PAI Partners
Encyclopedia
PAI partners is a major European private equity
house and is the leading private equity investor in the French market. It is one of the oldest and most experienced firms in the sector with its origins dating back to Paribas Affaires Industrielles, the historical principal investment activity of Paribas, which started operations in 1872.
PAI manages and advises dedicated private equity funds with a total equity value of over €7 billion. Over the last decade, PAI has led 45 transactions in 8 European countries for a value of more than €30 billion.
PAI has a team of 50 highly experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds. With professionals from 9 European countries and teams in Paris
, Copenhagen
, London
, Luxembourg
, Madrid
, Milan
and Munich
, PAI has an in-depth knowledge of its target markets.
, the pan-European merchant bank which merged with Banque Nationale de Paris in 1999. PAI was originally formed to manage the private equity investments of BNP Paribas. In 1993, Amaury de Seze joined Paribas Affaires Industrielles as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, PAI developed a strategy in private equity
that capitalized on the team's familiarity with industrial sectors.
Paribas Affaires Industrielles led the €610 million buyout of Danone’s pasta and condiment unit in 1997, at that time the largest leveraged buyout
ever completed in France. The following year, the firm finalized fundraising for its first third party investment fund, raising €650 million of investor commitments. PAI completed a full spinout from BNP in 2000 and the following year raised a new €1.8 billion private equity fund.
On May 6, 2008, PAI announced the final closing of its most recent private equity investment Fund, PAI Europe V, with €5.4 billion ($8.3 billion) of investor commitments.
Prior to 1998, PAI invested exclusively on the balance sheet of BNP Paribas
. PAI LBO Fund, established in 1998, was the first PAI investment vehicle managing third party capital.
In September 2009, PAI's CEO Dominique Megret was forced to step down in favor of Lionel Zinsou, who came from N.M. Rothschild. The move was described as a "coup d’etat" which has caused discord among both the firm's professionals and investors. In response, PAI has offered investors an opportunity to reduce the size of PAI Europe V, raised in 2007 and 2008, by almost 40%.
(European leader in dry pet food), Diana Ingredients (natural food ingredients), Evialis (animal feed), Saupiquet (ready meals), LDC (premium poultry), Navidul (cured ham - Spain), SOS Arana (rice - Spain) and helped them consolidate their respective sector. PAI has completed a large number of leveraged buyouts of market leading European companies in recent years including several of the most significant in Europe. The most recent transactions in consumer goods and services, healthcare as well as general industrial companies are highlighted below:
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
house and is the leading private equity investor in the French market. It is one of the oldest and most experienced firms in the sector with its origins dating back to Paribas Affaires Industrielles, the historical principal investment activity of Paribas, which started operations in 1872.
PAI manages and advises dedicated private equity funds with a total equity value of over €7 billion. Over the last decade, PAI has led 45 transactions in 8 European countries for a value of more than €30 billion.
PAI has a team of 50 highly experienced professionals with diverse backgrounds. With professionals from 9 European countries and teams in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, PAI has an in-depth knowledge of its target markets.
History
PAI's origins date back to Paribas Affaires Industrielles, the historical principal investment activity of ParibasBNP Paribas
BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
, the pan-European merchant bank which merged with Banque Nationale de Paris in 1999. PAI was originally formed to manage the private equity investments of BNP Paribas. In 1993, Amaury de Seze joined Paribas Affaires Industrielles as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, PAI developed a strategy in private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
that capitalized on the team's familiarity with industrial sectors.
Paribas Affaires Industrielles led the €610 million buyout of Danone’s pasta and condiment unit in 1997, at that time the largest leveraged buyout
Leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...
ever completed in France. The following year, the firm finalized fundraising for its first third party investment fund, raising €650 million of investor commitments. PAI completed a full spinout from BNP in 2000 and the following year raised a new €1.8 billion private equity fund.
On May 6, 2008, PAI announced the final closing of its most recent private equity investment Fund, PAI Europe V, with €5.4 billion ($8.3 billion) of investor commitments.
Prior to 1998, PAI invested exclusively on the balance sheet of BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas S.A. is a global banking group, headquartered in Paris, with its second global headquarters in London. In October 2010 BNP Paribas was ranked by Bloomberg and Forbes as the largest bank and largest company in the world by assets with over $3.1 trillion. It was formed through the merger...
. PAI LBO Fund, established in 1998, was the first PAI investment vehicle managing third party capital.
In September 2009, PAI's CEO Dominique Megret was forced to step down in favor of Lionel Zinsou, who came from N.M. Rothschild. The move was described as a "coup d’etat" which has caused discord among both the firm's professionals and investors. In response, PAI has offered investors an opportunity to reduce the size of PAI Europe V, raised in 2007 and 2008, by almost 40%.
Investment funds
Since 1998, PAI has raised four investment funds:- PAI LBO Fund, 1998 - €650 million
- PAI Europe III, 2001 - €1.8 billion
- PAI Europe IV, 2005 - €2.7 billion
- PAI Europe V, 2008 - €2.7 billion
Investments
Historically, PAI managed Paribas' stakes in large food and consumer goods companies across Europe: Royal CaninRoyal Canin
Royal Canin is a worldwide manufacturer and supplier of premium dog and cat nutrition. It was founded in 1967 in a village of Gard, France, by the French veterinary surgeon, Jean Cathary....
(European leader in dry pet food), Diana Ingredients (natural food ingredients), Evialis (animal feed), Saupiquet (ready meals), LDC (premium poultry), Navidul (cured ham - Spain), SOS Arana (rice - Spain) and helped them consolidate their respective sector. PAI has completed a large number of leveraged buyouts of market leading European companies in recent years including several of the most significant in Europe. The most recent transactions in consumer goods and services, healthcare as well as general industrial companies are highlighted below:
- :fr:Kiloutou: Equiment rental services
- SwissportSwissportSwissport International Ltd. is a Swiss company headquartered in Glattbrugg, Opfikon, Switzerland. Owned by PAI, Swissport International Ltd. provides ground services for around 100 million passengers and 3.2 million tonnes of cargo a year on behalf of some 650 client-companies in the aviation...
: Ground and cargo handling services - The Nuance Group: Travel retail and duty free industry
- Hunkemöller: Lingerie specialist retailer
- Cerba European Lab: Specialised biology laboratory
- XellaXellaXella is an international building materials firm based in Duisburg, Germany, operating in ca. 20 countries. The company is active in three business segments: Building Materials, Raw Materials and Dry Lining....
: Aircrete blocks - Atos OriginAtos OriginAtos S.A. is an international information technology corporation which operates in 42 countries worldwide, with over 78,500 employees...
: IT services providers - Kaufman & Broad: Developer and builder of homes
- United BiscuitsUnited Biscuits__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
: Biscuits and snacks - SPIE: Multitechnical services
- PerstorpPerstorpPerstorp is a locality and the seat of Perstorp Municipality in Skåne County, Sweden with 5,468 inhabitants in 2005. It is twinned with Newton Aycliffe, a town in the North-East of England.- References :...
: Added value ingredients for the coatings industry - Global Closure SystemsGlobal Closure SystemsGlobal Closure Systems is a privately-owned French company producing closures for beverage containers and other purposes. It operates from 26 plants globally under various brand names, including Astra Plastique, Bender, Massmould, Obrist, UCP and Zeller Plastik.-History:The company was created as...
: Plastic closures - CortefielCortefielGrupo Cortefiel is the second largest apparel retailer in Spain through Cortefiel , Springfield and Women's Secret . The Iberian Peninsula accounts for more than 85% of the revenues of the group...
: Cloting retailer - Chr. HansenChr. HansenChr. Hansen A/S is a global company based in Denmark which produces natural ingredients to the food, beverage, dietary supplements, and agricultural industries. The company is a leading supplier of food cultures, probiotics, enzymes and natural colors...
: Cultures for the dairy industry - FTE Automotive: Clutch actuation components and systems
External links
- PAI partners (company website)
- PAI partners BusinessWeek Profile