Archives for July 8, 2013

H.I.G. Capital Closes Second Europe Fund Above Target

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H.I.G. Capital has closed H.I.G. European Capital Partners II at €825 million ($1.1 billion), significantly above its initial target. The fund will follow the strategy of its predecessor fund, focusing on private equity, buyout and growth capital investments in lower middle-market companies primarily in Western Europe.

“We are very pleased to have completed this fundraising in less than three months, and, in particular, that the fund was significantly over-subscribed from existing H.I.G. investors. The new fund will continue our strategy of investing in privately-held companies and non-core subsidiaries of larger companies, especially those which present significant opportunities for earnings improvement and value creation,” said Sami Mnaymneh and Tony Tamer, co-founders and Managing Partners of H.I.G. Capital.

H.I.G. Europe’s team has offices in London, Paris, Hamburg and Madrid, and consists of over 50 investment professionals with operating and turnaround experience. H.I.G. Europe has completed 28 investments since it began investing in 2008.

H.I.G. Capital specializes in providing capital to small and medium-sized companies and invests in management-led buyouts and recapitalizations of manufacturing or service businesses. H.I.G. Capital has more than $13 billion of equity capital under management. The firm was founded in 1993 and is based in Miami with additional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, San Francisco, London, Hamburg, Madrid, Paris, and Rio de Janeiro (www.higcapital.com).

© 2013 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 7-8-13

Bridge Growth Continues Build of Advisory Board

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John Manley, former Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister of Canada, and current President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, has joined the Advisory Board of Bridge Growth Partners.

Bridge Growth Partners was formed in June 2013 to invest in the technology and financial services sectors as well as technology-enabled opportunities in other sectors. The firm’s three founders are Sander Levy, Alok Singh, and Kevin Parker. Mr. Levy was a founding partner and managing director of Vestar Capital Partners, a private equity firm that manages over $8 billion of equity capital. Mr. Singh was a managing director at New Mountain Capital, a private investment firm with more than $9 billion of assets under management. Mr. Parker is a technology executive who most recently served as chief executive officer of Deltek, an enterprise software and information services provider sold in 2012 for $1.1 billion, and was previously co-president and chief financial officer of PeopleSoft, an enterprise applications software company acquired by Oracle in 2004.

“The Bridge Growth Partners team possesses a unique and attractive combination of domain expertise in the financial services and technology sectors, along with the practical know-how and proven experience needed to identify attractive investment opportunities and build enduring value. I am honored to be joining them in an advisory capacity, and it’s especially gratifying that I will be working alongside other highly respected Canadian business leaders who are affiliated with Bridge Growth such as Tom Manley, Rob Ashe and Nanci Caldwell,” said Mr. Manley. “I also welcome the opportunity to work once again with Governor Tom Ridge, who has also joined the Advisory Board, and I look forward to helping the Bridge Growth team in their activities in Canada, the United States and around the world.”

Mr. Manley is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada. He was first elected to Parliament in 1988, and re-elected three times. From 1993 to 2003 he was a Minister in the governments of Jean Chrétien, serving in the portfolios of Industry, Foreign Affairs, and Finance, in addition to being Deputy Prime Minister. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Mr. Manley was named Chair of a Cabinet Committee on Public Security and Anti-terrorism, serving as counterpart to Governor Tom Ridge, the first U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security.
Mr. Manley returned to the private sector in 2004. Since leaving government, Mr. Manley has continued to be active in public policy, as a media commentator, speaker and adviser to governments. In addition to his role as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, Mr. Manley serves on the boards of several publicly traded companies, including CIBC and CAE, and is active in the not-for-profit sector.

“We are delighted to have the benefit of John Manley’s extensive experience across a wide range of technology, financial, and business sectors, as well as the benefit of his distinguished status within the international community,” said Alok Singh, a co-founder of Bridge Growth Partners. “We could not be more pleased with the world-class team of advisors we have assembled to guide and support our firm’s development and, given the strong roster of Canadian executives who play key roles throughout our organization, we believe we are particularly well-positioned to pursue and execute compelling investment opportunities throughout North America.”

Bridge Growth Partners is based in New York (www.bridgegrowthpartners.com).

© 2013 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 7-8-13