Overview
Carlyle Europe Partners (CEP) invests in companies with enterprise values typically in excess of €200m and operations based in Europe, and where relationships with management teams, corporate partners or family-owned businesses are based on seeking a financial partner to create value and grow the business. These investments may include leveraged buyouts and other types of private equity transactions, including strategic joint ventures with corporate partners.
Investment Approach
Utilizing the conservative and disciplined approach common to all of the firm's funds, Carlyle's European buyout team seeks to create partnerships with corporations and large family-owned businesses. In both instances Carlyle aims to help these organizations reposition and expand their businesses in order to attain a leadership position in European or global markets. It has built a strong, locally recruited investment team spanning a wide range of previous experience within industry, management consultancy, banking, and audit. These investment professionals, who are based in Barcelona, London, Milan, Munich and Paris, understand the local business operating environment and cultural issues clearly.
Investment Strategy
- Partner with Companies: The team takes a partnership approach to deals with large industrial and services groups that seek to spin-off or accelerate the development of specific subsidiaries.
- Specialize by Industry: Carlyle pursues transactions where we have an edge in terms of sector experience. We focus on making investments in the following industries: automotive components, media and publishing, telecommunications, manufacturing, aerospace, building products, defense and chemicals.
- Provide Global and Local Experience: Carlyle combines strong local presence and understanding of local business issues with a global platform, and in particular with global industry teams for automotive, telecommunications, technology, media, and aerospace.
- Partner with Families: In Europe, Carlyle has developed unparalleled expertise in applying management acumen and strategic experience to solve problems specific to ambitious family-owned businesses seeking to strengthen or grow operations. Frequently this includes resolving divergent views on business strategy, liquidity, succession and capital structure.
- Substantial Financial Support: Carlyle nurtures a well-developed network of banking partners able to mobilize quickly in order to provide complex financing for major investments. The team makes investments in transactions with an overall value of between €300 million and €5 billion.
- Add Value to Portfolio Companies: Carlyle actively supports portfolio companies post-investment to aid development including direct support for follow on investments.
Team
Team Member | Title | Location | Industry |
---|---|---|---|
Zeina J. Bain | Managing Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Gregor P. Boehm | Managing Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Andrew R. Burgess | Managing Director | London, UK | Consumer & Retail |
Oliver C. Butler | Associate Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Massimiliano Caraffa | Managing Director | Milan, Italy | Consumer & Retail |
Veronique Cochais-Widmer | Director | Paris, France | Telecom & Media |
Marco De Benedetti | Managing Director | Milan, Italy | Consumer & Retail |
Benjamin Deshayes | Managing Director | Paris, France | |
Friedel Drees | Director | Munich, Germany | Generalist |
Florian D. Kreuzer | Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Francesco Malvezzi | Director | Milan, Italy | Consumer & Retail |
David Mazaira | Director | Barcelona, Spain | |
Shaun Mercer | Managing Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Philipp Meyer | Director | Munich, Germany | Generalist |
Mario Pardo | Managing Director | Barcelona, Spain | Generalist |
Filippo Penatti | Managing Director | Milan, Italy | Generalist |
Simon Pex | Associate Director | Munich, Germany | |
Thomas Rajzbaum | Director | Paris, France | |
Carlos Robles | Director | Barcelona, Spain | |
Fraser S. Robson | Managing Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Michael C. Schuster | Director | Munich, Germany | |
Chris Scott | Managing Director | London, UK | |
Laurent Senard | Director | Paris, France | |
Alex Wagenberg | Managing Director | London, UK | Generalist |
Willi Westenberger | Associate Director | Munich, Germany | |
Jonathan Zafrani | Managing Director | Paris, France | Generalist |
Case Study
Company | Industry | Acquired | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|
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B&B Hotels | Consumer & Retail |
Brest, France |
Exited |
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CommScope, Inc. | Technology & Business Services |
Hickory , NC U.S. |
Exited |
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RAC Ltd | Consumer & Retail |
Birmingham, U.K. |
Exited |
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Axalta Coating Systems | Industrial |
Philadelphia, PA, USA |
Exited |
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Multi Packaging Solutions, Inc. | Industrial |
Nottingham, UK |
Exited |