Invest Europe, the association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors, as well as their investors, announced that Frans Tieleman, Advisor, Eurazeo, has assumed the role of Chair for 2023-2024, taking over from Dr. Klaus Hommels, Founder, Lakestar.
Invest Europe took the opportunity to offer its thanks and appreciation to Klaus – on behalf of its members and broader network – for his work to promote the industry, and focus on strengthening Europe’s investment ecosystem, promoting European sovereignty in financing and technology, and encouraging European entrepreneurship.
Frans joined the Mid Market Council in 2018 and the Board in 2021 as a representative of Eurazeo. He now serves as an advisor to Eurazeo and has other engagements in private equity investing. His current focus is investments that help decarbonise the economy.
With more than €35 billion in assets under management, including €24.7 billion from limited partners and more than 600 portfolio companies invested or funded, Eurazeo is one of Europe’s leading private equity companies.
As Invest Europe Chair, Frans will be supported by directors drawn from the association’s broad membership which represents venture capital, mid-market and global private equity firms as well as limited partners. Appointments confirmed for a three-year period until June 2026 include Torsten Grede (Deutsche Beteiligungs AG), Ingrid Teigland Akay (Hadean Ventures), Carolina Espinal (Harbourvest Partners) and Filippo Cardini (Towerbrook Capital Partners); Christina Pamberg (Alcyon Holding) and Catherine Brossard (Cerberus Capital Management) are confirmed as board members for a year until June 2024. Max Bautin (IQ Capital) has been appointed Treasurer for a 1-year period.
Frans will also work closely with CEO Eric de Montgolfier and the association’s team to promote and increase understanding about private equity and venture capital’s cornerstone contribution to Europe’s economy and society. His key priorities for the year are promoting the industry’s involvement in combating climate change and in supporting Europe’s strategic, technological and industrial sovereignty, while defending the values of diversity and inclusion. These integrate fully into Invest Europe’s current strategic objectives:
- Ensuring members’ and industry’s license to operate through public affairs deliverables that secure and broaden our influence and communication activities that actively manage the industry’s reputation
- Substantially increase research and data production to better defend and promote the industry and provide more value-add publications and services to members
- Connect industry players and generate opportunities to grow through conferences, training and networking events, and member engagement
The private equity and venture capital industry provided strong support for European businesses and workers: some 10.5 million people were employed at private equity and venture capital backed businesses across Europe in 2021, according to the fourth edition of Invest Europe’s groundbreaking Private Equity at Work report, with portfolio companies adding 6.5% more jobs – or over five times the average across Europe.
Invest Europe’s ‘Investing in Europe: Private Equity Activity 2022’ report revealed a new high level of commitment from long-term investors seeking strong returns to support European pensions and savings. A total of 801 European private equity, venture capital, and growth funds raised €170 billion in 2022, 30% above the previous record of €131 billion achieved in 2021.
Investment hit €130 billion in 2022, a decline on 2021’s peak, yet 30% above the average of the past five years, underlining the step-change in private capital investment taking place across Europe. Investments reached 0.62% of European GDP in 2022, the second highest level on record following 2021’s extraordinary investment levels.
Record fundraising in 2022 was driven by long-term investors, led by pension funds which committed 27% of the total. They were followed by sovereign wealth funds which significantly stepped up investment, achieving 15% of the total, and funds of funds – a conduit for smaller pension funds to invest in private equity and venture capital – accounting for 11% of the total. Alongside insurers, these long-term institutional investors supplied almost two-thirds of all capital raised in 2022.
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Invest Europe is the association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors, as well as their investors. We have over 650 members, split roughly equally between private equity, venture capital and limited partners – with some 110 associate members representing advisers to our ecosystem. Those members are based in 57 countries, including 42 in Europe, and manage 70% of the European private equity and venture capital industry’s €846 billion of assets under management. Businesses with private capital investment employ 10.5 million people across Europe, 4.5% of the region’s workforce.
Invest Europe, the association representing Europe’s private equity, venture capital and infrastructure sectors, as well as their investors, announced that Frans Tieleman, Advisor, Eurazeo, has assumed the role of Chair for 2023-2024, taking over from Dr. Klaus Hommels, Founder, Lakestar.