Cinven appoints new investment executives

Cinven has appointed three new investment executives to its London, Frankfurt and Paris-based teams. The firm, currently investing from its third fund, is due to start marketing a new vehicle later in the year.

Roberto Italia, one of several recent departures from Henderson Private Capital, joins Cinven as a partner based in London. Italia was previously in charge of Henderson’s Italian business, but quit the firm shortly after the departure of European head Toby Boyle.

Prior to Henderson, Italia was at Warburg Pincus for eight years, latterly as a partner and managing director, focusing on the communications industry. He was also responsible for investments in Italy and Spain.

Tobias Knechtle joined Cinven in February as a principal in the firm’s Frankfurt office. Previously he spent six years at The Boston Consulting Group in Zurich and Sao Paolo, advising clients in the consumer goods, industrial and financial services industries. Prior to that he worked for Nestlé.

Geoffroy Willaume joined Cinven in December as a Paris-based associate. He had spent two years in private equity at Goldman Sachs in London before the switch.

Robin Hall, Cinven’s managing partner, said that last year had seen the firm make a number of important appointments in order to continue the growth of its business in Europe. “The [latest] announcement continues that strategy of growth, further strengthening our teams in London, Paris and Frankfurt and providing us with additional insight into the Italian and Swiss markets,” Hall said.

Last month, Cinven appointed Robert Walker as an adviser to support its European deal activity. Walker will advise Cinven’s investment teams on commercial and industrial issues faced by the business services, consumer and retail sectors. He is currently non-executive chairman of WH Smith PLC and has recently retired as chief executive of Severn Trent, one of the UK’s leading utility companies.