Blackstone Announces Two New Senior Leadership Hires in BAAM Business

Blackstone
  • BAAM to manage assets of CAM Capital

New York, December 9, 2021 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that David Ben-Ur and Atish Nigam have joined the firm in senior leadership roles in the Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (“BAAM”) business. David will be the Chief Investment Officer of BAAM’s hedge fund solutions business (“BPS”) and Atish will serve as the Chief Investment Officer of BAAM’s special situations investing business (“BSOF”).

In conjunction with Mr. Ben-Ur’s hire, Blackstone also announced BAAM agreed on preliminary terms to manage the assets of CAM Capital, Bruce Kovner’s family office.

Jon Gray, Blackstone President & COO, said: “These announcements demonstrate the tremendous momentum we have in BAAM. David and Atish are exceptional investors with great track records of managing money and delivering strong, risk-adjusted returns through market cycles. It is also an incredible honor to have the opportunity to manage the assets of CAM Capital, as Bruce is a pioneer in the hedge fund industry.”

Joe Dowling, Blackstone Global Head of BAAM, said: “David and Atish will be key leaders in BAAM and are excellent additions to the team. Their experience and networks will help us make better investments and support more managers across asset classes and investing styles. This is very positive news for Blackstone and our investors.”

David Ben-Ur, Chief Investment Officer of the BPS platform, said: “With the firm’s unique scale and expertise, I look forward to working with the team to continue to drive BAAM’s leadership in the hedge fund solutions market. BPS is the core business within BAAM and exemplifies how hedge fund managers can deliver attractive returns and the important role these strategies play in a balanced investment portfolio.”

Atish Nigam, Chief Investment Officer of BSOF, said: “I am excited to join the team and help drive new investment ideas to deliver strong absolute returns for BSOF and its investors. I look forward to working with and learning from Joe and the many other talented members of the BAAM team.”

BPS was launched in 1990 and today is the largest discretionary allocator to hedge funds in the world managing approximately $60 billion of assets (out of BAAM’s $81 billion total). BPS includes both a commingled fund business and a customized solutions business.

The BSOF platform was launched in 2011 and has over $13 billion of assets, including customized, commingled and co-investment solutions.

Mr. Ben-Ur joins from CAM Capital, where he served as Chief Investment Officer, and managed assets exclusively for entities related to Mr. Bruce Kovner and its senior employees.  He also served as Chief Investment Officer of The Kovner Foundation, which manages the personal philanthropy of the Kovner family.  Prior to joining CAM Capital, he was a Partner and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Corbin Capital Partners. He has previously worked at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Fidelity Management & Research Company.  Mr. Ben-Ur received an MPP in International Trade and Finance from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and BA from Tufts University where he graduated magna cum laude.

Mr. Nigam joins from Appaloosa Management, an investment firm run by Mr. David Tepper, where he was a senior analyst and investor for nearly a decade. At Appaloosa, he focused on combining a top-down world-view with bottom-up, independent, fundamental analysis to identify long-term investment theses across asset classes and capital structures. Mr. Nigam has previous experience at SAC Capital, FTV Capital and McKinsey & Company. He received an MBA from Harvard University, undergraduate and masters degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and is a CFA Charterholder.

Mr. Ben-Ur and Mr. Nigam will start at the firm at the beginning of 2022.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $731 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Media Contact
Paula Chirhart
+1-347-463-5453
paula.chirhart@blackstone.com

Categories: People

Kinnevik Extends Management Team With Chief Strategy Officer Samuel Sjöström

Kinnevik AB (publ) (“Kinnevik”) today announced that Samuel Sjöström has been appointed Chief Strategy Officer and member of Kinnevik’s management team.

Samuel Sjöström joined Kinnevik in 2013 and has worked across all of Kinnevik’s functions and teams, most recently as Head of Strategy. In his role as Chief Strategy Officer, he will work closely to Kinnevik’s CEO on the development, monitoring and implementation of Kinnevik’s corporate strategy as it builds on its position as Europe’s leading listed growth investor.

Georgi Ganev, Kinnevik’s CEO, commented: “Samuel has been instrumental to Kinnevik’s transformation over the last years, and has a unique set of insights into our strategies, day-to-day business, values and culture. I look forward to working even closer with him as we continue to build for the future and deliver on our promises to our stakeholders.”

For further information, visit www.kinnevik.com or contact:

Torun Litzén, Director Investor Relations
Phone +46 (0)70 762 00 50
Email press@kinnevik.com

Kinnevik’s ambition is to be Europe’s leading listed growth investor, and we back the best digital companies for a reimagined everyday and to deliver significant returns. We understand complex and fast-changing consumer behaviours, and have a strong and expanding portfolio in healthtech, consumer services, foodtech and fintech. As a long-term investor, we strongly believe that investing in sustainable business models and diverse teams will bring the greatest returns for shareholders. We back our companies at every stage of their journey and invest in Europe, with a focus on the Nordics, and in the US. Kinnevik was founded in 1936 by the Stenbeck, Klingspor and von Horn families. Kinnevik’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s list for large cap companies under the ticker codes KINV A and KINV B.

Categories: People

Peter Wolpert appointed new CEO of Industrifonden

Industriefonden

Industrifonden is proud to announce that Peter Wolpert has been appointed its new CEO. Peter has extensive experience developing and taking life science and tech companies to market. He will take up the helm at Industrifonden in March 2022. He succeeds David Sonnek, who joins Navigare Ventures.

Peter Wolpert has over 20 years of experience in company development as CEO, strategy consultant and board member. He founded the pharmaceutical company Moberg Pharma AB (publ) in 2006, which reached close to half a billion SEK in revenue worldwide before its commercial portfolio was divested in 2019. Peter’s portfolio of successful ventures includes companies that have been publicly listed, entered partnerships or been acquired by leading investors and industrial players in the US, Europe and Asia. Peter has been based in the US for the past few years, and is currently chairman of the board of Moberg Pharma AB (publ) and advisor to A3P Biomedical AB and OncoZenge AB (publ). He has been advisor to a number of smaller companies, including Appeal Software Solutions which was sold to BEA (today Oracle) in 2002, and previously worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey & Co. Peter has an MSc in Engineering Physics from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) and an MSc in Economics from the Stockholm School of Economics.

“We are very pleased to have recruited Peter Wolpert as the new CEO of Industrifonden. Peter’s experience of taking companies from innovation to commercialization, and his passion for research and technology development will be a great asset to the fund. Peter is also a strong leader and team builder with extensive experience in both corporate financing and commercial negotiations. Together with Industrifonden’s experienced analyst and investment team, Peter will continue our strategic journey to make Sweden smarter by investing early in growth companies where Industrifonden can make a difference”, says Industrifonden chairman Birgitta Stymne Göransson.

“Industrifonden has an important role to play by investing in the best innovative ventures and supporting them to mature into successful global businesses. Building a successful company from a pioneering innovation requires deep technology insight, willingness to take risk and perseverance. I am excited to work together with the team at Industrifonden, talented entrepreneurs and investment partners to make Sweden stronger”, says incoming CEO Peter Wolpert.

Industrifonden is an independent foundation with 6 billion SEK under management that invests in early- and growth-stage companies in deep tech, life science and transformative tech. Initial investments are typically 10–50 million SEK, with the capacity to reinvest further during the holding period. Industrifonden’s 40 years of experience in scaling and growth includes investments such as Funnel, EnginZyme, Asgard Therapeutics, Arcam, Oatly and CellaVision. Industrifonden is constantly looking for the most transformative venture opportunities in Sweden; those with a potential to provide meaningful improvements to our lives, industries, and to the society.

The board has appointed Per Anell, Senior Investment Director at Industrifonden, as acting CEO until Peter Wolpert takes office in March 2022.

If you’re curious to learn more, see this interview with Peter Wolpert in DI Digital today.

Categories: People

KKR Announces New Partners and Managing Directors

KKR

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)– KKR today announced a newly promoted group of 18 Partners and 42 Managing Directors, effective January 1, 2022.

“Congratulations to our senior leaders for not only reaching new career milestones at KKR but for all they have done to get to there. Their many contributions as well as their commitment to KKR’s culture and values have played a significant role not only in shaping our firm and inspiring our colleagues, but also in helping meet KKR’s mission of supporting our clients and the companies in which we invest. Today, we recognize and thank these individuals, and wish them continued success,” said Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, Co-Chief Executive Officers of KKR.

The following individuals have been promoted to Partner at KKR:

  • Brandon Brahm – Private Equity Americas, New York
  • Doug Brody – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Cathy Cai – Capstone, Beijing
  • Brian Dillard – Credit & Markets, Hong Kong
  • Nancy Ford – Private Equity Americas, Menlo Park
  • Felix Gernburd – Private Equity Americas, Menlo Park
  • Jake Heller – Next Generation Technology, New York
  • Craig Lee – Insurance & Strategic Finance, New York
  • Ted Oberwager – Private Equity Americas, New York
  • Sandra Ozola – Human Capital, New York
  • James Rudy – Global Macro & Asset Allocation, Balance Sheet and Risk, New York
  • Hardik Shah – Infrastructure, Mumbai
  • Steve Shanley – Next Generation Technology, London
  • Alberto Signori – Infrastructure, London
  • Chris Sun – Private Equity Asia Pacific, Beijing
  • Waldemar Szlezak – Infrastructure, New York
  • Joel Traut – Real Estate Credit, New York
  • Nick Zeitlin – Capstone, Menlo Park

The following individuals have been promoted to Managing Director at KKR:

  • Racim Allouani – Global Macro & Asset Allocation, Balance Sheet and Risk, New York
  • Ian Anderson – Credit & Markets, London
  • Jan Baumgart – Real Estate Equity, Frankfurt
  • Yacine Boumahrat – Client and Partner Group, Paris
  • Bradley Brown – Private Equity Americas, Menlo Park
  • Steve Codispoti – Finance, Tax and Accounting, New York
  • Benjamin Conner – Energy Real Assets, Houston
  • Aidan Corcoran – Global Macro & Asset Allocation, Balance Sheet and Risk, Dublin
  • Hunter Craig – Private Equity Americas, Menlo Park
  • Kate de Mul – Global Markets Operations, New York
  • Brandon Donnenfeld – Client and Partner Group, New York
  • Mark Ennis – Credit & Markets, London
  • Paul Fine – Real Estate Credit, New York
  • Federica Gironi – Credit & Markets, London
  • James Gordon – Infrastructure, London
  • Lauren Hahn – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Beth Hammond – Client and Partner Group, New York
  • Greg Hickey – Global Markets Operations, Dublin
  • Paul Horwood – Finance, Tax and Accounting, London
  • Hadi Husain – Global Macro & Asset Allocation, Balance Sheet and Risk, New York
  • David Katz – Public Policy and Affairs, Singapore
  • Jason Kelley – Real Estate Credit, New York
  • Brandi Kendall – Energy Real Assets, Houston
  • Keith Kim – Infrastructure, Seoul
  • David Kirby – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Scott Lazarz – Technology, Engineering and Data, New York
  • Joshua Lederman – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Jenn Lee – Credit & Markets, San Francisco
  • Rony Ma – Credit & Markets, New York
  • James Marsh – Client and Partner Group, London
  • Kyle Matter – Global Impact, New York
  • Hilary McNamara – Human Capital, New York
  • Johnny Mullins – Credit & Markets, Dublin
  • Ryan Murphy – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Thomas Murphy – Finance, Tax and Accounting, San Francisco
  • Matthew Ross – Credit & Markets, New York
  • Oleg Shamovsky – Infrastructure, London
  • Mike Shea – Finance, Tax and Accounting, New York
  • Peter Sundheim – Real Estate Equity, New York
  • Ananya Tripathi – Capstone, Mumbai
  • Paul Wasserman – Real Estate Equity, Houston
  • Michael Whyte – Real Estate Equity, New York

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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
Cara Major
212-750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR & Co. Inc.

Categories: People

Ajay Banga joins General Atlantic as Vice Chairman

General Atlantic

General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, announced today that Ajay Banga has joined the firm as Vice Chairman. In this role, Mr. Banga will advise on strategic matters for the firm, its investment teams and its portfolio of more than 165 growth companies around the world.

Mr. Banga is a global leader in technology, data and financial services, with a long track record of developing commercially sustainable social impact and innovating for inclusion. Over the course of his career, he has developed and executed major international growth strategies and has served as an advisor to governments, companies and organizations of all kinds, and has advocated for partnerships and systems that deliver on profit, as well as purpose.

He joins General Atlantic after 12 years at Mastercard, including more than a decade as President and CEO, and most recently as Executive Chairman. During his tenure at Mastercard, he drove its transformation, repositioning it from a payments network solely focused on serving banks to a technology and data services company focused on connecting people, governments and businesses of all kinds to the digital economy. He expanded the business into new markets globally, acquiring and integrating new companies and products, more than tripling its revenue and overseeing an increase of 16X in its market cap.

Bill Ford, Chairman and CEO of General Atlantic, commented, “We could not be more thrilled to have Ajay joining our firm at this very exciting moment for global growth investing. I have long respected Ajay’s global perspective, his focus on the long term and his leadership as a champion for innovation. Our portfolio companies and our entire firm will benefit tremendously from Ajay’s diverse experience and insights.”

Mr. Banga commented, “Today’s entrepreneurs are currently building some of the most exciting solutions and companies in the financial, technology, healthcare and consumer sectors, and embedding in them new approaches to tackling some of the biggest societal and environmental issues of our time. I look forward to helping them scale and deliver impact as a member of the General Atlantic team, itself a true partner to high-growth businesses.”

Mr. Banga will continue to serve as a member of the Advisory Board for BeyondNetZero, General Atlantic’s climate venture that invests in high-growth companies developing innovative climate solutions.

Mr. Banga also currently serves as Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce. He is also an independent director at Singaporean investment firm Temasek and the Exor holding company, where he serves as Chair of the company’s environmental, social and corporate governance committee. He is the former Chairman of the U.S.-India Business Council, having represented more than 300 of the largest international companies investing in India during his time with the organization. Mr. Banga is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute, a founding trustee of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum, a former member of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and Chairman Emeritus of the American India Foundation. He served as a member of President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and the U.S. President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

Over the past decade, Mr. Banga’s service has been recognized with India’s Padma Shri Award, the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the Business Council for International Understanding’s Global Leadership Award and the Foreign Policy Association Medal.

Prior to Mastercard, Mr. Banga served as CEO of Citigroup Asia Pacific, where he led in a variety of senior management roles in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa over the course of his nearly 13-year tenure with the bank. Mr. Banga began his career at Nestlé India.

Mr. Banga will assume his responsibilities with General Atlantic on January 1, 2022.

About General Atlantic

General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm with more than four decades of experience providing capital and strategic support for over 445 growth companies throughout its history. Established in 1980 to partner with visionary entrepreneurs and deliver lasting impact, the firm combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to scale innovative businesses around the world. General Atlantic currently has over $78 billion in assets under management inclusive of all products as of June 30, 2021, and more than 215 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Hong Kong, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore and Stamford.

For more information on General Atlantic, please visit the website: www.generalatlantic.com.

Media Contacts

Mary Armstrong & Casey Gunkel
General Atlantic media@generalatlantic.com

Categories: People

Mukul Chawla Joins KKR as Head of Growth Equity in Asia Pacific

KKR

Lucian Schönefelder concurrently appointed KKR Advisor to support Asia next generation technology strategy

HONG KONG–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Global investment firm KKR today announced the appointment of Mukul Chawla as Partner and Head of Growth Equity in Asia Pacific. In the newly created role, he will lead and accelerate KKR’s regional investment strategy into emerging, high-growth companies in sectors such as technology, health care, fintech, consumer, and other growth categories. Mr. Chawla’s appointment is effective as of December 9, 2021, and he will be based in Asia while also spending considerable time in KKR’s global offices, including Menlo Park.

Mr. Chawla joins KKR from Temasek, where he was Managing Director, Joint Head of Global Telecom, Media & Technology, Joint-Head of North America, and a member of their investment and management committees. After joining Temasek in 2010, he helped to build their Telecom, Media & Technology and North America franchises based in New York and San Francisco. Mr. Chawla sponsored 39 technology buyout and growth investments including Airbnb, Xiaomi, Doordash, Roblox, Virtu Financial, Dell Technologies, Ancestry and Waymo, and served on 11 boards including GHX, Creative Artists Agency, WebMD, Internet Brands, Fanatics, Blujay (now E2Open) and Intapp. Earlier in his career, he worked at Warburg Pincus in New York, Cisco Systems in Silicon Valley and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in Washington DC. Mr. Chawla holds an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, and a bachelor’s degree from the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Pilani.

Ming Lu, Partner and Head of KKR Asia, said, “We are seeing more homegrown innovation and startups originating in Asia than ever before, and the ideas that these companies and entrepreneurs introduce to our global economy have the potential to transform our daily lives and entire industries. Because of this, Asian growth equity is becoming an increasingly important part of the region’s broader investment landscape. As we continue to pursue these attractive investment opportunities, we are excited to welcome an experienced global growth equity investor of Mukul’s caliber to the KKR team. We want to leverage his leadership experience, proven track record, and deep relationships across the region and globally to provide a truly differentiated approach to emerging Asian businesses and help them to achieve their growth aspirations at this exciting time.”

Concurrent with Mr. Chawla’s appointment, KKR announced that Lucian Schönefelder, Partner and Head of Technology investing at KKR Asia, is transitioning to the role of KKR Advisor. Mr. Schönefelder has been at KKR since 2007, and prior to his move to Asia, he was a Partner in KKR’s London office focused on both growth equity and private equity technology investments across Europe and Israel. As a KKR Advisor, Mr. Schönefelder will support KKR’s Asia Pacific next generation technology investment strategy and will advise KKR’s portfolio companies.

“We are grateful to Lucian for his role in building and advancing KKR’s private equity technology and next generation technology strategies in both Asia and Europe,” said Mr. Lu. “He has been a valued member of our team, and we are pleased that Lucian will remain within the KKR family as a KKR Advisor. His insights on next generation technology trends will continue to be a great resource to our team and as KKR accelerates its growth equity technology strategy across the region.”

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management and 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 The 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:

KKR Asia Pacific
Anita Davis
+852 3602 7335
Anita.Davis@kkr.com

Wei Jun Ong
+65 6922 5813
WeiJun.Ong@kkr.com

KKR Americas
Cara Major or Miles Radcliffe-Trenner
+1 (212) 750-8300
media@kkr.com

Source: KKR

 

Categories: People

Blue Horizon appoints Manu Gupta to Board of Directors

Blue Horizon

Zurich, 1 December 2021 – Blue Horizon, a pure-play impact investor accelerating the transition to a new Sustainable Food System, welcomes Manu Gupta, a leader in US and European venture capital, to its Board of Directors.

The appointment of Manu Gupta to the Board of Directors further bolsters the leadership of Blue Horizon with additional strategic counsel from a leader in venture capital investment with a track record identifying early-stage opportunities primed for growth.

Manu joins a Board that has overseen the rapid expansion of Blue Horizon in the last 6 years since founding, on a mission to accelerate the global transition to a new sustainable food system while delivering outstanding returns for investors and the planet.

The news follows significant business developments of the asset manager which recently appointed a General Counsel, a new Partner as well as two Directors to the investment team. The investment team of 9 now consists of 67% women with 28 Blue Horizon employees worldwide. Manu brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Board of Directors at an inflection point of new investment opportunities in sustainable food and agriculture innovation, which Blue Horizon aims to capture amid increasing interest from institutional investors and multibillion-dollar funds in a sustainable future of food.

Manu has been investing in tech for more than 12 years across the US, Europe, and Asia. Today he is best known as founder of Blue Lion, a venture capital firm that invests in multi-stage technology companies. Manu is also a founding member and ex-Partner of Lakestar, one of Europe’s largest tech venture funds. His investments and board memberships include Opendoor (IPO), SoFI (IPO), Robinhood (IPO), Maker Studios (M&A), Pipe, Forward Health, Figure Tech, Taulia, Aetion Health, Builder.ai, Even Health, Vested Finance, Casafari, Omio, to name a few.

Manu was previously an Executive Director and Head of European Internet coverage at Goldman Sachs, working across both the London and San Francisco offices. He started his career as a Product Manager at Oracle and software coder at Sun Microsystems. Manu graduated with honors in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (EECS) from UC Berkeley and has an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has lived in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Zurich and London.

Bjoern Witte, Managing Partner & CEO of Blue Horizon, said: We are very excited to announce that Manu has joined the Board of Directors as we continue to grow Blue Horizon’s deep bench of talent, drawing expertise from across disciplines that include venture capital, technology, and scientific research to cement our position as the leader in the transition to a new Sustainable Food SystemAs a well-renowned venture capitalist, Manu brings an invaluable perspective grounded in more than a decade of personal experience investing in early stage start-ups that have gone on to become global technology leaders which gives us another unique advantage to create value for investors and a sustainable future of food.

Manu Gupta, Member of the Board of Directors at Blue Horizon, said:“Blue Horizon invests at the forefront of an industry that will change the way all of us think about food. I am delighted to join such a high calibre board and actively help shape the bright future of this young company. Blue Horizon offers the possibility to participate in a market opportunity that offers outstanding returns for investors and the planet and I am very much looking forward to being an active part of this ecosystem.”

To date, Blue Horizon has raised funds of over $850 million and invested in 50+ companies with a focus on protein alternatives and food tech. Some of the firm’s most recent investments include Planted, an alternative protein start-up, Mosa Meat, which is developing tissue engineering technologies to mass produce affordable, cultured meat and dairy formulation and AgBiome, the leader in developing innovative products from the Earth’s microbial communities.

Media Release Blue Horizon appoints Manu Gupta to Board of Directors (PDF)

Categories: People

Jesse Väisänen appointed Investment Analyst for Tesi’s Growth and Industrial Investments team

Tesi

Jesse Väisänen

Jesse Väisänen has been appointed investment analyst for Tesi’s Growth and Industrial Investments team as of December 1st, 2021. Jesse is currently working as an investment analyst trainee at Tesi. Jesse holds an M.Sc. in Economics and Business Administration from Aalto University School of Business and he has majored in finance.

Congratulations, Jesse!

Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) is a state-owned investment company that wants to raise Finland to the front ranks of transformative economic growth by investing in funds and directly in companies. We invest profitably and responsibly, hand-in-hand with co-investors, to create the world’s new success stories. Our investments under management total 2.1 billion euros. www.tesi.fi | @TesiFII

Categories: People

Cooper Consumer Health announces the appointment of Bart Meermans as CEO and the acquisition of Lashilé Beauty

CVC Capital Partners

The acquisition of Cooper Consumer Health by CVC Capital Partners Fund VII is completed

Cooper Consumer Health (“Cooper”) a leading European independent over-the-counter drug manufacturer and distributor, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bart Meermans as its new Chief Executive Officer and the agreement to acquire French consumer health food supplement business, Lashilé Beauty.

Bart Meermans has a wealth of industry experience having spent the last ten years at Reckitt Benckiser in a number of roles, most recently as Senior Vice President responsible for leading the company’s health businesses in Africa, Middle East, Turkey and Pakistan. Under his leadership the regions completed a significant digital transformation, which tripled online sales. Prior to this, Bart spent fifteen years in managerial roles at Omega Pharma and Procter & Gamble. Bart will succeed Bauke Rouwers, who will step down from his current CEO role, effective immediately.

Cooper has also agreed to acquire French nutraceutical company Lashilé Beauty, the market-leader in the fast-growing gummy dietary supplement category in France. The business fits well the bolt-on strategy of Cooper, with a complementary product portfolio with attractive underlying growth, a scalable business model that can be rolled-out internationally, and strong online and digital marketing know-how.

Yvan Vindevogel, Chairman of Cooper, added: “We are thrilled to be bringing Bart on board. His wealth of experience in the sector will be central to helping us accelerate Cooper’s ambitious growth plans. I also want to thank Bauke for his dedication in building the company during an extraordinary period over the last two years. We are tremendously excited about the future and in particular about our new partnership with Lashilé Beauty, a partnership which will be highly complementary to both businesses, helping us provide our customers with more ways to look after their health and wellbeing.”

Bart Meermans, incoming CEO of Cooper, said: “I am delighted to join the Cooper team and I look forward to working with my new colleagues as we embark on the journey of becoming a leading European Healthcare company. I believe that providing self-care, by empowering people to take better care of their health, is meaningful and inspirational, and equally unlocking a significant runway for growth.”

On the acquisition of Cooper, CVC partnered with Vemedia founder Yvan Vindevogel, specialised healthcare fund Avista Capital Partners, the management team, and Charterhouse which made a significant reinvestment in the company. The Lashilé Beauty founders will also become shareholders in Cooper. The entry into exclusive negotiations was initially announced earlier this year and the new shareholders are excited to support the company’s organic and acquisitive growth plans.

Categories: News People

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Gilde Healthcare portfolio company Noema Pharma expands its Board of Directors with the appointments of Catherine Mou…

GIlde Healthcare
November 9, 2021
Utrecht, The Netherlands & Basel, Switzerland
Utrecht, The Netherlands & Basel, Switzerland, November 9, 2021 – Noema Pharma, a Swiss-based clinical stage company targeting orphan central nervous system (CNS) diseases, today announces the appointment of Catherine Moukheibir and Ilise Lombardo as independent members of the company’s Board of Directors. Ms. Moukheibir has extensive experience in finance, capital markets and life sciences, having held a number of senior executive and board-level positions in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors. Dr Lombardo, MD is currently Chief Medical Officer at Kriya Therapeutics and has previously led clinical development and medical affairs programs with a focus on diseases of the nervous system. 

“I am very pleased to welcome Catherine and Ilise to the board of Noema Pharma. They are joining us at a pivotal time, while we are making significant progress in our clinical, structural and financial development,” said Luigi Costa, Chief Executive Officer of Noema Pharma. “Catherine and Ilise are highly respected executives in innovative life sciences companies with exceptional track records. Their considerable experience and knowledge will make them invaluable members of our board. We look forward to their advice, which will strengthen our Company’s leadership and support its mission to positively impact the lives of patients, as well as continuing to create shareholder value.”

The two new appointments further expand the Company’s board and follow the recent appointment of Jeffrey Jonas MD as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. Ms. Moukheibir and Dr. Lombardo join current board members Darren Carroll from Polaris Partners, Antoine Papiernik from Sofinnova Partners and Arthur Franken from Gilde Healthcare.

“I am thrilled to be part of Noema’s effort to develop groundbreaking therapies for the most debilitating symptoms in orphan conditions of the brain and central nervous system,” said Catherine Moukheibir, Board Member of Noema Pharma. “Last year’s successful Series A funding round has put the company in a strong financial position to advance its clinical mission and the company’s development to the next stage.”

“I am delighted to be joining Noema Pharma’s board and I’m looking forward to working with Noema’s dedicated and talented executive team,” said Ilise Lombardo MD, Board Member of Noema Pharma. “It is an exciting time for the Company, as it has recently initiated its first clinical trial in patients with Tourette syndrome and is planning to start two additional trials in the near future. These product candidates have the potential to offer new solutions for patients with debilitating conditions and I am thrilled to share my input into the various development efforts.”

About Catherine Moukheibir
Catherine Moukheibir currently serves on the Board of Directors at DNA Script, Asceneuron, Biotalys, CMR Surgical, Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Orphazyme. She has previously held board memberships at Kymab, GenKyoTex, Cerenis, Zealand, Ablynx and Creabilis. Ms. Moukheibir was Chair and CEO of MedDay Pharmaceuticals and has also held senior executive positions at Innate Pharma, Movetis, and Zeltia Group. Before moving into the life sciences industry, Ms. Moukheibir worked in investment banking. She received an MBA and a Masters in Economics from Yale University.

About Ilise Lombardo
Ilise Lombardo is Chief Medical Officer at gene therapy company Kriya Therapeutics, where she leads the clinical and medical departments advancing a pipeline of gene therapy candidates across multiple therapeutic areas. Prior to joining Kriya, Dr. Lombardo was co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of epilepsy-focused company Arvelle Therapeutics. She has also held senior roles in clinical and medical development at Axovant Sciences, Forum Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer. She has a medical degree from Yale University, an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge and a bachelor’s degree from Brown University.

About Noema Pharma
Noema Pharma (www.noemapharma.com) is a Swiss-based company targeting orphan neurological disorders characterized by imbalanced neuronal networks. The company is developing four mid-clinical-stage therapeutic products in-licensed from Roche and with strong safety packages. Lead product NOE-101, an mGluR5 inhibitor, is Phase 2b-ready for two indications: persistent seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) and severe pain in Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). NOE-105, a PDE10A inhibitor, is currently in Phase 2a investigated in patients with Tourette Syndrome. The Company is undertaking validation studies in undisclosed indications for two additional clinical-stage assets, NOE-109, an mGluR2/3 inhibitor, and NOE-115, a triple re-uptake inhibitor. Noema Pharma was founded with the leading venture capital firm Sofinnova Partners. Investors include Polaris Partners, Gilde Healthcare, Invus and Biomed Partners.

About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized healthcare investor with $1.8 billion under management across two fund strategies: Venture&Growth and Private Equity. The firm operates out of offices in Utrecht (The Netherlands), Frankfurt (Germany) and Cambridge (United States). Gilde Healthcare Venture&Growth invests in innovative companies active in (Bio)pharmaceuticals, Healthtech and Medtech. The portfolio of the Venture&Growth fund is balanced with fast growing life science companies from Europe and North America. For more information, please visit: www.gildehealthcare.com.

Contacts

Noema Pharma
Luigi Costa
Chief Executive Officer
info@noemapharma.com

Investors
LifeSci Advisors – Guillaume van Renterghem
gvanrenterghem@lifesciadvisors.com
+41 (0) 76 735 01 31

Media
LifeSci Advisors – Bernhard Schmid
bschmid@lifesciadvisors.com
+41 (0) 44 447 12 21

 

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