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European asset manager Amundi, with over EUR1 trillion in assets, has established a partnership with the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), creating an independent asset management company: Supernova Invest.
In addition to taking over the current CEA Investissement funds (with an advisory mandate for the CEA's strategic fund and the management of the FNA ‘Amorçage Technologique’ Fund), the newly-formed entity is intended to create and manage new capital innovation funds for third parties to finance technological innovation projects in France. Supernova Invest will notably manage the ‘Crédit Agricole Innovations et Territoires’ fund, for which Crédit Agricole –
Private equity fund Abac Solutions and PronoKal Group’s management team have acquired 100 per cent of the company from its founders, in order to support its expansion process in Europe and Latin America.
PronoKal Group makes protein-based dietary treatments for obesity and overweight, with sales in excess of EUR42 million and presence in 15 countries in Europe and Latin America.
The Barcelona-based company was founded in 2004 to provide effective weight loss treatments. The company’s offering includes nutritional products, medical supervision, personalised dietary advice, personal training and coaching services, as well as materials to facilitate weight loss maintenance. In
Accountancy firm Saffery Champness has appointed Donald Forsyth as a partner based in the firm’s Inverness office, with effect from 1 April.
Forsyth was most recently managing partner at EY’s Inverness office. He previously spent 17 years with Scott-Moncrieff, where he served as a commercial partner leading the firm’s business advisory group and served on the executive and strategy board from 2011 to 2014.
Following the recent announcement by EY to reduce the size of the Inverness office, Saffery Champness and Forsyth have worked closely together to be able to offer a continued service for a number of local
Greg Carter, founder of SME finance platform Growth Street, has replaced James Sherwin-Smith as chief executive officer.
The appointment of Carter – who has been Growth Street’s chief risk officer since its launch – represents a return to the company’s original founder.
Carter founded Growth Street while working at Arts Alliance, the venture capital investors in Graze, Shazam and Lovefilm, before appointing Sherwin-Smith as CEO to launch the company in 2015.
Carter says: “I would like to thank James for all the hard work he put in over the last two years in growing Growth Street. We would
Gresham House, an asset manager focused on alternative investment strategies and illiquid asset classes, has appointed Andy Hampshire to the newly created role of chief technology officer.
Hampshire (pictured) will develop and drive the implementation of Gresham House’s technology strategy, including the creation of a distinctive co-investment platform. This platform will provide a high quality service for investors and facilitate co-investment opportunities for clients, which will materially enhance the group’s client service proposition.
He will also advise investee companies on the use of technology as a driver of shareholder value creation.
Hampshire has over 10 years of experience
Silverfleet Capital has appointed Karl Eidem as co-head of the Nordic region.
Eidem will work closely with Gareth Whiley, partner, who currently heads the region to further develop the firm’s capabilities and help to build on Silverfleet’s track record in Scandinavia, where the firm has made three investments and achieved one exit since 2013.
Eidem joins Silverfleet from Swedish national pension fund AP6, where he was an investment director overseeing the development of an international investment programme through mid to large cap private equity firms and co-investments. Prior to that, he was a senior principal at Doughty Hanson in Stockholm and
Vistra, a provider of international incorporations, trust, fiduciary, private office and fund administration services, has acquired optegra, a Germany-based specialist in auditing, tax consultancy, legal advisory, and management consultancy services.
With offices in Cologne, Hamburg and Munich, optegra has a staff of 120 professionals serving clients from a range of industries, including automotive, information technology, telecommunications, health care, private equity, real estate, renewable energy, and engineering.
It provides solutions surrounding financial and regulatory services, transaction support, payroll accounting, tax consultancy and administration, as well as start-up support.
The partners of optegra will all remain with the business post-completion
Private equity firm SFW Capital Partners has sold Essen BioScience, a specialist in the field of cell-based assays and instrumentation used for life sciences research, to Sartorius Group for USD320 million.
SFW acquired a controlling interest in Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Essen in May 2014.
SFW recruited Brett Williams to become Essen’s CEO and, throughout the investment, supported Williams and the Essen management team in executing a wide range of strategic, organisational, and operating initiatives to drive significant organic revenue growth and the adoption of Essen’s IncuCyte live cell analysis platform.
With SFW’s support, Essen made substantial investments in the
Peer-to-peer (P2P) finance platform Assetz Capital has provided GBP30 million in funds for the development of renewable energy projects throughout Britain.
With dedicated specialists in the green and renewable energy market, during the past three years, Assetz Capital has funded 39 green energy projects, predominantly in the onshore wind turbine energy space.
While projects have been located all over the UK, 20 of them have been based in Scotland. A further 11 are based in the North West of England, with the others scattered around Britain and Northern Ireland.
Traditionally funding for wind energy projects has been hard to
Executive recruitment firm The McLean Partnership has hired Edward King as a partner to develop its private equity franchise.
King joins from executives in Africa’s London office where he has forged strong links with private equity organisations looking to grow their business interests in the region.
He has worked extensively with portfolio companies across a wide range of sectors. Most recently, he has been responsible for C-suite hires in Ethiopia and West Africa in banking, insurance, pensions, real estate, FMCG and agri-business. King will build on The McLean Partnership’s private equity offering, working with clients in the UK and in
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