European Capital opens London office

Mid-market buyout and mezzanine firm European Capital Financial Services has opened its London office. This ties in with the close of its most recent fund offering, which closed on €750m. European Capital Financial Services is an affiliate of American Capital Strategies, a US-based buyout and mezzanine fund. Those based at European Capital’s London office are Simon Henderson, managing director with responsibility for UK buyouts and Nathalie Faure Beaulieu, managing director and head of pan-European mezzanine. The office has opened with five employees and is the second European Capital Financial Services office following the opening of the frim’s Paris office in April 2005. The two offices are expected to have a total of over 20 people by year end.

Both offices will benefit from the backing of American Capital’s infrastructure, including the group’s finance team, business development and marketing team, financial analysis and compliance team, legal department and operations team.

European Capital has enticed three former Mezzanine Management professionals to its team. Faure Beaulieu was formerly a managing director and member of the investment committee for European investments at Mezzanine Management and prior to joining the firm in 1992 she worked at DG Investment Bank in London. Directors Matthew Gordon Clark and Jerry Tebbutt also both come from Mezzanine Management where they were directors focusing on UK and European investments. Their transaction responsibilities included origination and structuring of new investments and management and exit of portfolio companies.

Henderson joins European Capital from Barclays Private Equity, having spent the last 10 years focusing on UK buyouts.