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Facebook’s announced acquisition of WhatsApp for USD16 billion is a simultaneously offensive and defensive move that will send a shiver up the spines of social platforms and telcos worldwide, according to Victor Basta (pictured), managing director of Global M&A advisory firm Magister Advisors…
Under Facebook’s ownership we can expect WhatsApp to ramp even faster, and extend its international reach even more aggressively. With the parallel sale of Viber to Rakuten, this means that two major ‘over the top’ messaging companies have traded hands into much larger players.
The WhatsApp deal is a conquest of another emerging platform by Facebook
Fondations Capital has promoted Arnaud de Cazanove to associate.
De Cazanove (pictured) has been with the firm since 2013 when he joined as an analyst and is actively involved in several of its investments, including Courtepaille and Sepur.
De Cazanove started his career in 2010 in the investment banking division of Nomura in London where he focused on the technology, media and telecom industries and subsequently moved to Paris to be part of the French coverage team.
Prior to this, he worked at Vivendi in the strategy and development department and as a strategy consultant for Oliver Wyman.
An affiliate of Sun European Partners has acquired Applied Drilling Technology International (ADTI), an offshore project management business focused on North Sea well design, construction and completion services.
The business was acquired from Transocean for an undisclosed value.
Established in the UK in 1991, ADTI has managed approximately 370 wells and 180 completions in Northwest Europe, with an emphasis on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The company currently employs 84 professionals and support staff, which allows its customers to completely outsource their offshore drilling and completion operations.
The company, based in Aberdeen, Scotland, operates its business through five
Wildlife Works Carbon has signed a USD10m financing deal with the Althelia Climate Fund to launch the Taita Hills Conservation and Sustainable Land Use Project in south-eastern Kenya.
The project aims to protect approximately 200,000 hectares of threatened natural forest and savannah grassland ecosystems and bring vital economic development benefits to local communities.
Wildlife Works will implement the project using the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) mechanism, a climate change mitigation strategy originated by the United Nations, designed to help stop the destruction of the world's forests.
The programme addresses the causes of deforestation by creating sustainable economic
Private equity firm Court Square Capital Partners has acquired a majority interest in AFS Technologies, a provider of software solutions for the consumer packaged goods industry.
The investment, in partnership with current AFS management, provides growth capital as well as capital for future acquisitions.
“For AFS customers and employees, having Court Square as a financial partner will provide capital to accelerate our investment in current technology and solutions, as well as continue to grow through acquisitions. Strategic acquisitions help accelerate our offerings and provide global support for our customers,” says Kurien Jacob, CEO of AFS Technologies. “This investment by Court
CDC Group, the UK’s development finance institution (DFI), has appointed Ritu Kumar as director, environmental and social responsibility.
Kumar (pictured) will work across the environmental and social remit with a specific focus on CDC’s direct equity investments, as well as the environmental and social performance and value-add of CDC’s investments through DFID’s Impact Fund.
Kumar will also lead CDC’s approach to climate change. She will work closely with Mark Eckstein, fellow director for environmental and social responsibility, in the management of the environmental and social responsibility team and its support to CDC’s portfolio of debt, equity and fund investments.
Mid-market private equity provider LDC has completed the sale of its stake in Benson Group in a GBP100m deal with Graphic Packaging International.
LDC took a significant stake in Benson Group in December 2011.
Based across four production sites, Benson Group is a supplier of printed folding carton board packaging to the food retail sector. The business also has a major presence in the healthcare market, as a manufacturer of cartons, patient information leaflets and labels for pharmaceutical customers in the UK and Europe.
Benson Group’s customer base includes Two Sisters Food Group, Reckitt Benckiser, Greencore and Samworth
Middle market private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital has sold Android Industries to a buyer group consortium principally led by Mitsui & Co (USA), Dundee Corporation, Rick Renaud and management.
The company will continue to be led by the current executive management team. Terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.
Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Android specialises in outsourced complex modular assembly and sequencing for the automotive industry, and related supply chain logistics. It provides assembly services for a variety of chassis and interior modules, including tyre and wheel, engine, suspension, instrument panels and consoles, across 16 plants in
Private equity firm GenNx360 Capital Partners has appointed Latasha M Akoma as operating partner.
Akoma reports to Lloyd G Trotter, founding and managing partner.
Akoma will focus on driving strong performance, operational efficiencies and profitability across the GenNx portfolio companies in addition to working with its deal team to identify and evaluate new opportunities.
Most recently, Akoma held several management posts at Harley-Davidson Motor Company. She joined as director of manufacturing operations in 2009, with responsibility for a 425,000 sq. ft. facility which included five production areas and a 120,000 sq. ft. Material Velocity Center. She advanced to
The ALPS | Red Rocks Listed Private Equity Fund (LPEFX) saw returns of 41.26 per cent in 2013, outpacing the S&P 500 and other benchmarks, as firms sold assets and completed initial public offerings (IPOs) for their portfolio companies at a record pace.
Fuelled by strong returns and a vigorous market for deal exits, private equity firms returned USD120bn to investors in 2013, topping last year's record of USD115bn, according to Cambridge Associates.
The strong performance was fuelled in part by such publicized transactions as the Blackstone’s record hotel IPO for Hilton Worldwide Holdings and lesser-known deals such as
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