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Eighteen months after establishing a presence in Asia and following substantive growth, Hawksford is strengthening its commitment to the Asian market by building its team.
Group chief operations officer Steve Spybey (pictured) has been seconded to the Singapore office to support further growth within Hawksford’s Asian business and to consolidate integration across the company’s international offices. Spybey, who was previously based in the Jersey office, will work closely with the existing team, which is led by Asia chief operating officer Jacqueline Low, as well as continuing to have involvement with Hawksford’s wider strategic direction.
Alan Ang and Emma Green
Mid-market advisory firm Clearwater International has completed deals worth over EUR1 billion during what are typically considered to be the quieter summer months – activity which has seen the company’s average deal value soar to EUR84 million.
Following the first anniversary in June, of the merger to create Clearwater International, the business has seen exceptional levels of M&A in all of its territories and sectors, and no more so than in the UK where the team have completed 11 deals in the last 10 weeks.
Transactions included the MBO’s of Partner in Pet Food, worth EUR315 million, and Ideal
HIG Middle Market, the dedicated middle market investment affiliate of private equity firm HIG Capital, has acquired Universal Fiber Systems (UFS).
Headquartered in Bristol, VA, with additional facilities in the United States, Europe, Thailand and China, UFS is a global leader in the production of custom solution-dyed synthetic fibres. The Company serves customers in the commercial, residential and transportation carpet industries through its Universal Fibers division and serves customers in diverse technical fibre end-markets including performance apparel and technical fabrics through its Premiere Fibers division.
Tenno Tsai (pictured), Managing Director at HIG, says: “We are excited to partner with
Lincoln International, a global mid-market investment bank, has advised on the sale of Stadco Automotive Limited to Magna International (Magna). Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed and closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.
Stadco is a major international supplier of Body-In-White (BIW) products and services to a range of automotive OEM’s including Jaguar Land Rover, Ford Motor Company and General Motors. The Company has industry leading expertise in the supply of aluminium stampings and is the largest independent tier one BIW supplier in the UK with four facilities. Stadco has a further facility in Germany
Wellington Financial, a privately held specialty finance firm providing growth capital to Canadian and US-based companies, is pleased to announce the launch of a new USD900 million investment program.
Wellington Financial Fund IV, capitalised with USD200 million of re-circulating equity capital in 2012, was a successor fund to three previous entities. Fund IV committed more than USD225 million via 28 growth capital transactions over a three-year period.
With its first close earlier this week, Fund V is already well on its way to reaching its "hard cap" of USD300 million of re-circulating equity commitments. "We are honoured to have earned
Funds affiliated with Hellman & Friedman (H&F), a US-based Private Equity firm, have agreed to acquire the entirety of Bain Capital’s interest in Securitas Direct Verisure Group.
The acquisition places H&F in a majority shareholder position alongside Company management and creates an optimal platform for continued growth.
Securitas Direct Verisure Group is a leading European provider of professionally monitored home alarm systems with 24/7 response services offered through its Securitas Direct and Verisure brands. The Company’s mission is to bring peace of mind to families and small business owners by providing them with the best security solutions and service.
Investec Growth & Acquisition Finance has provided GBP21 million in funding in the form of senior term loans and working capital facilities, for Mayfair Equity Partners’ second deal, the acquisition of Europe’s biggest supplier of fishing equipment, Fox International.
Stephen White (pictured), who led the funding team at Investec, says the deal strengthens an existing successful relationship with Mayfair, a new fund raised by the former London LDC team led by Daniel Sasaki.
“We have worked with the Mayfair partners previously and are pleased to back them as they build their new portfolio. The team has an exceptional track
The British Business Bank is to provide a GBP100m facility to Hitachi Capital UK to fund a portfolio of newly originated small business asset finance receivables.
The transaction is the first of the British Business Bank’s innovative new ENABLE Funding programme, which aims to increase significantly the supply of leasing and asset finance to smaller businesses in the UK. The European Investment Fund will guarantee 50 per cent of the facility.
Gavin Wraith-Carter (pictured), General Manager, Hitachi Capital Business Finance, says: “Being the first funder to take part in an ENABLE funding programme transaction reinforces our commitment to understanding the
Sell-side mid-market M&A firm Cavendish Corporate Finance has advised on the sale British digital agency Dare to Oliver Group.
Founded in 2000 by Mark Collier, the former Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH) joint managing director, Dare is one of Britain’s great digital success stories. Established as one of the first digital agencies in the UK, Dare quickly grew to become a leader in its field and was sold to Canadian marketing group Cossette in 2007.
Currently owned by EDC Communications, a group of marketing services companies backed by the US private equity firm Mill Road Capital, Dare has established itself as
Middle market private equity firm American Industrial Partners (AIP) has held the first and final close of its sixth fund (Fund VI) at the hard cap with USD1.8 billion in LP commitments.
AIP secured commitments from a globally-diversified investor base comprised of leading endowments, insurance companies, funds of funds, gatekeepers, family offices, pension plans and sovereign wealth funds.
"We are humbled and grateful for the overwhelming support that we received from our long-standing investor base and very pleased with the commitments of new world-class LPs," says Kim Marvin, Partner at AIP. Fund VI will seek to make equity and debt
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