an approach from TowerBrook. Having suffered a massive fall in its share price this year, it may have seemed an easy target for private equity bidders, but has...
unquote" Events Roundup
As autumn approaches, unquoteт has a busy schedule of events covering all aspects of the private equity industry, while providing excellent networking opportunities. With the Italia and Deutsche conferences rapidly approaching, and not forgetting the...
Dealflow: Autumn boom expected after slow summer
As the summer holiday season draws to a close, Europeтs private equity market is set to pick up. While activity has slowed significantly in some regions, industry players are expecting a deal-doing boom in the coming weeks and months.
Exits: Private equity IPO prices fall
With a number of high-profile exits so far this year, selling companies has been a hot topic, particularly after the many difficulties of 2009. However, the IPO market has been difficult for private equity players, and new figures show just how tough...
Exits: Carving out value
With exit maximisation key in todayтs economically unstable times, a number of private equity funds have recently chosen to sell their assets in smaller chunks, in the hope of attracting more specialist buyers. John Bakie reports
Luxury brands: Private equity's leadership challenge
Towerbrookтs plan to sell Jimmy Choo this year for an estimated ТЃ500m, more than twice its value three years ago, highlights the significant benefits that can be reaped from investing in the luxury apparel sector. However, the deal also brings to the...
Banks seek to make hay while the sun shines
Looking around Europeтs buyout markets, it is clear that some banks are well and truly back in the game. But the recent rise in deal completions, including those at the top end of the scale, masks an altogether more complex marketplace. Julian Longhurst...
Atlantic-Pacific Capital hires Sandström as partner
Atlantic-Pacific Capital has hired Sarah McFadden SandstrУЖm as a partner in its Private Funds business, in a bid to bolster its European project management and advisory services.
German buyouts: the giant stirs?
Despite encouraging macroeconomic signs and increasing buyout activity elsewhere, the level of deal completions in the German buyout market remains well below par. What chances are there of an up-tick in this giant market? Julian Longhurst investigates....
Money to burn?
Instead of the expected, traditional summer lull in activity, the unquoteт editorial team has been busy reporting on a continuous stream of deal announcements and rumours over the past fortnight. While it is difficult to put any exact number on deals...
Blockbuster season
The industry is certainly in better shape than 12 months ago. The latest unquoteт Private Equity Barometer confirmed the sentiment, showing total private equity investment has more than doubled to тЌ25.5bn in the first half of the year compared to H1...
Second nature
News of institutions cutting back on their private equity exposure by offloading their private equity assets has interrupted the lull in deal activity that one is more accustomed to during this time of year.
Solvency II criticised for 'inappropriate' stress test
European regulators have come under fire for choosing an тinappropriateт way to measure the stress caused by private equity investments on insurance companies. Research from Partners Group suggests the regulatorтs favoured method of calculating private...
ICG buys RBS €1.4bn credit portfolio
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) has signed a deal to acquire the Royal Bank of Scotlandтs (RBS) тЌ1.4bn portfolio of European loans.
Private equity haunted by pre-crisis deals
As AA and Saga are hitting the headlines once again, private equity it seems is being haunted by the ghosts of 2007тs exuberance. While the years preceding the financial crisis saw some of the largest private equity-backed deals of all time, many of these...
IK Investment Partners hires Wärn as partner
IK Investment Partners has hired Kai WУЄrn as partner to focus on strategy, operations and business control.
The return of the mega-buyout
Mega-buyouts of over тЌ1bn are on their way back following a drought of activity during the global financial crisis, according to unquoteт research. Signs of life are starting to appear at the very top-end of private equity investing, but Europeтs buyout...
Smaller investors look to private equity ETFs
Investors seeking to gain exposure to the private equity asset class have increasingly been looking to use synthetic products. Interest has not only been from smaller investors in search of lower liquidity risks and entry barriers, but LPs sitting on...
Specialisation key for first-time funds
With relationship-based investing seeping into the markets, as risk averse LPs gravitate towards managers they have had previous relationships with, first-time funds have had to strengthen their people-pitch. A number may have found a way out of the dilemma,...
Nordic activity set to boom as summer ends
Following a strong increase in activity for the first half of 2010, the Nordic market is currently going through its seasonal summer lull. Viktor Lundvall takes a closer look at what to expect after the regionтs summer break.
Goldman Sachs considering private equity spin-off
Goldman Sachs officials are reportedly in discussions about the potential spin-off of a portion of their private equity business.