People Moves, March 2010

Capricorn Recruits Cleantech Manager

Belgium-based Capricorn Venture Partners expanded its Capricorn Cleantech Fund (CCF) investment team with the appointment of Johan Reynaert as investment manager.

Reynaert was previously an international business development manager at IMEC where he worked in the photovoltaic and semiconductor industries. He also gained experience in the cleantech venture industry after several stints in Singapore.

CCF invests in European growth companies that focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The fund receives investment from the EIF through the “Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme” of the European Union.

Capricorn is also raising funds for the Capricorn Health-tech Fund and hired four senior executives in October 2009 to aid the fund-raising process. It is currently raising €100 million to €120 million for a new venture fund focusing on early to mid-stage human health-technology investments in Europe.

Nordic VC firm appoints GP

Stockholm-based VC firm Creandum has promoted Fredrik Cassel to general partner.

Cassel joined Creandum in 2003 and is responsible for several of the firm’s portfolio companies, including Spotify, Cint and Videoplaza. He focuses Internet and service-related investments for Creandum.

With €120 million under management, Creandum is said to be the fastest growing independent partnership of its kind in the Nordic region.

Candover Restructuring Continues

British private equity firm Candover promoted two senior executives to complete the restructuring of its business model.

Philip Price

has been named chief operating officer. He will continue to be responsible for legal compliance, including managing Candover’s relationships with its law firms. He will assume responsibility for the firm’s operating infrastructure which includes risk, HR and IT.

Prior to joining Candover in March 2009, Price held legal posts at UBS Investment Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein and was COO of hedge fund SRM Global Fund.

Kit Tuke has also been promoted within Candover and is now head of debt. As part of the new role, Tuke will be responsible for sourcing and structuring the debt financing in new transactions. He will also be responsible for managing Candover’s relationships with lenders.

Tuke joined Candover in 2007 after working at 3i and Barclays.

Gresham Opens Bristol Office

Regionally-focused private equity firm Gresham opened an office in Bristol to service the South West of England and Welsh markets. The firm already has offices in London, Birmingham and Manchester.

Based in the center of Bristol, the Gresham team will focus on investing in small to medium-sized businesses. The firm has invested in drug delivery business Penn Pharmaceuticals and health care product manufacturer Medical Support Systems in the South West region of England.

The office will be run by Mitch Titley, a partner at Gresham. “This dynamic economic region is home to a number of high-quality businesses and is supported by an exceptional financial community,” says Titley. “I am looking forward to being an integral part of that community and I am optimistic that there will be demand for the investment and support Gresham can offer.”

Impetus Co-Founder Steps Down

U.K. venture philanthropy outfit Impetus Trust has appointed Louis Elson, managing partner and co-founder of Palamon Capital Partners, as its new chairman.

Elson, a trustee of Impetus since July 2009, will take over from Impetus co-founder Stephen Dawson, who served as chairman for seven years.

Launched in 2002, Impetus provides charities and social enterprises with both funding and expertise to allow them to develop and grow to increase their social impact.

“In the current economy the need for Impetus is greater than ever before, as charities have to find solutions to the conundrum of reduced resources and increased demand,” Elson says.

GMT Promotes Two

GMT Communications Partners, a London-based private equity firm specializing in communications investments, has made two senior appointments.

Natalie Tydeman has been promoted to partner and Vikram Krishna has been promoted to principal.

With over 10 years of experience in digital and traditional media, Tydeman joined GMT from Fremantle Media in 2007, where she was senior vice president of business diversification.

Krishna joined GMT in 2005 as a portfolio reporting analyst. He was promoted to associate in 2006 and senior associate in 2009. Prior to GMT, he was a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The promotions of Krishna and Tydeman are the first personnel changes GMT has made since March 2009, when Jonathan Gillbanks was made managing director, Sebastian Sipp was promoted to principal and Krishna became a senior associate.

Gresham Adds Manchester Partner

Mid-market private equity firm Gresham has appointed a Manchester-based partner to join its investment team.

Mark Blower joins from Lloyds Acquisition Finance, where he worked for the past five years as head of the North West office. As part of his new role, Blower will be responsible for deal origination and investment in Yorkshire and the North East of England.

EVCA Creates Commercial Role

In line with the EVCA chairman’s priorities on member services, the organization has developed a new position within the secretariat.

Mark Roberts has been appointed to the newly created role of chief commercial officer. He joins from AON where he was chief executive of the M&A group of EMEA and Asia Pacific. Before AON, Roberts was a director with the Gerling insurance Group and was with the British army for 19 years.

BC Partners Gears up for Fund-Raising

In anticipation of raising its ninth fund, London-based BC Partners has ramped up its investor relations capabilities to create a seven-strong team. Most recently, Laura Coquis and Laurent Donin de Rosiere joined the firm. They report to Charlie Bott, who joined the BC investor relations team earlier this year and will replace Kevin O’Donohue as head of investor relations when he retires at the end of this year.

Jefferies Names Fund Placement Head

Securities and investment banking firm Jefferies has hired Magnus Christensson as a managing director and European head of the firm’s fund placement group. He will be based in London.

Christensson joins Jefferies from Atlantic-Pacific Capital and has more than 12 years of private equity fund-raising experience. Prior to Atlantic-Pacific Capital he was as principal at SevenPeaks Capital and at NM Rothschild’s private equity business.

Mid Europa Promotes Six

Central and Eastern European private equity firm Mid Europa Partners has made six senior promotions.

Nikolaus Bethlen and Stefan Tzvetkov have been promoted to directors. Pawel Padusinski and Cezary Pietrasik have been appointed to associate director level, and Tomasz Blicharski and Vladislav Ratajac have been made senior associates.

Based in Budapest, Bethlen joined Mid Europa in 2007. Prior to Mid Europa, he worked at KKR and Morgan Stanley & Co. in London.

Tzvetkov joined Mid Europa in 2008 and is based in London. Before joining the CEE firm, he worked at Rhône Group in New York and London.

Padusinski and Pietrasik are based in Warsaw and joined the firm in 2005. Padusinski previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Pietrasik worked for JP Morgan in London.

Blicharski and Ratajac are based in Warsaw and Budapest, respectively. Blicharski joined from ABN AMRO, while Ratajac was with Deutsche Bank in New York and London.

Compiled by Aimee Donnellan