Praesidium can draw from one of the deepest and most seasoned pools of interdisciplinary experience internationally: all the professionals which serve on Praesidium’s Boards and Committees have accumulated an invaluable and unique wealth of experience, coupled with the highest ethical and professional standards
Investment Committee
Leslie («Les») BrunChairman of the Investment Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board of DirectorsAmerican, 67
Leslie («Les») Brun
Chairman of the Investment Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
Investment Committee- Les is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sarr Group, LLC, a diversified holding company for his investments
- Les was the Founder, Chairman (and later Chairman Emeritus) and controlling shareholder of Hamilton Lane, the world’s leading Private Equity advisory and management firm, focusing on the firm’s strategic initiatives and direction, as well as its investment decision-making through his participation to the firm’s Investment Committee
- After leaving Hamilton Lane in 2006 (and selling his controlling participation to a consortium led by the investment arm of Bill Gates in 2003), Les had a number of executive and non executive positions with major global Private Equity firms, among which he was Managing Director of CCMP Capital Advisors (heir of the Private Equity activities of JP Morgan Chase)
- With over 37 years of investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory experience, Les began his career with Chemical Bank in Seoul (South Korea), where he was Assistant Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. After that, he was Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Investment Banking Group of Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia, Vice President in the Corporate Finance division of E.F. Hutton & Co. in New York, and Vice President of Lloyds International Corporation
- Les is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE «BR»), the global leader for technology-driven solutions for wealth management, asset management and capital markets firms, CDK Global (NASDAQ «CDK»), US leader in technology solutions for the automotive sector retail, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Automated Data Processing (NYSE «ADP»), global leader in payroll services solutions
- Les is also a non executive Director (and Chairman of the Audit Committee) on the Board of Merck & Co (NYSE «MRK»), one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, a Director on the Board of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (NYSE «HPE») and NXT Capital
- Les was Chairman of the US Small Business Administration’s Advisory Council and is currently a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
- Les holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus, and is a former Trustee of the University at Buffalo Foundations
- Most recently, Les was inducted to the Hall of Fame for the National Association of Investment Companies. He was also honored as the recipient for the 2012 Visionary Award from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in Philadelphia
- Les is US national and speaks English
Alessandro PoliFounder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 49
Alessandro Poli
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Alessandro was Founder and CEO of Perennius Capital Partners SGR, the largest Private Equity fund-of-funds manager in Italy with € 1bn under management. The company, managing 7 funds and some large customized mandates, was later sold to international alternative asset manager Partners Group. After the sale, Alessandro was Partner and Global Head of Energy at Partners Group in the global headquarters of Zug (CH)
- After leaving Partners Group, Alessandro founded and ran as CEO Massena Private Investments, a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London (UK) and managed in excess of US$ 800mln in Private Equity, Real Estate and Private Debt strategies in both fund investments and co-investments
- Prior to founding Perennius SGR, Alessandro was Managing Partner & CEO of Poli e Associati, one of the oldest Italian Corporate Finance boutiques. The company, based in Milan and principally engaged in financial structuring, M&A and capital markets, has historically assisted some of the most important families in Italy and their family companies
- During his career, Alessandro worked in consulting at Bain & Co (where he was a Manager in both London and Milan offices covering the Private Equity Practice), at Coty Inc. in New York (as assistant to the CEO) and at JP Morgan, where he covered a number of roles in the M&A department in London, Paris and New York
- He was Contract Professor of Theory of Finance at Bocconi University in Milan, and is the author of a monograph (“Cost of Capital: Theory of Finance and Financial Markets”) and several books, essays and articles on corporate valuation. He is member of the Academic Committee of Bocconi’s Quarterly Review “Company Valuation” (Milan)
- Alessandro is a graduate in Economics from Bocconi University, Milan, and has a Master specialization in International Corporate Finance from HEC in Paris
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Alessandro is an Italian national and speaks English, French, Italian and German
Marco CostagutaVice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 60
Marco Costaguta
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Since 2012, Marco is Chairman of Long Term Partners, a management advisory boutique based in Milan
- Marco was Senior Partner of Bain & Company from 1989 to 2012 and Member of the Board of Bain & Co. Worldwide from 1997 to 2000. During his tenure at Bain, Marco focused and had regional responsibility on different sectors (Consumer Goods, Industrials, Luxury Goods, Publishing) and was particularly active in assisting Private Equity managers with strategic due diligence processes and support to portfolio companies
- Prior to Bain & Co., Marco was at McKinsey & Co. in the Milan office
- Marco started his professional career at Hewlett-Packard in Andover (USA)
- He is on the Board of several companies, among which ERG, S. Quirico, Only the Brave (holding of Diesel Group), Goglio
- He is also member of the Investment Committee of FSI (Fondo Strategico Italiano) and member of the Scientific Committee of AIDAF (Associazione Italiana delle Imprese di Famiglia)
- Marco earned his BA in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano and his MBA at Insead
- Marco is an Italian national and speaks English, French and Italian
Marc BonavitacolaChief Investment OfficerAmerican, 55
Marc Bonavitacola
Chief Investment Officer
Investment Committee- Marc served as the Head of US Private Equity for SVG Advisers Inc. in Boston, MA and, later, Aberdeen Asset Management in Philadelphia, PA following a merger in 2013. The combined institutions oversaw global private equity commitments totaling over USD $7 billion. During his 13-year tenure, he was a member of several Investment Committees for US, European and Asian investments, and was ultimately responsible for the diligence on well over 100 US primary funds and secondary interests totaling over USD $3 billion in commitments with a team of 8 professionals. Portfolios included SVG Capital plc, the Aberdeen Global PE FoF, four Schroders Private Equity FoFs, three SVG Diamond funds (securitized debt vehicles) and various separate accounts
- Prior to 2003, Marc was a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee at Hamilton Lane, where, as a Portfolio Manager, he worked with clients to build customized private equity portfolios
- Before 2001, he was the Chief Investment Officer of the Philadelphia Public Employees Retirement System ($5.1 billion in assets) and was also responsible for developing the System's private equity portfolio and the strategic plan to invest $500 million in the asset class. He was also responsible for overseeing the external managers for real estate, equities and fixed income
- During early part of his career, Marc worked as a financial consultant and commercial banker for Merrill Lynch, First Fidelity Bank and Continental Bank in Philadelphia, PA
- He earned his MBA at the LeBow School of Business at Drexel University and his BBA at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, both in Philadelphia, PA. He is also a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia
- Marc is a US national and speaks English
Nori Gerardo LietzMember of the Investment CommitteeAmerican, 62
Nori Gerardo Lietz
Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Nori Lietz is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading figures in Real Estate: she has one of the longest and most successful track records advising and investing on behalf of institutional clients worldwide
- In 1988, Nori was the founder and CEO of Pension Consulting Alliance (“PCA”), a San Francisco-based firm which she grew into the world’s largest Real Estate advisory firm in terms of client assets. Her clients included several Sovereign Wealth Funds (including the world’s largest, Norges Bank, as well as Korea Investment Corporation and several Gulf SWFs), the United Nations, several public pension funds (including Calpers and Calpers in the USA) and some of the largest private pension funds and insurance companies in the world. Her longest standing relationship is with the State of Oregon, which under her advisory has enjoyed the top performance in the USA for their Real Estate portfolio for each of the past 15 years
- In 2007 Nori sold PCA to Partners Group, one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers. As CIO of Real Estate and Chairman of the Real Estate Investment Committee at Partners Group (as well as Member of the Global Investment Committee), she launched the Real Estate program and grew the division to circa US$ 5bn of assets under management
- Nori left Partners Group in 2012 to create Areté Capital, a boutique investment advisory firm in Real Estate based in San Francisco (CA)
- Nori is also Professor of Private Equity Real Estate at Harvard Business School (where she also received the “2014 Distinguished Teaching Award”) and at Stanford Business School. As an academic, she is author of several papers and case studies in the field of Private Equity Real Estate and was the Commencement Speaker for the Center for Real Estate of MIT in Cambridge (MA).
- In 2008, Nori was named the “2nd most influential global figure in Real Estate” as well “one of the ten most prominent women in the world in Real Estate” by PERE magazine in 2010
- Prior to founding PCA, Nori served as Senior Vice President of PSI Institutional Realty, in Glendale (CA) and at Paul Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in San Francisco (CA)
- She graduated at Stanford University in Palo Alto and received her JD from UCLA School of Law
- She has served as Director of the Pension Real Estate Association and the Institute of Real Estate Research, and is admitted to the California State Bar
- Nori is American and speaks English and Spanish
Giampio BracchiMember of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 75
Giampio Bracchi
Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Giampio spent all his academic activity at Politecnico di Milano as Professor of Information Systems. He was for many years Deputy Rector of the Politecnico and Chairman of the University Foundation, which he now leads as Chairman Emeritus. He is the Founder of Polihub, the incubator of the Politecnico di Milano, recently ranked the 2nd best university incubator in Europe
- Giampio was Co-Founder (with Alessandro Poli, Praesidium’s CEO) and Chairman since inception of Perennius Capital Partners SGR (the largest Private Equity fund-of-funds manager in Italy), later sold to an international alternative asset manager
- He has been advisor to several Prime Ministers of Italy for the Innovation Policies of the country
- He has chaired for almost a decade the Italian Association of Private Equity and Venture Capital (AIFI), where he managed to radically innovate the industry body and the penetration and perception of the asset class in Italy
- Giampio has a long relationship with Banca Intesa Sanpaolo, where he served for many years as Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chairman of several group companies. He still serves as Chairman of Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking, the largest private bank in Italy
- He has served as Board member of several large corporations in Italy, among them CIR, Amplifon, INPS (the Italian State Pension Fund), Cariplo, Sorin, the Italian Stock Exchange and ABI (Italian Banks Association)
- Giampio supports, either in institutional form or on a personal basis, a number of non-for-profit organisations and foundations, where he often sits in the Boards or Scientific Committees: among others, Fondazione Don Carlo Gnocchi Onlus, Istituto Treccani, International Federation for Information Processing, Very Large Database Foundation in Los Angeles
- Giampio gained his Engineering Degree from Politecnico di Milano and his postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, Berkeley
- He is author of over 200 publications and 20 books on financial and corporate innovation
- Giampio is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
John MaxwellMember of the Investment CommitteeBritish, 56
John Maxwell
Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- John was CEO of Private Equity Fund of Funds at Allianz in Munich until 2009. In this role, he supervised a € 5.2bn portfolio (of which a € 2bn committment to over 30 funds globally was initiated by him directly), invested in over 200 funds globally: the team counted 35 people in its offices in Munich, New York and Singapore. In addition, he was also Chairman of the Global Investment Committee
- Since leaving Allianz, John has been sitting on a number of Board, Committees and acting as Senior Advisor for a number of Private Equity managers
- Prior to Allianz, John spent 17 years at Standard Life, where he led the creation (and ran as CEO since inception) of Standard Life Investments (Private Equity), the company’s asset management arm specialized in Private Equity, with a team of 32 people and offices in Edinburgh (Scotland) and Boston (USA). As CEO of Standard Life Investments, he grew the Private Equity business to € 5.6bn, representing 130 third party investors in 25 countries and investing in 72 funds and 18 direct investments worldwide. He was also Executive Board Member of Standard Life Investments (then managing a total of £ 190bn)
- Prior to Standard Life, John worked at Castleforth Fund Managers in Edinburgh (Scotland) as a Manager and at Stewart, Ivory & Co (always in Edinburgh) as Manager Unquoted Investments
- John is very active in philanthropic activities: inter alia, he is Chairman of the Muir Maxwell Trust, a self-started charity supporting children with epilepsy which has raised and distributed over £ 4.5mln since 2003, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment
- He earned his BA in Law at the University of Strathclyde and his MBA at the University of Edinburgh Business School
- John is a British national and speaks English
Management
Alessandro PoliFounder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 49
Alessandro Poli
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment Committee
Management- Alessandro was Founder and CEO of Perennius Capital Partners SGR, the largest Private Equity fund-of-funds manager in Italy with € 1bn under management. The company, managing 7 funds and some large customized mandates, was later sold to international alternative asset manager Partners Group. After the sale, Alessandro was Partner and Global Head of Energy at Partners Group in the global headquarters of Zug (CH)
- After leaving Partners Group, Alessandro founded and ran as CEO Massena Private Investments, a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London (UK) and managed in excess of US$ 800mln in Private Equity, Real Estate and Private Debt strategies in both fund investments and co-investments
- Prior to founding Perennius SGR, Alessandro was Managing Partner & CEO of Poli e Associati, one of the oldest Italian Corporate Finance boutiques. The company, based in Milan and principally engaged in financial structuring, M&A and capital markets, has historically assisted some of the most important families in Italy and their family companies
- During his career, Alessandro worked in consulting at Bain & Co (where he was a Manager in both London and Milan offices covering the Private Equity Practice), at Coty Inc. in New York (as assistant to the CEO) and at JP Morgan, where he covered a number of roles in the M&A department in London, Paris and New York
- He was Contract Professor of Theory of Finance at Bocconi University in Milan, and is the author of a monograph (“Cost of Capital: Theory of Finance and Financial Markets”) and several books, essays and articles on corporate valuation. He is member of the Academic Committee of Bocconi’s Quarterly Review “Company Valuation” (Milan)
- Alessandro is a graduate in Economics from Bocconi University, Milan, and has a Master specialization in International Corporate Finance from HEC in Paris
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Alessandro is an Italian national and speaks English, French, Italian and German
Marc BonavitacolaChief Investment OfficerAmerican, 55
Marc Bonavitacola
Chief Investment Officer
Management- Marc served as the Head of US Private Equity for SVG Advisers Inc. in Boston, MA and, later, Aberdeen Asset Management in Philadelphia, PA following a merger in 2013. The combined institutions oversaw global private equity commitments totaling over USD $7 billion. During his 13-year tenure, he was a member of several Investment Committees for US, European and Asian investments, and was ultimately responsible for the diligence on well over 100 US primary funds and secondary interests totaling over USD $3 billion in commitments with a team of 8 professionals. Portfolios included SVG Capital plc, the Aberdeen Global PE FoF, four Schroders Private Equity FoFs, three SVG Diamond funds (securitized debt vehicles) and various separate accounts
- Prior to 2003, Marc was a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee at Hamilton Lane, where, as a Portfolio Manager, he worked with clients to build customized private equity portfolios
- Before 2001, he was the Chief Investment Officer of the Philadelphia Public Employees Retirement System ($5.1 billion in assets) and was also responsible for developing the System's private equity portfolio and the strategic plan to invest $500 million in the asset class. He was also responsible for overseeing the external managers for real estate, equities and fixed income
- During early part of his career, Marc worked as a financial consultant and commercial banker for Merrill Lynch, First Fidelity Bank and Continental Bank in Philadelphia, PA
- He earned his MBA at the LeBow School of Business at Drexel University and his BBA at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, both in Philadelphia, PA. He is also a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia
- Marc is a US national and speaks English
Deborah VenturiniInvestor Relations & Corporate DevelopmentItalian, 49
Deborah Venturini
Investor Relations & Corporate Development
Management- Deborah has over 20 years of M&A and banking experience
- Prior to joining Praesidium, she spent 3 years with Mediobanca in their HNWI private banking Division
- Prior to Mediobanca, Deborah was an M&A banker for 20 years and was responsible for a number of significant M&A transactions at Vitale & Co. and Euromobiliare, with a particular focus on consumer goods
- Deborah started her career in audit with Arthur Andersen
- She graduated from Bocconi University, Milan with a degree in Economics
- Deborah is an Italian Chartered Accountant and Chartered Financial Advisor
- Deborah is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Lorenzo GiordanoChief Financial OfficerItalian, 51
Lorenzo Giordano
Chief Financial Officer
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium as CFO, Lorenzo has been for the last 8 years the CFO of Opera SGR (a Milan-based Private Equity manager specialized in Italian lifestyle companies)
- Prior to Opera, Lorenzo was CFO of Aletti Private Equity SGR (always in Milan), a Private Equity manager specialized in SMEs in Italy
- In the early stages of his career, Lorenzo was a controller for a number of high-profile companies in Italy and Germany (among them Fastweb – later sold to Swisscom, and SMI GmbH)
- He has a BA in Economics from Bocconi University, Milan
- Lorenzo is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Max DarqueInvestment DirectorBritish and French, 33
Max Darque
Investment Director
Management- Max has 10 years of investment and private equity experience
- Prior to joining Praesidium, Max co-founded and led as CEO Altereum, a London-based SaaS platform for the Private Equity industry
- Prior to that, he was an Investment Professional at Aberdeen Asset Management and SVG in Boston, Philadelphia and London for more than 6 years
- He started his career as a Software Engineer at Logica in the UK working on the European GPS system (Galileo)
- Max graduated from the University of Bristol with a Masters in Engineering and is a CFA Charterholder
- Max has dual British and French citizenship and speaks English, French and Spanish
Marcela Sánchez CifuentesHead of OperationsItalian, 38
Marcela Sánchez Cifuentes
Head of Operations
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium as Head of Operations, she has been for the last 4 years in charge of Funds Operations and Client Administration at Advanced Capital SGR (a Milan-based Private Equity Fund of Funds manager)
- Prior to Advanced Capital SGR, she was Investment Officer and was in charge of Funds Operations at Pragma Alternative SGR (Hedge funds)
- In the early stages of her career, Marcela worked as a Fund Accountant Specialist at BNP Paribas
- She graduated in International Economics, Management and Finance at Bocconi University in Milan and earned her MSc at ESADE Business School in Barcelona
- Marcela is a Colombian national and speaks Spanish, English, French and Italian
Benedetta BarlassinaGeneral CounselItalian, 38
Benedetta Barlassina
General Counsel
Management- Benedetta spent over 10 years as a Senior Lawyer in the corporate and M&A department of Studio Legale Chiomenti in Milan, focusing on M&A transactions and general corporate and commercial practice
- Prior to that, she had experiences at Thompson and Lilley Solicitors in London and Dewey&LeBouef in Milan
- Benedetta is graduated from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and is finalizing her Executive MBA at ESCP in Paris
- Benedetta is an Italian national and speaks English, French and Italian
Ambra ArdemagniOperationsItalian, 30
Ambra Ardemagni
Operations
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium in 2018, Ambra was a Senior Associate at PwC in Milan, specialized in Financial Institutions
- She graduated in Economics, Business and Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan
- Ambra is an Italian citizen and speaks English, French and Italian
Francesca SantiniOperationsItalian, 39
Francesca Santini
Operations
Management- Before joining Praesidium, Francesca was Operations Accountant at Kone Industrial
- Prior to that, she was working at PwC as an auditor
- She graduated in Management at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan
- Francesca is an Italian citizen and speaks English and Italian
Greta TeotInvestment AssociateItalian, 26
Greta Teot
Investment Associate
Management- Prior to joining Presidium in May 2017, Greta worked at Société Générale in Frankfurt
- Before moving to Germany, Greta was working at Active Development, a consulting firm with offices in Barcelona and Miami
- She graduated in International Economics, Management and Finance at Bocconi University in Milan and earned her MSc at ESADE Business School in Barcelona
- Greta is an Italian citizen and speaks English, German, Spanish, French and Italian
Alessia CrosatoInvestment AnalystItalian, 25
Alessia Crosato
Investment Analyst
Management- Prior to joining Presidium in 2018, Alessia was working in the Finance department of Luxottica
- She graduated in Economics and International Trade at Ca’Foscari University in Venice and earned her MSc in Economics and Finance at the same university
- Alessia is an Italian citizen and speaks English, Spanish, German and Italian
Alessandra MazzilliInvestment AnalystItalian, 26
Alessandra Mazzilli
Investment Analyst
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium in 2019, Alessandra worked at SDG Group, a consulting company specialized in Business Intelligence and Analytics
- Prior to that, she was at Nash Advisory, a consulting company focused on M&A and corporate finance
- She graduated in Economics and Social Sciences at Bocconi University in Milan
- Alessandra is an Italian citizen and speaks English, French and Italian
Raffaella CapacchioneOffice ManagerItalian, 50
Raffaella Capacchione
Office Manager
Management- Before joining Praesidium, Raffaella was Office Manager at Poli e Associati
- Prior to that, she was Executive Assistant at Ampercom and Ampere Spa
- Raffaella is an Italian citizen and speaks English, French and Italian
Andrea SartorNon-executive Co-FounderItalian, 48
Andrea Sartor
Non-executive Co-Founder
Management- Andrea founded and ran as Managing Partner Studio Sartor, a specialized corporate finance boutique (based in Treviso and Milan) carrying out high level advisory for corporate and family clients in the areas of M&A, corporate finance, capital markets and family governance and succession planning
- Prior to that, Andrea was for a decade a Partner at Poli e Associati, one of the oldest Italian Corporate Finance boutiques. The company, based in Milan and principally engaged in financial structuring, M&A and capital markets, has historically assisted some of the most important families in Italy and their family companies
- In the first part of his career, Andrea worked as a Consultant at McKinsey in Milan and at Citibank in London and Milan
- He has a degree in Economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and an MBA from Yale School of Management in New Haven, CT (Class of 1999)
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Andrea is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Board of Directors
Giorgio LoliChairman of the Board of DirectorsItalian, 80
Giorgio Loli
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Giorgio worked from 1964 to 1972 at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG) in Milan and Newark (USA): he covered many positions and the most notable are: Chairman of the Italian branch, member of the European Partnership Board and Partner
- He is currently Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors at Coesia Spa – GD Spa, Prelios Spa; former Chairman of the Board of Statutory Auditors of Unicredit Spa and International Monetary Fund
- He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of GHT Spa
- Giorgio was a Contract Professor of Management at Università Bocconi (Milan)
- He has a degree in Economics at Università di Bologna
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Giorgio is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Leslie («Les») BrunChairman of the Investment Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board of DirectorsAmerican, 67
Leslie («Les») Brun
Chairman of the Investment Committee and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Les is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sarr Group, LLC, a diversified holding company for his investments
- Les was the Founder, Chairman (and later Chairman Emeritus) and controlling shareholder of Hamilton Lane, the world’s leading Private Equity advisory and management firm, focusing on the firm’s strategic initiatives and direction, as well as its investment decision-making through his participation to the firm’s Investment Committee
- After leaving Hamilton Lane in 2006 (and selling his controlling participation to a consortium led by the investment arm of Bill Gates in 2003), Les had a number of executive and non executive positions with major global Private Equity firms, among which he was Managing Director of CCMP Capital Advisors (heir of the Private Equity activities of JP Morgan Chase)
- With over 37 years of investment banking, commercial banking and financial advisory experience, Les began his career with Chemical Bank in Seoul (South Korea), where he was Assistant Vice President and Chief Credit Officer. After that, he was Managing Director and Co-Founder of the Investment Banking Group of Fidelity Bank in Philadelphia, Vice President in the Corporate Finance division of E.F. Hutton & Co. in New York, and Vice President of Lloyds International Corporation
- Les is currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE «BR»), the global leader for technology-driven solutions for wealth management, asset management and capital markets firms, CDK Global (NASDAQ «CDK»), US leader in technology solutions for the automotive sector retail, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Automated Data Processing (NYSE «ADP»), global leader in payroll services solutions
- Les is also a non executive Director (and Chairman of the Audit Committee) on the Board of Merck & Co (NYSE «MRK»), one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, a Director on the Board of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (NYSE «HPE») and NXT Capital
- Les was Chairman of the US Small Business Administration’s Advisory Council and is currently a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations
- Les holds a BS from the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus, and is a former Trustee of the University at Buffalo Foundations
- Most recently, Les was inducted to the Hall of Fame for the National Association of Investment Companies. He was also honored as the recipient for the 2012 Visionary Award from the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship in Philadelphia
- Les is US national and speaks English
Marco CostagutaVice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 60
Marco Costaguta
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment Committee
Board of Directors- Since 2012, Marco is Chairman of Long Term Partners, a management advisory boutique based in Milan
- Marco was Senior Partner of Bain & Company from 1989 to 2012 and Member of the Board of Bain & Co. Worldwide from 1997 to 2000. During his tenure at Bain, Marco focused and had regional responsibility on different sectors (Consumer Goods, Industrials, Luxury Goods, Publishing) and was particularly active in assisting Private Equity managers with strategic due diligence processes and support to portfolio companies
- Prior to Bain & Co., Marco was at McKinsey & Co. in the Milan office
- Marco started his professional career at Hewlett-Packard in Andover (USA)
- He is on the Board of several companies, among which ERG, S. Quirico, Only the Brave (holding of Diesel Group), Goglio
- He is also member of the Investment Committee of FSI (Fondo Strategico Italiano) and member of the Scientific Committee of AIDAF (Associazione Italiana delle Imprese di Famiglia)
- Marco earned his BA in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Milano and his MBA at Insead
- Marco is an Italian national and speaks English, French and Italian
Alessandro PoliFounder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 49
Alessandro Poli
Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment Committee
Board of Directors- Alessandro was Founder and CEO of Perennius Capital Partners SGR, the largest Private Equity fund-of-funds manager in Italy with € 1bn under management. The company, managing 7 funds and some large customized mandates, was later sold to international alternative asset manager Partners Group. After the sale, Alessandro was Partner and Global Head of Energy at Partners Group in the global headquarters of Zug (CH)
- After leaving Partners Group, Alessandro founded and ran as CEO Massena Private Investments, a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London (UK) and managed in excess of US$ 800mln in Private Equity, Real Estate and Private Debt strategies in both fund investments and co-investments
- Prior to founding Perennius SGR, Alessandro was Managing Partner & CEO of Poli e Associati, one of the oldest Italian Corporate Finance boutiques. The company, based in Milan and principally engaged in financial structuring, M&A and capital markets, has historically assisted some of the most important families in Italy and their family companies
- During his career, Alessandro worked in consulting at Bain & Co (where he was a Manager in both London and Milan offices covering the Private Equity Practice), at Coty Inc. in New York (as assistant to the CEO) and at JP Morgan, where he covered a number of roles in the M&A department in London, Paris and New York
- He was Contract Professor of Theory of Finance at Bocconi University in Milan, and is the author of a monograph (“Cost of Capital: Theory of Finance and Financial Markets”) and several books, essays and articles on corporate valuation. He is member of the Academic Committee of Bocconi’s Quarterly Review “Company Valuation” (Milan)
- Alessandro is a graduate in Economics from Bocconi University, Milan, and has a Master specialization in International Corporate Finance from HEC in Paris
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Alessandro is an Italian national and speaks English, French, Italian and German
Fulvio Renoldi BraccoMember of the Board of DirectorsItalian, 53
Fulvio Renoldi Bracco
Member of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Fulvio is since 2009 the CEO of Bracco Imaging, one of the world’s leading companies in the diagnostic imaging business, operating in over 90 markets worldwide
- Before that, Fulvio was Chairman and CEO of Acist in New York, a US affiliate of the Bracco Group, specialized in the development manufacturing and marketing of proprietary cutting edge medical systems
- Fulvio joined the family business Bracco in 1996 in the corporate finance department. Prior to that, he spent 4 years in Citibank in London, New York and Milan in the structured finance department
- Fulvio is a member of the Presidential Committee of Federchimica (the Italian Federation of the chemical industry) and of the Board of Directors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Italy
- Fulvio graduated in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan
- He is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Roberto PoliMember of the Board of DirectorsItalian, 81
Roberto Poli
Member of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Roberto has been for almost half a century Professor of Corporate Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milano
- He is Founder and Chairman since inception in 1969 of Poli e Associati, one of the oldest Italian Corporate Finance boutiques. The company, based in Milan and principally engaged in financial structuring, M&A and capital markets, has historically assisted some of the most important families in Italy and their family companies
- Past Chairman of ENI for a decade until 2011: ENI is the largest company in Italy, one of the largest integrated oil companies in the world and is one of the global Oil & Gas Supermajors
- Roberto is Past Chairman or Board member of some of the largest companies in Italy, including Rizzoli - Corriere della Sera, Banca Commerciale Italiana (now Intesa Sanpaolo), Fondazione Cariplo, Maire Tecnimont, Merloni Elettrodomestici, Publitalia and is still currently Chairman or Board member of Fininvest, Mondadori, Coesia, Ospedale San Raffaele, Istituto Ortopedico Galeazzi
- He was appointed Board Member of IRI from Prime Minister Ciampi and in this role he started and supervised the Italian Privatization Program, under the supervision of the European Commission
- Roberto earned a BA in Economics at Università di Firenze
- He was appointed Cavaliere del Lavoro by President Napolitano in 2008
- He is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Bridget Caroline BarkerMember of the Board of DirectorsBritish, 61
Bridget Caroline Barker
Member of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Bridget was Partner and Head of Private Equity at Macfarlanes (one of the oldest and most reputed British law firms) between 1981 and 2018; most of this period she served from London except for a period at Macfarlanes’ partner law-firm Skadden Arps in New York
- During her almost 40 years at Macfarlanes she has assisted some of the most important European and American Private Equity firms in designing the most advanced regulatory set up
- At Macfarlanes she oversaw a group of over 100 lawyers and was rated as one of the top Private Funds lawyers in the world in each of the last ten years
- Bridget was listed as one of the three Senior Statesman for private equity funds in Chambers Legal Directory 2017 and 2018
- Bridget earned her Bachelor of Laws at University of Southampton
- Bridget is a British national and speaks English
Technical Committee
Mario CattaneoChairman of the Technical CommitteeItalian, 88
Mario Cattaneo
Chairman of the Technical Committee
Technical Committee- Mario Cattaneo is one of the best known academics in the field of Corporate Finance in Italy, with an academic career spanning over 6 decades
- He was Professor of Corporate Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore from 1961 to his retirement in 2005: he has been Dean of Finance & Accounting from 1967 to 1976, Dean of Financial Analysis from 1976 to 1991 and Dean of Corporate Finance from 1991 to 2005. He was Director of the Center of Financial Studies of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore for several decades. Since his retirement from teaching in 2006, he is Professor Emeritus of Corporate Finance at Università Cattolica.
- Prior to starting his four and a half decades career at Università Cattolica, he was Researcher of Corporate Finance at Università Bocconi, always in Milan, from 1953 to 1961 and Professor of Corporate Finance at the University of Verona in the 1960’s
- He is the founder of Cattaneo & Associati, boutique specialized in corporate valuations and financial accounting, which is still operating and run by some of his heirs
- He has served as Past and/or current Board member of several Italian blue chip companies, including ENI (Italy’s largest company), Unicredit, Luxottica (the largest global eyeglass producer and one of the biggest luxury companies in the world), Salini-Impregilo (Italy’s largest contractor), Bracco (global leader in diagnostic imaging), IRI (Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale), Ferrovie dello Stato (Italian State Railways). He also served as member of Statutory Auditors of Italy’s Central Bank (Banca d’Italia) and as member of the Italian-Vatican Commission on IOR-Banco Ambrosiano
- He has received his BA in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan in 1953
- Author of over 50 scientific publications and 10 books, he is widely and unanimously considered as one of the biggest experts in corporate valuations and one of the “fathers” of modern financial theories in Italy
- Mario Cattaneo is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Paolo LudoviciMember of the Technical CommitteeItalian, 54
Paolo Ludovici
Member of the Technical Committee
Technical Committee- Paolo founded in 2014, and directed as Managing Partner since inception, Ludovici & Partners (“L&P”), a leading Italian Tax Advisor with expertise in M&A and structured finance transactions, tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and trusts. L&P has offices in Milan, Rome and London and is one the most respected and recognized firms, not only in Italy, in the fields of tax consulting to families and UHNWIs.
- Prior to founding L&P, Paolo was a Senior Partner at Maisto e Associati in Milan, another very well known firm in the field of tax advisory
- In 2015, he was elected Tax Professional of the Year by Legalcommunity at the Finance & Tax Awards. In 2014, he was awarded “Tax Star Status” by Chambers & Partners.
- He is a regular contributor on major international tax publications and on “Il Sole 24Ore”, Italy’s most important financial publication. He regularly speaks at tax conferences and lectures in post graduate specialization courses
- He is a Member of Tax & Legal Committee of AIFI (Italian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) and of the Legal Committee of AIPB (Italian Private Banking Association)
- He graduated in Economics from Bocconi University in Milan and is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Paolo is an Italian national and speaks English, French and Italian
Mario MassariMember of the Technical CommitteeItalian, 68
Mario Massari
Member of the Technical Committee
Technical Committee- Mario Massari is Full Professor of Corporate Finance at Bocconi University in Milan. He is responsible for three main courses of the University (Corporate Finance, Business Valuation and Financial Management). He was Dean of the Department of Corporate Finance of Università Bocconi between 2010 and 2013 and prior to that between 2004 and 2007
- He is Past Professor of Corporate Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan
- He is since inception Deputy Director of “La Valutazione delle Aziende”, Italy’s most important publication in corporate finance and corporate valuation, and member of AIDEA (Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale)
- Mario is a member of the Executive Committee of OIV (Organismo Italiano di Valutazione) and a member of Financial Markets Commission of Consob (Italian Stock Market Regulator). He is also one of the main advisors to the Executive Committee of Milan Stock Exchange on corporate valuations.
- He received his BA in Economics at Bocconi University in Milan
- He is an Italian Chartered Accountant
- Author of 20 books and over 50 articles and essays on Corporate Finance, where he is widely considered one of Italy’s biggest experts
- Mario Massari is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Statutory Board
Renato SantiniChairman of the Statutory BoardItalian, 58
Renato Santini
Chairman of the Statutory Board
Statutory Board- Renato founded Studio Leonelli, Santini & Partners in Bologna in 2000: the main activities are centered on advisory for corporate valuations, business and financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcy and restructuring proceedings, technical consulting to the Italian Courts.
- Prior to that he was for 12 years at Poli e Associati in Milan, where he was a Senior Partner with key responsibilities for all major M&A deals
- Renato started his professional career at La Centrale Finanziaria (an Italian merchant bank based in Milan) and at Hambro’s Bank in London
- Renato is since 1998 Professor of Corporate Finance at Università di Bologna, at both the Graduate and Post Graduate courses.
- He received his BA in Economics from Università di Bologna and his Master in Accounting and Finance (M.S.C.) at the London School of Economics, in London
- Renato is an Italian Chartered Accountant (and he still actually teaches to the training school for young Chartered Accountants in Bologna)
- He is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Marco ColaciccoMember of the Statutory BoardItalian, 51
Marco Colacicco
Member of the Statutory Board
Statutory Board- Marco founded Studio Colacicco in Milan in 2004: the main activities are focused on providing advisory for M&A, corporate valuations, tax structuring, support to Private Equity funds in accounting and tax due diligence, governance and generational planning
- Prior to that, he was a Partner at Studio Bernoni, in Milan and a Junior Professor at SDA Bocconi Business School
- Marco is member of the Board of Directors and of the Statutory Board of a number of companies in Italy, some of them listed
- He is a regular contributor to many Italian publications on topics related to M&A and corporate valuations
- He received his BA in Economics from Università Bocconi in Milan and is a Italian Chartered Accountant
- Marco is an Italian national and speaks English and Italian
Roberto Moro ViscontiMember of the Statutory BoardItalian, 56
Roberto Moro Visconti
Member of the Statutory Board
Statutory Board- Roberto founded Studio Moro Visconti in 2000: the main activities are focused on providing technical advisory for corporate valuations (particularly in bankruptcy proceedings), valuation of immaterial assets, project financing, plans for debt restructuring
- Prior to founding his own company, Roberto was at Poli & Associati, where he covered a number of clients on topics related chiefly to corporate valuations
- Roberto is Professor of Finance at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan
- He obtained his BA in Economics at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan and his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Exeter in the UK. He is an Italian Chartered Accountant.
- Roberto is an Italian national and speaks English, French and Italian