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TIMETOACT GROUP expands application performance monitoring and business service assurance with acquisition of OpenAdvice

Equistone

TIMETOACT GROUP, a leading provider of IT services for medium-sized businesses, large corporations and public institutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, has acquired OpenAdvice IT Services GmbH, a proven specialist in application performance monitoring and business service assurance. The acquisition supports TIMETOACT GROUP’s ongoing expansion of its portfolio of high-quality consultancy services and specialist-managed services offerings. The existing partnership between the two companies via the IBM partner program is now being consolidated and expanded under the umbrella of TIMETOACT GROUP. Jeanette and Markus Fürst will continue to lead the OpenAdvice business and will become shareholders in TIMETOACT GROUP, while Christian Port will retire from the business. Both parties agreed not to disclose the details of the transaction.

TIMETOACT GROUP, headquartered in Cologne, currently comprises ten specialised IT companies with 16 locations across Germany, Austria and Switzerland: ARS, catworkx, CLOUDPILOTS, edcom, IPG, novaCapta, PKS, synaigy, TIMETOACT and X-INTEGRATE. With around 900 employees and a comprehensive portfolio of software and consulting services, the digitisation expert primarily concentrates on medium-sized and large companies from industry, finance and the services sector, as well as public institutions.

OpenAdvice is a consultant and service provider for the successful development of customer-specific solutions in the IT service operations area and specialises in application performance monitoring and business service assurance. Established in 2000, it today supports customers throughout Germany and Europe from its headquarters in Heusenstamm near Frankfurt.

As a full-service provider, OpenAdvice provides consulting and integration, software sales, support & maintenance, training and individual software development. Training courses and workshops round off the company’s in-house service portfolio, covering monitoring, reporting, and training courses on the IBM Netcool Suite and the Grafana ecosystem.

The previous shareholder of OpenAdvice, Markus Fürst, and sales manager, Jeanette Fürst, will continue to lead OpenAdvice as a business unit within TIMETOACT GROUP. The agreement was quickly reached during the bilateral decision-making process, during which significant synergy and growth potential were identified, particularly with TIMETOACT’s Business Applications division. For TIMETOACT GROUP, the transaction marks its third acquisition since funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe acquired a majority stake in the company in June 2021 and represents another important step in the group’s growth.

“Joining TIMETOACT GROUP will make us part of a major brand, allowing us to leverage multiple synergies moving forward. The services jointly used across the group will support our growth as a business, particularly when it comes to recruitment. For our customers, the diversified positioning of the TIMETOACT GROUP also offers many advantages and a significantly expanded service offering”, notes Markus Fürst, Founder and Director of OpenAdvice.

“I am particularly delighted to be able to utilise synergies with the wider TIMETOACT GROUP and to also make the group’s portfolio available for OpenAdvice customers. I also see joint growth prospects with our existing partners, IBM and GrafanaLabs, in our main application performance monitoring business,”  adds Jeanette Fürst, sales manager of OpenAdvice.

“The acquisition of OpenAdvice is an important step in the expansion of our managed services portfolio. OpenAdvice’s customers will also benefit from the fact that the TIMETOACT GROUP – one of the largest IBM platinum business partners in the DACH region – will give them access to the entire IBM product offering, coupled with our top-class services. Moreover, the Fürst husband and wife team have allowed us to bring two highly motivated managers on board. We are thrilled to be able to develop the TIMETOACT GROUP together”, says Frank Fuchs, Co-Director of the TIMETOACT GROUP.

Felix Binsack, Co-Director of the TIMETOACT GROUP, adds: “We are delighted to add Jeanette and Markus Fürst, two successful and extremely likeable entrepreneurs, to the group of shareholders of the TIMETOACT GROUP.”

Frank Fuchs, Christian Koch and Felix Luxen are responsible for the transaction on the part of the TIMETOACT GROUP. TIMETOACT GROUP was advised during this transaction by BDLV (Financial & Tax), de Angelis Rechtsanwälte (Legal) and P+P Pöllath & Partners (Legal). The OpenAdvice shareholders were advised during the transaction by v. KEUSSLER Rechtsanwälte (Legal) and Steuerberatung Ostle (Financial & Tax).

PR Contacts

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / NETHERLANDS

Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam

  • IWK Communication Partner
  • Ira Wülfing / Florian Bergmann
  • Tel: +49 (0)89 2000 30 30
  • E-Mail IWK

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Swiss portfolio growth: Equistone acquires majority stake in SF-Filter AG, a leading distribution platform for mobile and industrial filters

Equistone

Funds advised by Equistone Partners Europe (“Equistone”) have acquired a majority stake in SF-Filter AG, a leading European independent distribution platform for mobile and industrial filters. The company, headquartered in Bachenbülach, near Zurich, has been sold by its existing financial investor Ambienta. The group’s management will hold a significant stake in the company through an MBO. The partnership with Equistone will focus on expanding the platform’s existing growth and developing a targeted buy-&-build strategy. The parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction.

Established in 1968, SF-Filter AG has grown to become one of Europe’s leading independent distribution platforms specialising in filtration. From its headquarters in the Swiss town of Bachenbülach, and with further subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, France and Poland, the filter specialist supplies B2B end-customers for industrial and mobile applications, including equipment manufacturers, resellers and national as well as international customers in more than 60 countries. With Europe’s most extensive product portfolio across all relevant filter categories – air, fuel, hydraulics, oil, pneumatics and fluids, as well as dust removal and air conditioning – the company acts as an important one-stop-shop for its diverse and loyal customer base.

SF-Filter provides leading filter products from original equipment suppliers (OES), as well as its own premium filter products, allowing contract manufacturers and OES to procure all their products directly from the company. Customers also benefit from a specialist sales team with extensive application and consulting expertise backed up by a growing e-commerce platform. Through its role as a value-added distributor, SF-Filter also acts as a key link between customers and OES, thereby delivering additional value beyond its traditional intermediary role.

This partnership will add further impetus to the success of SF-Filter AG. Together with the new majority shareholder Equistone, the primary focus will be on bolstering the company’s existing growth trajectory, including through a targeted buy-&-build strategy. Moreover, the growth of the domestic business will accelerate the company’s international expansion and help further develop the company’s e-commerce platform.

“We felt it was vital to find a reliable partner who not only offers the necessary financial capacity but can support us in our future growth by bringing years of experience in helping scale companies. We have found just such a partner in Equistone”, says SF-ilter CEO Daniel Infanger. “We want to make use of SF-Filter’s already outstanding market position and grow both in Switzerland and throughout Europe, including via targeted acquisitions. We know that we can count on Equistone’s support to help us achieve this ambition.”

“The acquisition of SF-Filter expands our portfolio by adding a player which enjoys an outstanding national and European position in the heavily fragmented consumer market for filtration. We are delighted to support SF-Filter’s future development and look forward to working closely with the management team on delivering an ambitious growth strategy”, explains Stefan Maser, Managing Director DACH/NL and Partner at Equistone. “Key factors here will be the establishment and realisation of a targeted buy-&-build strategy in order to strengthen SF-Filter’s growth across Europe”, adds David Zahnd, Director at Equistone.

Stefan Maser, David Zahnd and Roman Emanuel Hegglin led the transaction on behalf of Equistone. Equistone was advised during this transaction by Enqcor (M&A Advisory), Boston Consulting Group (Commercial), Alvarez & Marsal (Financial), Bär & Karrer (Legal & Tax), Latham & Watkins (Legal Germany), Howden (Insurance) and Houlihan Lokey (Debt Advisory).

PR Contacts

GERMANY / SWITZERLAND / NETHERLANDS

Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam

  • IWK Communication Partner
  • Ira Wülfing / Florian Bergmann
  • Tel: +49 (0)89 2000 30 30
  • E-Mail IWK

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Ardian increases its stake in Uptoo, to position it as the French leader in sales enablement

Ardian

Ardian, a world leading private investment house, has significantly reinvested in Uptoo, a leading player specializing in recruitment, consulting and training of salespeople. The objective of this reinvestment is to support Uptoo’s growth and diversification of its activities. As part of this transaction, Uptoo’s managers will remain majority shareholders of the company.

The company, founded in 2005, aims to become the leading partner for supporting sales enablement of companies in France. Since Ardian Growth’s initial investment in 2019, Uptoo has largely outperformed the market, with growth exceeding expectations, and showing resilience throughout the Covid-19 crisis. The company has increased its turnover fourfold since 2015, which is now expected to exceed €30M this year. The company has more than doubled its workforce, from 110 employees in 2019 to 250 today. Uptoo has also developed a fully integrated and highly digitalized consulting and training offer over the past three years.

Uptoo now has more than 7,000 clients, including SMBs, start-ups and large enterprises (public companies). Uptoo helps them strengthen their sales organization through the recruitment and training of sales staff and the modernization of sales methods and tools, therefore significantly and rapidly improving their market positions.

“We are very proud to have supported Uptoo in its development over the last three years and are delighted to continue our collaboration with the company’s high quality management team as we pursue further growth. The sales enablement market has a significant growth potential and Uptoo is one of the best positioned to benefit from it. The quality of its teams, strategy, process and digital tools offers Uptoo’s clients a more than ever needed competitive advantage, indistinctively of their sector or profile.” Frederic Quéru, Managing Director within the Ardian Growth Team

“With Ardian’s support, our ambition is to become the market leader in France. Uptoo’s strong performance to-date demonstrated the growth potential in the sales enablement market, which has not yet been fully digitalised. Companies can unlock this growth by recruiting the best talents to boost sales, training and developing the skills of its sales teams over time, establishing or rethinking sales methods and tools, all while using the potential of digital. This new fundraising will give us the resources to continue to develop and to capitalize on our unique digital platform, which allows a real time connection between our consultants, clients and the best sales and management talents.” Didier Perraudin, Founder and CEO, Uptoo

LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

  • Ardian Growth: Frédéric Quéru, Florian Dupont, Alexandra Da Silva

    • Corporate advisor: Dentons (Pascal Chadenet, Caroline Pucel)
    • Investor legal advisor: Orsan (David Sebban)
    • Banking legal advisor: Hogan Lovells (Sabine Bironneau)
    • Tax advisor: Mamou & Boccara (Laurent Mamou)
    • Financial advisor: Crowe HAF (Thomas Corbineau, Julien Latrubesse, Thyl Bourgeois)
    • Bank financing: LCL (Cécile Pénard, Romane Delaunay), Crédit Agricole IDF (Sandrine Piedelievre, Thomas Morais), Caisse d’Epargne IDF (Cédric Alin, Bouchra Chine, Antonin Boyé)

ABOUT UPTOO

Uptoo is the first platform for recruiting and training salespeople and sales managers throughout the country and in all sectors. The company intervenes with a strike force of consultants and digital tools to help companies secure and accelerate their recruitments. At the end of 2019, Uptoo began marketing its BtoB and BtoC training offer before developing its sales performance consulting offer the following year.
Good salespeople are rare and sales temperament is not something you can see on a resume. Uptoo has implemented modern assessment tools that reveal sales talents and lack of training. The Uptoo Digital platform allows to analyze in real time the commercial temperament of a candidate and recommend in real time a personalised training program thanks to a series of online tests and business consulting.
In a tense market where the war for growth is raging, Uptoo is deploying an important set of means to help their clients to make a difference in their market with recruitment and enablement projects providing high ROI.

Key figures :
• More than 2,500 recruitment missions/year
• Over 250 employees in Paris, Lyon, Nantes and Bordeaux
• More than 400,000 candidates are members of UptooJobs
• More than 7,000 customers

uptoo.fr

ABOUT ARDIAN

Ardian is a world leading private investment house, managing or advising $141bn of assets on behalf of more than 1,300 clients globally. Our broad expertise, spanning Private Equity, Real Assets and Credit, enables us to offer a wide range of investment opportunities and respond flexibly to our clients’ differing needs. Through Ardian Customized Solutions we create bespoke portfolios that allow institutional clients to specify the precise mix of assets they require and to gain access to funds managed by leading third-party sponsors. We also provide a specialist service for private clients through Ardian Private Wealth Solutions. Ardian is majority-owned by its employees and places great emphasis on developing its people and fostering a collaborative culture based on collective intelligence. Our 900+ employees, spread across 15 offices in Europe, the Americas and Asia, are strongly committed to the principles of Responsible Investment and are determined to make finance a force for good in society. Our goal is to deliver excellent investment performance combined with high ethical standards and social responsibility.
At Ardian we invest all of ourselves in building companies that last.

ardian.com

Media contacts

ARDIAN

HEADLAND

ardian@headlandconsultancy.com  

Categories: News

IK Partners invests in Remazing

IK Partners

IK Partners (“IK”) is pleased to announce that the IK Small Cap III Fund has acquired a significant minority stake in Remazing GmbH (“Remazing” or “the Company”), a leading marketing services and software provider focussing on the Amazon marketplace. IK is investing from its dedicated pool of Development Capital, acquiring its stake from the founders who are reinvesting alongside IK.

Remazing was founded in 2016 by Hannes Detjen and Emil Beck and was developed to serve the growing demand from consumer brands to market their products directly on Amazon. Today, the Company is the largest independent provider in the market, serving over 100 corporate clients globally and employing over 100 e-commerce experts who are based in its headquarters in Hamburg and across local hubs in Barcelona, London, Paris and Turin.

With Amazon broadening its market reach across product segments and geographies in recent years, Remazing developed a full-service offering around content creation, management and monitoring supported by Remdash, its own proprietary software. The Company supports a range of brands selling products across the Beauty & Health, Household & DIY, Sports and Baby segments, counting leading companies such as Henkel, Under Armour and Tonies among its clients.

IK has acquired a significant minority stake in Remazing with Hannes, Emil and Managing Director Filip Egert and Chief Technology Officer Timo Helken reinvesting alongside. With IK’s support, Remazing plans to grow through: strengthening partnerships with existing clients and acquiring new ones, increasing market penetration, developing its technology offering further and expanding into other marketplaces. Additionally, the Company aims to build its presence globally through the execution of a selective M&A strategy.

Hannes Detjen and Emil Beck, Co-Founders and Managing Directors of Remazing, commented: “We are excited to embark on a new stage of development with IK. For the last six years we have been on an incredible journey as we turned our ideas into reality and developed a compelling proposition which helps our clients increase their sales online. The time has now come to welcome external investment to help us turbocharge our own growth and cement our position globally.”

Ingmar Bär, Director at IK Partners and Advisor to the IK Small Cap III Fund, said: “Hannes and Emil have achieved a huge amount in building Remazing with their ambitious team and establishing it as one of Europe’s leading Amazon-focused, tech-enabled marketing services firms. With the ongoing growth of the Amazon ecosystem and growing professionalisation of marketing across online platforms, we see huge potential in partnering with the Remazing team to develop the Company into a leading global player.”

For further questions, please contact:

IK Partners
Vidya Verlkumar
Phone: +44 (0) 7787 558 193
vidya.verlkumar@ikpartners.com

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EQT Private Equity to acquire Billtrust

eqt

The EQT X fund (“EQT Private Equity”) has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire BTRS Holdings Inc. (“Billtrust” or “the Company”) (NASDAQ: BTRS), a B2B accounts receivable automation and integrated payments leader.

With this transaction, EQT X (target fund size of EUR 20.0 billion and hard cap of EUR 21.5 billion) is expected to be 10-15 percent invested (including closed and/or signed investments, announced public offers, if applicable, and less any expected syndication) based on its target fund size.

Read more here.

Contact
US media inquiries: Stephanie Greengarten, stephanie.greengarten@eqtpartners.com, +1 646-687-6810
International media inquiries: EQT Press Office, press@eqtpartners.com, +46 8 506 55 334

About EQT

EQT is a purpose-driven global investment organization with EUR 77 billion in assets under management as of 30 June 2022, across 36 active funds. EQT funds have portfolio companies in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas with total sales of approximately EUR 29 billion and more than 280,000 employees. EQT works with portfolio companies to achieve sustainable growth, operational excellence and market leadership.

More info: www.eqtgroup.com
Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram

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CVC Credit provides debt facilities to support Partners Group’s acquisition of Version 1

CVC Capital Partners

CVC Credit is pleased to announce that it has committed senior debt facilities to support the acquisition of Version 1, a leading digital transformation services provider in the UK and Ireland, by Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients.

Headquartered in Dublin, Version 1 works with private and public sector clients on complex digital transformation programmes and is a leader with a competitive edge coming from their technical expertise, data-drive commercial model and superior customer service capabilities. Version 1 has approximately 450 clients, including blue-chip companies and central government departments, and 2,100 employees across offices in Ireland, the UK, India, and Spain.

Quotes

I am delighted that we were able to secure our position as a partner for this opportunity, our third investment into Partners Group-backed companies.

Andrew Davies Partner and Co-Head of Private Credit

Moris Nachmias, Director at CVC Credit, commented: “Version 1 is a high quality business with a proven track record of above market organic growth, fuelled by its strong technical expertise and high quality management team. We are very pleased to be backing Partners Group’s vision for the future of this business, which we were able to swiftly verify through our prior institutional experience in the sector.”

Andrew Davies, Partner and Co-Head of Private Credit at CVC Credit added: “I am delighted that we were able to secure our position as a partner for this opportunity, our third investment into Partners Group-backed companies. Our aim is always to partner with top-quality sponsors, businesses and management teams, and this is certainly the case with Version 1.”

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Bluegem III partners with Petromax Group

Bleugem

Bluegem enters outdoor consumer market: Pan European private equity investor partners with Petromax Group

Consumer specialist private equity firm Bluegem today announces that the third Bluegem Fund has made a majority investment in the Petromax Group, an outdoor hobby and lifestyle Group comprised of two renowned heritage brands, Petromax and Feuerhand. Headquartered in Germany with international distribution channels the Petromax Group is recognised for a wide product assortment of high quality outdoor equipment.

The entrepreneurial couple Jonas and Dr. Pia Christin Taureck, the current Co-CEOs and shareholders of the company, will reinvest into the business and remain as Co-CEOs to lead its expansion in the coming years.

The Petromax Group was established in 2005 and has since then captured the unique opportunity of combining two traditional best in class complementary outdoor brands.

  • Petromax, founded in 1910, is the German brand for self-sufficient adventures in nature offering products for outdoor living, cooking, bushcraft and lighting solutions.

  • Feuerhand, founded in 1893, is a brand veteran of patio and garden culture with lighting, fire bowls and convivial outdoor products. Cornerstone of the product range are the iconic Hurricane Lanterns of the Baby Special 276 series.

The Petromax Group heritage brands have a differentiated and superior value proposition, producing German engineered durable products. Petromax and Feuerhand both benefit from a large and loyal community of brand lovers with a long history of engagement and repeat purchase behaviour. The group has strong in house R&D capabilities in new product development leveraging on a highly skilled team who continue to expand the product range.

Commenting on the transaction, Constantin Rojahn, Investment Director, at Bluegem said:

“We have been impressed by the tremendous success of Petromax in building a leading outdoor lifestyle offering and we are thrilled to leverage our consumer expertise to support the team as they further scale the business while providing equipment for adventurers globally to pursue their passions.”

Jonas and Dr. Pia Christin Taureck, Founders and Managing Director of Petromax Group said:

“With Bluegem we have found a strong and experienced partner to drive healthy growth for the long-term. Bluegem bring a top-performing network with international expertise in building premium brands. Together we look forward to expanding our leading market position further and building even stronger teams and brands.”

The Petromax Group is the fifth investment made by Bluegem’s third generation fund which held its final close in February of this year and is already invested in a diversified portfolio of resilient consumer subsectors which are underpinned by megatrend tailwinds. The transaction represents the first investment by the Fund into the outdoor hobbies subsector and brings further diversification to the Bluegem III portfolio, which is already invested in the following:

  • Nutrimuscle: a fast growing digital brand of clean sports nutrition products and wellbeing supplements

  • BeautyNova Group: a leading Italian professional haircare group

  • Beaba Group: two premium international brands (Beaba and Childhome) leading in the Baby Care sector

  • Ecooking: skin care products developed with a strong focus on ingredients and efficacy

About Bluegem Capital Partners

Bluegem is a specialist consumer-focused private equity firm that partners with management teams and founders to accelerate growth of strong consumer brands. With a track record of investing across Europe through different economic cycles, industry and market conditions, Bluegem have refined their investment strategy to focus on resilient consumer segments benefiting from secular megatrends, including Beauty and Personal Care; Household Care; Food and Beverage; Baby Care; Pet Care; Home Décor; and Hobby and Craft. More information about Bluegem can be found at www.bluegemcp.com.

About Petromax Group

The Petromax Group is one of the leading suppliers of high quality equipment supporting any kind of independent outdoor lifestyle. Headquartered in Magdeburg, Germany, the group is comprised of two renowned heritage brands, Petromax and Feuerhand. Petromax, founded in 1910, is the German brand for self-sufficient adventures in nature offering traditional yet cleverly designed products for outdoor living and cooking, bushcraft und lighting. The product range is characterised by the highest possible level of quality, durability and well-thought-out details. Feuerhand is a brand veteran of patio and garden culture. Cornerstone of the product range is the iconic Hurricane Lantern dating back to 1893. The timeless portfolio around light, fire and convivial pleasures outdoors has been further developed since the brand has become part of the Petromax Group in 2014.

The entrepreneurial couple Jonas and Dr. Pia Christin Taureck has established the values of tradition, innovation and quality as both goal and motivation for constantly developing the brands further. Since its foundation in 2005 the group has gained recognition as a leading player in the outdoor industry with strong R&D capabilities and international distribution channels.

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Aurora Capital Partners Completes Sale of National Technical Systems to Element Materials Technology Group

Aurora Capital

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Aurora Capital Partners (“Aurora”), a leading middle-market private equity firm, announced today the closing of the sale of National Technical Systems (“NTS” or the “Company”), the leading independent provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification solutions in North America, to Element Materials Technology Group (“Element”), a global provider of testing, inspection, and certification services.  Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Since 1961, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence in the United States, offering more than 70 distinct product qualification testing categories and related capabilities, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC, lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests.  With a geographically diverse footprint comprising 29 technologically advanced testing laboratories, NTS facilities are in close proximity to its more than 8,000 clients, allowing NTS to serve the nation’s most innovative companies with industry-leading accessibility and responsiveness.

“NTS’s durable long-term growth is testament to their industry reputation and unique market position, both of which were furthered by an active add-on acquisition program,” said Randy Moser, Partner at Aurora.  “By focusing on expanding the Company’s suite of services and geographic breadth while maintaining exceptional customer service, we were able to strengthen NTS’s leadership position and deliver an unparalleled value proposition to its customers.  Element represents an ideal strategic partner for the Company in its next phase of growth, and we look forward to watching its continued success.”

“We thank Aurora for their guidance, partnership, and strategic and financial support,” said Ray Milchovich, CEO of NTS.  “Working with Aurora, we have dramatically expanded the scope and geographic reach of our testing capabilities and have delivered high-quality certification services to a wide range of customers.  From day one, Aurora recognized the critical nature of our offerings, and worked tirelessly to support our growth and strengthen our processes.  We look forward to continuing our expansion through our partnership with Element to deliver our solutions to even more customers globally.”

Houlihan Lokey served as financial advisor and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and DLA Piper LLP served as legal advisors to NTS in the transaction.

About National Technical Systems
National Technical Systems, Inc. (NTS) is the leading provider of qualification testing, inspection, and certification services in North America, serving a broad range of industries, including the civil aviation, space, defense, nuclear, telecommunications, industrial, electronics, medical, and automotive end markets.  Since 1961, NTS has built the broadest geographic presence in the United States, offering more than 70 distinct product qualification testing categories and related capabilities, including climatic, structural, dynamics, fluid flow, EMI/EMC, lightning, product safety, acoustics, failure analysis, chemical, and other industry-specific tests.  For additional information about NTS, visit www.nts.com.

About Aurora Capital Partners
Aurora Capital Partners is a leading Los Angeles-based private equity firm with over $4.5 billion in assets under management.  Founded in 1991, the firm focuses principally on control investments in middle-market companies with leading market positions, stable industry dynamics, attractive business model characteristics and actionable opportunities for growth in partnership with management. Aurora provides unique resources to its portfolio companies through its Strategy & Operations Program and its team of experienced operating advisors. Aurora’s investors include leading public and corporate pension funds, endowments and foundations active in private equity investing. For more information about Aurora Capital Partners, visit: www.auroracap.com.

Media Contacts:
Aurora Capital Partners
ASC Advisors
Steve Bruce / Taylor Ingraham
+1 (203) 992-1230
sbruce@ascadvisors.com / tingraham@ascadvisors.com

SOURCE Aurora Capital Partners

Categories: News

Advent International to appoint Amanda McGrady Morrison as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer

Advent International

BOSTON, September 22, 2022 – Advent International (“Advent”), one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, today announced the appointment of Amanda McGrady Morrison as Managing Director. Ms. Morrison will assume the roles of General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, effective at year end. She will succeed James Westra, who has served as Managing Partner and Chief Legal Officer for Advent since 2011 and will retire at the conclusion of 2022.

Ms. Morrison joins from Ropes & Gray LLP (“Ropes & Gray”), where she most recently served as Head of the Global Private Equity Transactions Group. With more than two decades of experience, she is recognized as one of the industry’s premier private equity, corporate and M&A lawyers, advising leading private equity firms and corporate clients on complex transactions across diverse sectors. She has also advised private equity firms and their portfolio companies on a variety of corporate and strategic matters. Ms. Morrison’s leadership included serving as Co-Chair of Ropes & Gray’s Women’s Forum and as a member of the firm’s Diversity Committee.

“Amanda is a talented lawyer and leader who has been a trusted advisor to our firm for many years,” said David Mussafer, Chairman and Managing Partner at Advent. “Her guidance, expertise and experience will be invaluable to Advent’s continued growth and innovation. We are delighted to welcome her to Advent and have her build seamlessly on Jim’s tremendous legacy.”

“I’m thrilled to join Advent and support its mission of building great businesses,” said Ms. Morrison. “From my work alongside Jim and the Advent leadership team, I have seen firsthand how they lead with vision, passion and collegiality in all they do. I look forward to contributing to the firm’s continued success.”

Mussafer continued: “Jim’s positive contributions to Advent over the last 11 years are too many to list. He has been an important force in Advent’s success and is well recognized within the firm and out for his partnership, leadership and mentorship. His influence has been felt at the firm far beyond his legal counsel and we are grateful that he will work closely with Amanda in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition.”

Ms. Morrison has received numerous accolades for her work, including recognitions by Chambers USA, The Deal and American Lawyer. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Wake Forest University.

ABOUT ADVENT INTERNATIONAL

Founded in 1984, Advent International is one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors. The firm has invested in over 395 private equity investments across 41 countries, and as of March 31, 2022, had $75.9 billion in assets under management. With 15 offices in 12 countries, Advent has established a globally integrated team of 270 private equity investment professionals across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia. The firm focuses on investments in five core sectors, including business and financial services; health care; industrial; retail, consumer and leisure; and technology. For over 35 years, Advent has been dedicated to international investing and remains committed to partnering with management teams to deliver sustained revenue and earnings growth for its portfolio companies.

For more information, visit
Website: www.adventinternational.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/advent-international

 

Media contacts

US
Kerry Golds or Sophia Templin
FGS Global
Tel: +1 646 805 2000
Adventinternational-US@fgsglobal.com

UK
Graeme Wilson or Harry Cameron
Tulchan Group
Tel: +44 20 7353 4200
Advent@tulchangroup.com

Categories: People

Alexander Thams joins KKR’s European Real Estate team as Head of Nordics

KKR

Appointment strengthens KKR’s growing presence in the Nordics region 

Stockholm, 22 September 2022: KKR, a leading global investment firm, has appointed Alexander Thams as Head of Nordics within KKR’s European Real Estate team, effective immediately. Based in KKR’s Stockholm office, Thams will drive all KKR’s real estate investing activities in the Nordics, while also building out the team within the region.

Thams joins KKR from Pictet Alternative Advisors where he was Head of Nordics, Real Estate, responsible for all real estate investments in the region. Thams has previous experience from working at Alma Property Partners and Niam. He studied Law and Finance at Stockholm University as a double degree, and also holds a Masters in Public Policy and Finance from Northwestern University.

Commenting on his appointment, Guillaume Cassou, Partner and Head of European Real Estate at KKR, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Alex to KKR at an exciting time for our European Real Estate business. The Nordics is a priority growth market for our team, and Alex brings highly relevant expertise and an extensive network that will help build on the strong existing momentum we have across Europe.”

Seb d’Avanzo, Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Acquisitions, Europe, at KKR, added: “Alex is an excellent addition to our European team. His investment experience across the region and asset classes will prove extremely valuable as we accelerate our regional investment strategy and continue to build out the team.”

Alexander Thams, Director and Head of Real Estate Nordics, said: “I’m excited to join such a well-renowned investment firm and to join a team that continues to grow across the region. We are seeing a lot of opportunity in the Nordics, where the economies are stable and showing resilience amid the changing macro environment. I look forward to combining on-the-ground expertise with KKR’s global platform and network to provide a strong foundation for sustainable investments in the region.”

KKR operates a number of real estate strategies in Europe, with the ability to invest across the risk spectrum from Core+ to value-add, including from the firm’s US$2.2 billion fund, KKR Real Estate Partners Europe II, dedicated to value-add and opportunistic real estate investments in Western Europe, which closed in June 2021. The firm has a long history of investing in the Nordics across the different KKR businesses, and an ambition to continue growing the firm’s presence in the region.

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About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life, and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

Media Enquiries

FGS Global

Alastair Elwen / Sophia Johnston
Telephone: +44 20 7251 3801
Email: KKR-Lon@FGSGlobal.com

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