December 2004 / January 2005 Issue

As CalPERS' struggle with the California Public Records Act illustrates, public disclosure requests continue to mutate, ensuring that the disputes they trigger will be with us for a long time

In their quest to find a few good private investments, the professionals of TA Associates make thousands of phone calls and visit hundreds of companies every year. They often arrive at appointments in a private jet flown by the firm's chief executive officer, Kevin Landry. David Snow profiles the industry's biggest proponent of cold calling, and perhaps the only licensed pilot to also manage a private equity megafund

GPs launching new funds into an increasingly busy fundraising environment must demonstrate their credibility to LPs as early on in the process as possible, says Sarah Clarke

A geographic guide to public disclosure developments across America

Like that proverbial Swiss watch, private equity investment management ticks along smoothly in Switzerland. But beneath the polished surface changes, albeit subtle, are in gear as practitioners expand offerings and seek to subtly reposition themselves. Colm Gilmore checks out the Swiss fund of funds marketplace

Private equity's freedom-of-information imbroglio is about to cross the pond, writes David Snow

Concern over open-record requests in the US is changing relations between GPs and their investors. To gain admission to desirable funds, some LPs are agreeing to receive less information. David Snow reports

Editor's letter Staff 2004-12-02 Writer Three years ago, in December 2001, the very first edition of Private Equity International led with an article on the problem of transparency in private equity. At the time, the issue was on many people's minds: with the except

Venture capitalists log on again

A Scottish oil industry venture looks busy

Venture capitalists take note: Massachusetts wants to open the door to stem-cell research initiatives

There's no getting away from it: private equity industry performance figures can be very difficult for investors to interpret. This should not come as a surprise. Industry practitioners themselves can struggle to fully understand them too. Mark Drugan of Westport Private Equity takes stock

Is a private equity-backed bid for Sainsbury's possible?

To those investors thinking of launching into the Korean private equity market: be warned. It's about to get very crowded in there

A new AIM-listed company is seeking to back Chinese companies that want to list on Western stock exchanges

Selling to hedge funds enabled Takefuji's disgraced owner to retain control of his company. Private equity firms will hope it is an isolated event

Having just returned from Africa where she was director of the IFC's Sub- Saharan Africa Department, and having earlier worked on China and Latin America, Haydée Celaya knows well the full spectrum of the term “emerging”. As the new head of the IFC's private equity funds programme, Celaya's international team will continue to invest in funds around the world while serving as the lead advocate for emerging markets private equity as an essential allocation within an institutional portfolio. In a recent interview, Celaya spoke of the IFC's goal of better understanding this young, capital- and data-starved industry.

A major private equity advisor buys a fund of hedge funds

“Steady as she goes” could be Montagu's motto. Years of experience in private equity have given the firm a certain confidence about the correct size for its funds, which sectors to invest them in, and what strategy to pursue with the acquired companies.

Are exits overrated?

An Alchemy-backed financial services firm has recruited a team of senior bankers to launch a private equity advisory business

Only 20 percent of Autobahn drivers spend money at Tank & Rast service stations. Terra Firma wants to change that

The 2004 European Private Equity Forum, November 2004, New York

Users of a new secondary advisory service first meet on the Web – thereafter it will be business the old-fashioned way

Europe's leveraged finance market is hotter than ever – a mixed blessing for the continent's LBO sponsors

Hosein Khajeh-Hosseiny was looking forward to the challenge of heading up the new London office of Northgate Capital, the California-based fund of funds manager he joined in November. He dreamt of introducing the firm to important new sources of finance and top private equity managers. But then, all of a sudden, his reverie was disturbed. […]

Tom Hicks' last deal before stepping down from Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, the acquisition of UK footwear company Jimmy Choo, was a testament, in part, to the power of the popular HBO series “Sex and the City”. The series follows the romantic adventures of four single women in New York. It also portrayed in […]

Having recently moved offices ourselves, we know how important it is to communicate the new contact details to those who need to know. When Terra Firma recently moved into new space, it marked the happy occasion with a press release. In it, the firm not only informed everyone about the whereabouts of its new residence. […]