June 2008 Issue

Is the large buyout market on its way back? There are no straight answers on the internet, discovers Nicholas Lockley.

ON THE RECORD 2008-06-01 Staff Writer As its communications team put it when describing an April acquisition of railroad company Central Power Products, The Riverside Company “keeps chugging ahead” while many of its mid-market competitors watch deal flow grind to a halt. The New York- and Cleve

As Western buyout markets continue to encounter challenges, the CEE region is attracting renewed LP interest. But the complexities of investing in the East should not be overlooked. Andy Thomson reports.

The team formerly known as JPMorgan Partners has a fresh pool of capital, a pared-down global platform and a bolstered esprit de corps now that it is operating as an independent firm. By David Snow

THE 50 PEOPLE WHO WILL CHANGE PRIVATE EQUITY 2008-06-01 Staff Writer Thierry Baudon , Mid Europa Partners, p. 58 Antonio Bonchristiano , GP Investments, p. 58

Private equity provided an 18.6 percent return for the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System last year, allowing the Canadian pension to beat its overall benchmark. Amanda Janis recently met with Paul Renaud, head of OMERS Capital Partners, to discuss the methodology his in-house investment team employs and his thoughts on industry trends.

The private equity industry is in a state of flux – which also makes it a time of opportunity for its supporters and detractors. This section of the magazine is dedicated to those individuals who may, through the influence they wield, find their way into private equity's history book.

A recent tie-up in the Netherlands shows venture taking a bet that big pharma will be looking for new biotechnology innovations from both private and public mediumsized companies. By Dave Keating

AIG's Latin America private equity group has deployed more than 16 percent of its recently closed $692m fund.

Travant Capital Partners has reached its first close within 10 months, raising hopes for the development of a domestic African private equity industry

An Australia-based investment group is carving deals in the mining sector.

The Middle Eastern private equity firm has raised $200m and $150m for two of the seven sectorfocussed funds it plans to raise. It is targeting $5bn across the seven funds.

A strategic agreement with Shandong Province is evidence of the influence being won by The Carlyle Group in China.

The Carlyle Group has tapped White House economic aide Bryan Corbett for its governmental affairs team, the latest in a steady stream of ex-politicos joining private equity shops.

The US' largest public pension, CalPERS, is losing both its CEO and CIO to the private sector.

Global private energy specialist First Reserve has broadened its investment scope with a $300m investment in barley-based ethanol production.

Paul Capital looks to emerging markets with the closing of its largest-ever secondaries fund on $1.65bn.

Why the success of a Hollywood movie about a comicbook character may spur more private equity-style investments in entertainment intellectual property.

Francis Carpenter, the former boss of the European Investment Fund, is joining the secondary specialist as an advisor in London.

The Blackstone Group hasn't lost faith in its investment in Deutsche Telekom – yet.

3i, the London-listed private equity giant, is trading at a discount to net asset value but has grand plans to nearly double its assets under management by the end of 2010.

Private equity firms are queuing up to relieve the banks of their LBO exposure. Ironic? Typical more like.

PEAK PERFORMANCE 2008-06-01 Staff Writer ‘Long-term performance is what matters in private equity‘. This oft-recited statement is a truism in the sense that clearly what happens over a ten-year period is of more significance than, let's say, a mere 12 months. Keeping the thought firmly at the front of one's

YOU MUST BE KIDMAN 2008-06-01 Staff Writer Easiest decision ever made at The Blackstone Group: putting Nicole Kidman in the annual report. Public shareholders in the alternative investment giant were treated to a visual tour de force in the form of Blackstone's first-ever official shareholder year-end roundu

Given the identity of its guest speaker, a celebratory Guernsey Finance event was always likely to have a bitter-sweet outcome.

Reasons to be fearful