Peter Maenhout will join Belgian private equity firm Gimv next month as an executive vice-president responsible for the recently-launched XL fund as well as Belgian buyout and growth ca
Peter Maenhout will join Belgian private equity firm Gimv next month as an executive vice-president responsible for the recently-launched XL fund as well as Belgian buyout and growth capital activities.
Maenhout has been running the Benelux office of New York-based investment manager Amber Capital since October 2007, having previously spent ten years at Petercam and six at Generale Bank (now Fortis) active in mergers and acquisitions and equity capital market transactions.
In his various functions he has been working closely together with management teams of private and public companies across a wide variety of industries in the Benelux region, as well as with their shareholders and entrepreneurs.
Gimv, which began life as a publicly-owned investment corporation set up to stimulate economic growth in the Flemish region of Belgium, has been a pioneer of buyouts and growth capital for small and mid-sized companies in the national market.
The XL fund was launched recently by Gimv and targets growth companies in Flanders with an enterprise value between EUR75m and EUR750m. The fund had an initial closing at EUR500m and intends to raise additional capital from other institutional shareholders later this year.
‘Peter is widely respected in the market for his sound business judgement of the financing, strategic and shareholder issues of growing companies,’ says Gimv chief executive Koen Dejonckheere. ‘His experience and expertise will be of tremendous benefit to our team and our investee companies. This is an important step in the further roll-out of our XL fund.’
Maenhout adds: ‘Today’s insecure markets create unique challenges and opportunities for companies and shareholders. Gimv has both the financial power and the know-how to assist companies in their growth aspirations.’
