Matilda Battersby

Ian Jackson has been hired as a director for The Carlyle Group's distressed and corporate opportunities arm. He will be 'deployed' to help invest the firm's latest distress fund, Carlyle Strategic Partners II, which closed on $1.35bn in April 2008.

The first such fund raised by the Swiss alternative fund manager was targeting a $400m final close.

CVC has missed the €12.1bn target for its fifth European buyout fund in a tough environment that has seen several firms slash targets on new and existing funds. The UK-headquartered firm is also reported to be among private equity firms looking to part-privatise UK Royal Mail.

The New York-based private equity firm is reportedly on the brink of making up to 27 of its 275 employees redundant.

German private equity firm Afinum has bought equity in freight carrier Wallenborn Transport, intending to aid its pan-European expansion. The deal is reportedly valued at between €25m and €50m.

The European private equity firm has departed from the traditional 2% management fee structure, opting to take 1.75% for managing its latest fund.

The first European-based private equity firm dedicated to healthcare has completed its first two deals. The value of the deals has been estimated at €100m.

This is the second exit in as many weeks for the private equity firm, following the sale of modelling agency Models 1 to OpenGate Capital earlier this month.

Three high profile socialists and MEPs have written to the EU Commission president to demand action proposals for private equity regulations, following a war of words triggered by remarks from EU Commissioner Charlie McCreevy in December.

New Venture Partners has joined the venture capital arm of Unilever in funding MiLife Coaching, a UK-based provider of biometric devices such as wristbands and scales designed to help people to achieve and maintain weight loss.