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Typical and especially active buyout firms are for instance: Cinven, Bridgepoint, EQT, Partners Group, PAI, Ardian, etc.
Depending on how you define mid market, there are a lot more and I think one of the best performance has Waterland PE - they do not have an office in London
Hi Alex, do you have a feeling for a) what the typical recruiting cycle is for these firms? and b) Who the most important recruiting firms are in the space?
Thanks
PER covers Cinven (at least in Frankfurt), PAI (Munich and London), Ardian (London), EQT (Frankfurt, Munich, London). KEA does Bridgepoint, Charterhouse, Ares and a couple of others. I think Partners Group has a dedicated Career-page, but not sure if they recruit for PE roles there as well.
Speaking European languages is certainly an advantage when recruiting in London, especially if someone just left/moved up and now a language is lacking in this team. If nothing else, it will help you move up internally as you can build relationships a lot easier. As Alex_LF already said, it depends on your definition of mid market, but most buyout funds highly value language skills.
As long as you invest in companies in France/Germany/Italy/Spain/... you need to be able to work in that language(s). Companies in those countries will have BoDs completely held in the country’s language and only the presentations will be in English (frequently, not always). This is particularly true for the lower end of the MM, as even small firms (up to 50mln turnover) with global presence are owned and directed by French/German/Italian/Spanish people most likely than not.
Spot on, and not only for (lower) mid market, but also large cap - sometimes even the DD is just available in German or Frensh.
So which are the best funds for Southern Europe? Investindustrial looks really good, as does Portobello Capital, for example, but quality intel would be greatly appreciated.
I don’t understand what you mean. If ‘best’ is defined by the prestige, then the bigger the better. You can (quite easily) google this information. If what you are looking for is understanding which firms have the best culture or the best partners (as persons) to work with, there’s basically no answer to your question. First of all because the fit as human beings is a bilateral thing - it depends not only by the other, but also by yourself. Secondly, it depends on what you are looking for. I’ve always worked at boutique firms and my current fund isn’t an exception. I suppose that I would never fit into a large organisation as I’ve never experienced for instance politics. I speak and report to the partners, there’s no “game to play”. So I respect and admire all the MFs but I’m rather sure it’s something I won’t consider as career option... Last but not least, the language barrier is something you have to consider. Assuming you aren’t already fluent in French, Italian and Spanish, and you should learn the language to join the “elected best south European PE”, I wouldn’t think this is the way to pick the language to learn. On the flip side, if you are already fluent, then just apply to all of the firms you like... the only way to understand whether or not you get along with someone is to spend some time with that one person.
H.I.G. Capital - fantastic returns
Eurazeo and Tikehau are Paris-based firms but their London offices are growing fast
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