Transitions

Alchemy Partners has moved to new offices at 20 Bedfordbury, London WC2N 4BL. Its telephone number, +44 171 240 9596, and fax number, +44 171 240 9594, remain unchanged.

Christina Seale has joined BancBoston Capital’s London-based European venture capital team. Fluent in German, she will have special responsibility for BancBoston Capital’s activities in Germany and France, as well as involvement in UK buyouts. After working for State Street Bank and Trust and Chemical Bank, Christina Seale moved to JP Morgan, where she was involved in MBOs, rapidly growing companies and recapitalisations.

BancBoston Capital managing director Andrew Kellett commented “Christina’s appointment highlights our commitment to continue to expand our pan-European operations”. Earlier this year, BancBoston Capital appointed Christian Drougge, formerly with Euroventures Management in Stockholm, to oversee its Scandinavian activities.

The final closing of CVC European Equity Partners II on $3.1 billion (story, page 4) will have done much to console the group for the rapid departure of one of its most recent recruits. Malcolm Offord, who joined CVC in April, stayed less than a month before departing to exchange his directorship for one at Charterhouse Development Capital. Apart from confirming these facts, neither of the private equity groups concerned was eager to comment on this prize example of a “quick flip”.

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice’s European operations (story, page 12), headed by partner Christopher Mackenzie, will be based at the group’s new London office at 45 Berkeley Street, London W1A 1EB, tel +44 171 290 8333, fax +44 171 290 8334.

The newly independent Duke Street Capital (story, page 4) has moved from the City to the West End, taking its name from the location of its offices at Dukes Court, 32 Duke Street St James’s, London SW1Y 6DF, tel +44 171 451 6600, fax +44 171 451 6601.

Gary Solomon, appointed earlier this year as chief executive officer of Greenoak Capital Management (formerly Granville Private Equity Funds), has joined the board of Granville plc. Chief executive David Williamson said Granville would benefit from the transatlantic perspective Gary Solomon will contribute.

Within Granville’s asset management division, Alison Ridge has been appointed a director of Granville Private Equity Managers, while Paul Merone and Andrew Ferguson have become investment directors.

HarbourVest Partners (formerly Hancock Venture Partners) has relocated its Asia office. HarbourVest Partners (Asia) can now be contacted at Suite 1207, Citibank Tower, 3 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, tel +852 2525 2214, fax +852 2525 2241.

Frances Jacob has been promoted from director to managing director of Mercury Asset Management’s private equity division, following more than ten years with MAM. As managing director, she will continue in her role as investment officer for the private equity team, while managing director Ian Armitage retains overall management responsibility for the division.

MAM has also promoted John Bolitho, formerly a senior fund manager, to assistant director within the private equity division. After five years as a quoted fund manager with MAM, John Bolitho transferred to the private equity team three years ago and is responsible for research and analysis within the division.

Ian Armitage said “MAM’s private equity division will be further expanded over the next six months as we continue to build our infrastructure to support an expansion in our investment and divestment activity”.

Pond Venture Partners (story, page 9) has a UK base at Greyhound House, 23-24 George Street, Richmond TW9 1HY, tel +44 181 940 1001, fax +44 181 332 6751.

Simon Clarkson Webb has moved from UBS to Westdeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale (WestLB) as managing director and head of the bank’s new leveraged finance business.

At UBS, Simon Clarkson Webb developed and ran the financing franchise that ranked number two in the league tables for both senior and mezzanine debt last year. Seven of his former colleagues, including Tim Waine, Michael Mechas and Serge Ramin, will join him at WestLB. Although the bank ultimately aims to build a global leveraged finance business, the team will initially focus on cross-border transactions in Continental Europe. Andreas Seibert, WestLB’s global head of structured finance, said the bank had been looking for an opportunity to establish a leading leveraged finance business from some time, adding that the unit would “benefit strongly from the excellent track record of Simon Clarkson Webb and his team”.