News/Benelux
GLOBAL - Advent appoints operating partner
Buyout house Advent International has hired Richard Baker as operating partner.
GLOBAL - Ernst & Young appoints global PE leader
International business advisory firm Ernst & Young has appointed John Harley as the leader for its global private equity practice.
EUROPE - 3i may sell venture portfolio to Coller and HarbourVest consortium
3i is now reportedly in exclusive talks with a consortium led by secondary investors Coller Capital and HarbourVest Partners regarding the sale of its venture portfolio, with the price tag thought to be in the region of £100m.
NETHERLANDS - PPM backs VIBES
Participatiemaatschappij Oost Nederland (PPM Oost) has invested an undisclosed amount in engineering firm Virtual Building Enginners (VIBES).
GLOBAL - LGT Capital holds $268m first close of secondaries fund
LGT Capital Partners has held a first close of its global secondary fund, Crown Global Secondaries II (CGS II), on $268m.
GLOBAL- TA Associates closes 11th fund on $4bn
Private equity firm TA Associates has closed its latest fund, TA XI, on $4bn, comfortably surpassing its $3.5bn target.
NETHERLANDS - PPM Oost backs Pillkey
Participatiemaatschappij Oost Nederland (PPM Oost) has invested an undisclosed sum in medical equipment company Pillkey, alongside software developer and supplier Inforay Inernational.
BELGIUM - ING leads EUR 3m investment round for Cmosis
ING Corporate Investments has led a EUR 3m round for technology start-up Cmosis NV, contributing about half of the total investment. A further EUR 500,000 was provided by ING Activator Fund, another member of the ING group, with Vlaams Innovatiefonds...
BELGIUM/NETHERLANDS - PPM Oost backs Epocat
Dutch investor PPM Oost has backed Belgian chemical company Epocat. Financial details were not disclosed.
LUXEMBOURG/UK - Kneip appoints head of new UK office
3i-backed asset management communications adviser, Kneip, has appointed Paul Poletti-Gadd to head its newly opened UK office.
NETHERLANDS - H.I.G. takes stake in 3i-backed VNU
HIG Capital's distressed fund Bayside Capital has taken a stake in Dutch multimedia company VNU, alongside existing backer 3i and management, following a restructuring of the company's debt.
NETHERLANDS - Starwood acquires Golden Tulip
Starwood Capital has completed the acquisition of beleaguered Golden Tulip Hospitality BV. No financial details have been disclosed.
EUROPE - Osmosis appoints Agentius as fund adminstrator; bolsters team
London-based asset manager Osmosis Capital LLP, has appointed Augentius Fund Administration as the administrator for its forthcoming fund-of-funds.
EUROPE - Q2 figures buck downward trend
Amid widespread talk in the press of "green shoots" in the wider economy, there have been signs of a positive shift in private equity investment activity, according to the unquote" Q2 2009 Private Equity Barometer, produced in association with Candover....
Global - BC Partners writes up value of 2005 fund by almost 25%
Private equity firm BC Partners has reportedly marked up its current fund by almost a quarter in the first half, restoring it to face value.
EUROPE - Foresight appoints new sales director
VCT manager Foresight has hired Meredith Lee as sales director, based in the firm's Sevenoaks office.
GLOBAL - Calpers private equity assets plunge 23%
CalPERS' private equity assets have fallen 23% in the last year, the worst annual decline the nation's largest public pension fund has ever reported.
NETHERLANDS - PPM Oost invests in Cropwatch
Participation Oost Nederland (PPM Oost), alongside business group TNO, has invested an undisclosed sum in Cropwatch, a developer of pest control devices for greenhouses.
GLOBAL - KKR to merge with KPE
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) and Amsterdam-listed vehicle KKR Private Equity Investors LP (KPE) has obtained the necessary approvals to go through with the merger reported on unquote" news last month.
KKR-backed NXP launches debt swap; reduces debt by $225m
Dutch semiconductor business NXP, backed by KKR, AlpInvest, Apax, Bain, and Silver Lake, has made a debt swap, reducing its overall debt by approximately $225m.
GLOBAL - Capital Dynamics acquires Silicon-Valley based HRJ
Capital Dynamics has confirmed the take-over of Silicon Valley-based HRJ Capital's private equity and real estate fund-of-funds, as reported on unquote" news in April, following the consent of the LPs of HRJ's funds.
NETHERLANDS - Gimv strenghtens Dutch presence
Gimv has appointed Ivo Vincente as manager in charge of buyout and growth activities in the Netherlands, replacing Geert-Jan van Logtestijn.
BELGIUM - Apax- and Cinven-backed Truvo looks at debt alternatives
Reports suggest that Apax Partners-backed European directories business Truvo (formerly VNU World Directories) has appointed Houlihan Lokey as financial adviser to help assess options on how to deal with its EUR 1.2bn debt pile, which could include a...
GLOBAL - LP demand for responsible investment rising
According to a survey published today as part of a guide to responsible investing in pirvate equity, 93% of institutional investors would expect all their potential and future GPs to respond to questions surrounding environmental, social and governance...