Angela Sormani

Two London-based private equity fund-of-funds managers have joined forces to create Hermes GPE, a new funds-of-funds group. The new business is the result of a merger between Gartmore Private Equity, a division of Gartmore Investment Management, and Hermes Private Equity, a division of fund manager Hermes. The combined business will have around £4.1 billion ($6.3 […]

HarbourVest Global Private Equity, a listed funds-of-funds vehicle managed by Boston-based HarbourVest Partners LLC, is targeting U.K.-based investors with a secondary offering on London’s Specialist Fund Market. The aim of the secondary offering, which involves the sale of shares from old shareholders to new ones, is to boost liquidity in the shares, diversify the shareholder […]

Finnish pension insurer Ilmarinen is increasing its commitment to private equity with the aim of reaching a 4 percent target allocation by 2015. The insurer’s focus remains European buyouts funds, but Ilmarinen will also gain exposure to U.S. buyouts funds through commitment to global buyout funds. In addition, Asia will be a new area of […]

Two London-based private equity fund-of-funds managers have joined forces to create Hermes GPE, a new fund of funds group. The new business is the result of a merger between Gartmore Private Equity, a division of Gartmore Investment Management, and Hermes Private Equity, a division of fund manager Hermes. The combined business will have around £4.1 […]

The giant Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global is considering its first foray into private equity, part of a continuing movement by sovereign wealth funds into the asset class. Norges Bank Investment Management, Norway’s central bank and manager of the Government Pension Fund Global, is assessing opportunities for the fund to invest in private equity and […]

Ireland’s National Pensions Reserve Fund is reviewing its private equity asset allocation strategy, with an eye toward announcing any changes this June. The €22 billion ($30 billion) pension fund’s current target allocation to private equity stands at 8 percent, with an additional 2 percent allocated to infrastructure fund commitments. Actual private equity fund asset allocation […]

Ireland’s National Pensions Reserve Fund is reviewing its private equity asset allocation strategy, with an eye toward announcing any changes this June. The €22 billion ($30 billion) pension fund’s current target allocation to private equity stands at 8 percent, with an additional 2 percent allocated to infrastructure fund commitments. Actual private equity fund asset allocation […]

Castle Private Equity will start making fund commitments from its Swiss listed fund of funds again in 2010 following a year’s hiatus. The fund also appears to be heading for an additional listing on the London Stock Exchange. Castle Private Equity, which is weighted toward U.S. and European buyout funds, stopped making commitments at the […]

Skandia Life Insurance Company is looking to reach its target allocation to the private equity asset class, which amounts to 10 percent of its total assets, by 2013. This suggests the firm will commit some $400 million to $800 million per year to buyout funds. The actual allocation at the Nordic life insurance company, which […]

The U.K. Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is ramping up to make its maiden fund commitments following the introduction of a 20 percent (approximately $1.2 billion) target allocation to alternative investments. The £4 billion ($6.1 billion) fund, which manages the defined benefit pension schemes of collapsed businesses, is adjusting its portfolio allocation model by reducing its […]