DIF Capital Partners, the infrastructure equity fund manager with €16bn in AUM, has promoted both Kanan Joshi as well as Caine Bouwmeester from Managing Director to Partner.

Kanan joined DIF in 2021 and is based in New York. She is managing the New York office, is co-head for the firm in North America and Global Head of Digital Infrastructure. Caine joined DIF in 2020, is based in London and is Global Head of Renewable Energy.

Together they bring a wealth of experience in digital infrastructure and renewable energy investments.

Kanan is recognised within the infrastructure industry as an expert in telecoms, including data centres and fibre. Prior to joining DIF, she worked at private investment firms Upper Bay and Digital Bridge, where she was part of the teams leading data center investments. Prior experience also includes roles at JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank advising companies across North America, LATAM and Asia and execution of high-profile M&A and capital raising transactions. Kanan holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Mumbai and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Caine is a renewable energy specialist with more than 16 years’ experience and a track record of developing, acquiring and investing in green energy projects and companies around the world. Prior to DIF, Caine was at Macquarie Capital and the Green Investment Group where he originated and executed infrastructure and renewable energy investments globally, having worked in London, Johannesburg and Toronto. Caine holds a bachelor’s degree in business and financial mathematics from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Masters of Finance from INSEAD.

Wim Blaasse, Managing Partner at DIF said: “We are delighted to welcome Kanan and Caine as partners at DIF. They have contributed meaningfully to our growth, and we look forward to the further contributions Caine and Kanan will bring to both our firm and our portfolio in the years to come.”

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is an infrastructure fund manager with ca. EUR 16 billion of assets under management. DIF was founded in 2005 and has a leading position in managing mid-market investments, primarily in Europe, North America and Australia.

DIF follows two strategies: its traditional DIF funds invest in lower-risk mid-sized infrastructure projects and companies in the energy transition (incl. renewables) and utilities sector, as well as PPPs and concessions. The firm’s CIF funds invest in small to mid-sized companies that will thrive in the new economy. These companies are typically active in the digital infrastructure, energy transition and sustainable transportation sector.

With a team of over 225 professionals in 11 offices, DIF offers a unique market approach combining global presence with the benefits of strong local networks and investment capabilities. DIF is located in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Helsinki, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney and Toronto.

For more information, please visit www.dif.eu or follow us on LinkedIn.

Contact DIF Capital Partners: press@dif.eu

Torqx Capital Partners (“Torqx”) is happy to announce that as of 9 October, Justus Hollander has joined the Torqx team as Investment Director.

Justus studied economics in Rotterdam and law in Leiden. After university he started at HAL Investments, where he worked in the investment team for over 7 years. He was involved in (potential) investments in various sectors, from chemicals to consumer goods and media to healthcare. In hist last years at HAL, he set up an investment entity that focuses on entrepreneurial growth companies that mitigate climate change and facilitate the energy transition.

Lennert Spek, Managing Partner at Torqx, comments: “Justus is a very experienced and passionate investment professional. We are delighted to welcome Justus to our team where he will be able to significantly contribute to Torqx’ mission to build better businesses. We are looking forward to be working together”

Brightlands Venture Partners (BVP), an impact venture capital firm based in the Netherlands, announced today the promotion of Luc Starmans, PhD, to Partner in the Health team. Luc previously served as senior investment manager on the team, where he mainly focused on medical devices, biomaterials and regenerative medicine.

“We are very pleased with Luc as a person and we value the sector expertise and rigor he brings to our mission to improve health for all.”, said Casper Bruens, Managing Partner of BVP.

Luc Starmans said, “It has been a tremendous pleasure to work with the BVP team as well as BVP portfolio companies in the past few years. I look forward to continuing to contribute to our mission to support start-up companies that will significantly improve health outcomes”.

Luc Starmans joined BVP in 2021 as an investment manager in the BVP Health team. Since then, Luc led the investments of BVP in Aliform and niostem (formerly Mane Biotech), as well as joined the supervisory boards of both Hy2Care as well as PL Bioscience.

Prior to joining BVP, Luc was Senior Manager within the Health Care and Life Sciences strategy consulting practice of KPMG. Luc is a biomedical engineer by training and holds both a PhD as well as a MSc degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). Luc performed his academic research at Philips (Eindhoven), Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (Baltimore) and TU/e.

As of October 1st, Marry de Gaay Fortman has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors of Business Transformation and IT service provider, Conclusion Group B.V. In this role, she, along with other members, will be responsible for overseeing the organization. The Board of Directors also includes Gerrit Oosterhof (Chairman), Stepan Breedveld, and Bart Coopmans.

An expert in Governance and Oversight

De Gaay Fortman’s background complements the profiles of other members of Conclusion’s Board of Directors. As a lawyer and a partner at Houthoff, where she served as managing partner for six years, she specializes in governance and oversight. She was instrumental in the establishment of Topvrouwen.nl, now known as SER Topvrouwen and a part of the SER Diversity and Inclusion program. The foundation’s goal is to increase the representation of women in top positions within Dutch business. Additionally, De Gaay Fortman holds various non-executive board roles, including serving as a commissioner at De Nederlandsche Bank. With Conclusion’s international strategy and strong (financial) growth, De Gaay Fortman’s expertise is precisely what the Board of Directors needs to provide guidance and oversight for the company in the next phase.

Gerrit Oosterhof, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Conclusion Group B.V., stated, “With Marry’s knowledge, experience and diverse network, we have a director who can be of great value to the further development of our organization. We have a balanced portfolio and an international strategy, including the ambition to provide nearshore services. Our vision of a successful future aligns with Marry, and I look forward to our collaboration.”

Marry de Gaay Fortman on her appointment, “I feel at home with a company that assists others in their innovation transition while maintaining a strong ESG commitment. With my experience, I hope to quickly make a contribution to further the national and international growth of Conclusion.”

London, October 2, 2023 – AURELIUS is delighted to announce the hiring of Helene Schutrumpf to lead their fundraising and investor relations. Helene is based in the UK, will be supporting AURELIUS’s future private equity fund vintages and is currently working with the private debt business.

AURELIUS has been growing significantly in recent years and now has EUR 11 bn in group revenues and more than 300 professionals working out of 10 offices across Europe and North America, including over 150 operating specialists. The growth is across all of its business lines as well as geographically, and the firm is opening an office in New York in late 2023.

“I’m excited to join this prestigious firm at a compelling inflection point as we are shifting the capital base and opening up product lines to external investors. AURELIUS has consistently generated strong returns through applying a fundamentally focussed operational approach to investments with robust downside protection, which is always in demand”, said Helene Schutrumpf.

AURELIUS has delivered top decile returns since 2005, showcasing its consistency throughout various market cycles. Its operating taskforce ensures that a structured methodology is applied to complex investments, which aims to transform companies through improving operational efficiencies and driving growth to deliver returns.

The private debt business, AURELIUS Finance Company (AFC) makes asset-based loans to UK mid-market companies, delivering superior risk-adjusted-returns with robust downside protection.

“In the current uncertain market environment, we’re seeing the appeal of having physical assets as security for loans. We enjoy the entrepreneurial opportunity of being an early mover in this underserved space”, said Helene.

“We’re excited to have Helene join us as we continue to grow from our beginnings as a small German house into a global mid-market player”, said Dirk Markus, Co-Founder of AURELIUS.

Helene started her career as a proprietary trader at Merrill Lynch and has spent the last 12 years as a placement agent, raising capital globally for private equity, private credit and real estate funds. She has a degree in Economics from Yale University.

Anavo Therapeutics, a global leader in unlocking the full therapeutic potential of phosphatase biology, announced the appointment of Shaun McNulty, DPhil, as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) and the appointment of Anna Quattropani, PhD, as Senior Vice President of Chemistry and Non-Clinical Development. Dr. McNulty will oversee the implementation of Anavo’s strategy from discovery into clinical development and, together with Dr. Quattropani and Anavo’s management team, the continued design of Anavo’s first- and best-in-class phosphatase-targeting allosteric modulators.

“We are fortunate to welcome Anna and Shaun to the Anavo team at this stage of our company’s growth,” said Birgit Zech, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Anavo Therapeutics. “Anna and Shaun’s industry knowledge and R&D experience will support Anavo’s progress in creating a proprietary portfolio of therapeutic programs and establishing a robust platform for phosphatase targeting across multiple indications.”

Shaun McNulty, DPhil, has more than 30 years of experience in the biopharma industry, with a focus on designing and developing therapeutics in oncology. He has served as Chief Scientific Officer at companies utilizing novel approaches in biology and chemistry, including Biosceptre, Inflection Biosciences and Awakn Life Sciences. He has led scientific R&D teams for companies such as Charles River, GSK, Pfizer and Syntaxin. Through his many roles, Dr. McNulty has supported the clinical development of Neurontin and Lyrica, obtained regulatory clearance for 5 drug candidates to enter the clinic, and identified and refined over 50 candidates for pre-clinical development. Dr. McNulty holds a DPhil in Biochemistry and Cell Biology and a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of York in the UK and performed post-doctoral research at the University of Cambridge on kinase-mediated neuronal cell signaling.

“Anna and Shaun’s industry knowledge and R&D experience will support Anavo’s progress in creating a proprietary portfolio of therapeutic programs and establishing a robust platform for phosphatase targeting across multiple indications.”

“Anavo’s IGNITE platform uniquely enables the rapid identification and development of therapeutics targeting phosphatases, initially thought to be undruggable targets,” said Dr. McNulty. “I am excited to join the Anavo team as we continue to accelerate our proprietary portfolio of programs targeting disease-relevant phosphatases toward clinical development and to build out our next-generation approach for phosphatase targeting.”

Anna Quattropani, PhD, joins Anavo with over 20 years of experience in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. She has a successful track record designing multiple clinical candidates and driving them from discovery through clinical development. Dr. Quattropani has been working in diverse therapeutic areas, including neurodegenerative, inflammatory, autoimmune, and cardiovascular diseases, as well as women’s health. She has held senior leadership roles at Asceneuron and Draupnir and R&D roles at Serono and Merck KGaA. Dr. Quattropani is the inventor of several clinical molecules such as the O-GlcNAcase inhibitors ASN90 and ASN51 for neurodegenerative diseases and the oxytocin receptor antagonist Nolasiban. She obtained her PhD and MS in organic synthesis and organometallic chemistry at University of Geneva, Switzerland followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Quattropani is the inventor of 49 patents and the author of 21 peer-reviewed publications.

“I am very proud to join Anavo’s outstanding team and help accelerate the discovery and development of phosphatase-targeting allosteric modulators to provide potential alternative therapeutic solutions for patients,” said Dr. Quattropani.

Anavo’s former CSO Gerhard Müller, PhD, joins the Scientific Advisory Board to continue contributing to the board’s drug discovery and development.