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Guernsey Funds Forum 2012 held in London this week attracted well in excess of 400 delegates – a new attendance record for the event.
The half-day conference and exhibition included two panels sessions – one on regulation and another on manager/investor relationships – and was followed by a macroeconomic debate featuring former UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord Norman Lamont and Economics Editor and Broadcaster, Stephanie Flanders.
The event was moderated for the third consecutive year by Senior ITV News Anchor, Alastair Stewart.
Fiona Le Poidevin, Deputy Chief Executive of Guernsey Finance – the promotional agency for the Island’s finance
Appleby has released the inaugural edition of Offshore-i, which provides quarterly data and insight on merger and acquisition activity in major offshore financial centres. The report looks at M&A activity for the first quarter of 2012, providing sector analysis and expert insight on deal types and geographic trends.
The key themes emerging from the report show:
Deal values in Q1 2012 increased by 25% from the previous quarter’s USD23.2bn to USD30.9bn.
The number of transactions in the offshore sector in Q1 2012 amounted to 412. While deal volumes were lower than the same period a year ago, there is still
More than three-quarters (78%) of respondents to Clifford Chance’s Cross-border M&A: Perspectives on a changing world survey of large global companies are looking for growth outside of their established domestic markets.
The research study into current trends in cross-border M&A found that over half of companies surveyed (56%) are focusing their M&A strategy on the high growth economies.
The research, which was conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of Clifford Chance, surveyed nearly 400 companies each with revenues of more than USD1 billion, including 80 chief executives and 185 other C-level executives from a wide range of
Private equity returns have fared better than their listed counterparts both before and since the onset of the financial crisis, according to analysis carried out by Preqin.
The PrEQIn Index, available through the Preqin Investor Network – the free dedicated platform for private equity investors, shows that returns from private equity investments fell by less than those from listed investments in the immediate aftermath of the crisis, and have since recovered more quickly.
The PrEQIn Index shows that all private equity strategies, with the exception of venture capital, have outperformed the S&P 500 since 31st December 2000. However, there is
Lyceum Capital-backed energy consultancy firm M&C Energy Group is set to be sold to trade buyer Schneider Electric, a French-headquartered multinational energy management company.
Contracts have been exchanged and the deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to complete in Q2 2012.
M&C was acquired by Lyceum Capital in December 2009 and, under the growth investor’s ownership, has acquired five complementary businesses in the UK, Germany, Hungary, the US, and Australia, expanded into major growth markets, and significantly grown its base of large corporate clients from 50 to over 700.
Dunfermline-headquartered M&C has operations
Kayne Partners Fund has partnered with Airborne Biometrics Group (FaceFirst). Kayne Partners is the growth private equity group of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, a USD15 billion alternative investment firm.
This investment in FaceFirst is Kayne Partners’ third investment in the last two months.
Founded in 2007, FaceFirst has developed an innovative technology providing government grade, real-time facial recognition wrapped into a turnkey package that can be deployed across a wide array of industries and end uses, including airport security, retail theft deterrence, VIP customer recognition, and counterterrorism.
FaceFirst’s technology can process millions of facial comparisons per second at the lowest
HgCapital, the European sector-focused private equity investor, has acquired Qundis Group, a German foremost provider of submetering devices and systems for consumption-dependent billing of heat and water.
HgCapital will acquire the company from financial investor Capcellence and Qundis management team, pending approval by the antitrust authorities. The Qundis management team will reinvest a substantial portion of their stake as part of the transaction.
Qundis was created in 2008 by the merger of QVEDIS (previously part of Siemens) and KUNDO SystemTechnik. Headquartered in Mühlhausen, the company has approximately 220 employees and currently provides submetering systems to a highly fragmented customer
Sagard, Jean Jacques Namani (President of Stokomani) and his management team have signed an agreement to acquire, from Advent International, Stokomani, the leading French discount wholesaler of leading brands. This transaction should be finalised by June 2012. The value of the transaction was undisclosed.
For over 50 years, Stokomani has been the leading French specialist discounter of end‐of‐line products. Through its network of 37 stores, Stokomani offers a large range of constantly renewed brand name goods at attractive prices in the clothing, sportswear, beauty and healthcare, home ware or toy sectors. It is based on this unique concept, developed by
Cummins Inc has signed an agreement to acquire the heavy duty emissions control business of 3i-backed Hilite International. Headquartered in Marktheidenfeld, Germany, Hilite is a global supplier of leading automotive system solutions. The purchase price was undisclosed.
Hilite’s emissions control unit is a world-class technology leader in the design and assembly of exhaust dosing systems for on- and off-road heavy duty vehicles. The business accounts for approximately 25 percent of Hilite’s revenues. It is a market leader offering superior solutions which enable its customers to meet increasingly strict global emissions standards.
Following the sale, Hilite will focus on its core
Helios Investment Partners has appointed Dabney Tonelli as Investor Relations Partner. Tonelli, who will be based in London, will lead Helios’ efforts to develop further its relationships with existing and prospective investors.
Tope Lawani, co-founder of Helios Investment Partners, says: “We are delighted to have Dabney join Helios. Her experience, knowledge and ability to work closely and communicate effectively with investors will make Dabney an invaluable addition to Helios, as we seek to enhance our investor relations strategy.”
Dabney was previously a Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer of Chayton Capital LLP, an emerging markets private equity investment advisor.
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