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Intel Capital, Intel’s global investment organisation, has led a USD13 million investment in Aldebaran Robotics, the world-leading European humanoid robotics company. The investment is Intel Capital’s first within the robotics industry and demonstrates its commitment to supporting innovative businesses and to advancing new classes of computing devices.
Aldebaran Robotics currently manufactures and sells advanced, programmable humanoid robots focused on the education, personal services and research markets. Its products combine a range of facial and voice recognition technologies with location awareness capabilities, providing a flexible platform for application development.
The additional funding led by Intel Capital will play a key role
Arma Partners has hired Andrés Pieczanski as a partner in the firm’s London office where he will provide strategic advisory services to clients globally and will lead the Communications Technology and Semiconductor practice.
Previously, Pieczanski was a Managing Director and Head of the European Communications Practice at Jefferies, which he joined in 2003 following the acquisition of Broadview International.
Paul Guely, Arma’s Managing Partner, says: “Andrés is an accomplished Technology M&A advisor, with deep domain expertise, a broad network of relationships and extensive transaction experience. I am delighted that he has agreed to join Arma.”
Pieczanski has
A select group of innovative businesses in the UK planning for rapid expansion in world markets are being given access to a new funding package from Clydesdale and Yorkshire Banks.
The banks’ Growth Finance programme is designed for companies with rapid sales growth and which are expecting to deliver profits in the next 9 – 24 months.
Growth Finance was introduced to respond to business demand for bank funding which would provide companies with the confidence to make the investments required to fulfil their longer term business plans. The scheme is not intended for start-ups but will benefit businesses
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP has appointed Ian Schwartz (pictured)as a Corporate partner in the Firm’s Asset Management/Private Equity Funds Group resident in the New York office.
Schwartz focuses his practice primarily on the formation and operation of private equity funds. He has also served as counsel in numerous multi-billion dollar and middle-market private investment fund-raisings for institutional and boutique sponsors both in and outside the United States across a wide variety of investment strategies.
"Ian’s depth of knowledge and expertise will complement our preeminent private equity practice. His addition to the Firm further strengthens our ability to
Michael E Ducey has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Apollo Global Management, LLC, and to the Board’s Audit and Conflicts Committees, effective immediately. Ducey’s appointment will bring the number of independent directors on Apollo’s Board to four out of a total of eight Board seats.
Ducey was most recently with Compass Minerals International, Inc, from March 2002 to May 2006, where he served in a variety of roles, including as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director prior to his retirement in May 2006. Prior to joining Compass Minerals International, Inc, Ducey worked for nearly 30 years at
Better Capital’s BECAP Fund has advanced GBP6m to allow one of its portfolio investments, Calyx Software Limited to make two strategic, bolt-on acquisitions.
The first acquisition comprises certain of the assets and obligations of a division of Touchstone Group Plc (Touchstone). This division of Touchstone is a leading supplier of integrated business software products to mid-sized UK organisations. The division had unaudited turnover for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 of GBP3.2m.
The second acquisition comprises the entire issued share capital of Trinity Computer Services Holdings Limited (Trinity). Trinity is a specialist developer of wholesale and distribution application
Eurazeo, Remo Ruffini, Carlyle and Brands Partners 2 have reached an agreement for Eurazeo to acquire a 45% stake in Moncler, the luxury apparel group, for a price of EUR418m. Remo Ruffini, the Chairman and Creative Director, will retain a 32% stake in the Company and Carlyle a 17.8% stake.
The Moncler Group manages five brands: Moncler, Henry Cotton’s, Marina Yachting, Coast Weber & Ahaus and a 18CRR81 Cerruti licence. Founded in 1952 in Grenoble, as a technical brand rooted in the iconic down jacket, Moncler is today one of the leading brands in luxury outerwear. Moncler has a network
The Jones Group Inc has acquired Kurt Geiger, Europe’s largest luxury shoe retailer based in the United Kingdom, from Graphite Capital, a leading UK mid-market private equity firm, for approximately USD350 million (or GBP215 million) in cash, inclusive of debt acquired. The transaction, which was financed with cash on hand, is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per share, exclusive of any required purchase accounting adjustments.
The acquisition of Kurt Geiger positions Jones as one of the world’s most powerful portfolios of fashion footwear, immediately increasing its international penetration to just below 20 percent of net revenues. In addition,
Christian Georges, Industrial Sectors Strategist at Olivetree Securities, comments on Fiat’s purchase of the US Treasury’s 6% stake in Chrysler…
“The announcement is great news for Fiat shareholders on their way to the target share price of €8 and above. Sergio Marchionne was keen to proceed with the purchase quickly and to boost his stake in Chrysler to about 60% post the summer as “the more we wait the more we will pay for it”. Hence higher profits at Chrysler in coming quarters, reflecting the sharp reduction of financial discounts in the US market, would have translated into a higher price
The Aureos Africa Fund has sold its stake in Deli Foods, the Nigerian biscuit manufacturer which makes biscuits for its own local brands as well as under license for United Biscuits’ McVities. The company, which operates a factory in Lagos, has been sold to Tiger Brands of South Africa.
Aureos Capital is a private equity fund management company specialising in investing in small and medium sized businesses in emerging markets. This transaction is the first exit for the USD381.1 million Aureos Africa Fund.
Jacob Kholi (pictured), Managing Partner for Aureos West Africa, says: “We are delighted to have achieved an exit
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