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 CommitteeAmerican, 68
Leslie («Les») Brun
Chairman of the Investment Committee
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
Marco CostagutaVice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 61
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
Alessandro PoliFounder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 51
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 a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London and Paris 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, 57
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 $500 million in the asset class. He was also responsible for overseeing the external managers for real estate, equities and fixed income
- During early part of his career, Marc worked as a financial consultant and commercial banker for Merrill Lynch, First Fidelity Bank and Continental Bank in Philadelphia, PA
- He earned his MBA at the LeBow School of Business at Drexel University and his BBA at the Fox School of Business at Temple University, both in Philadelphia, PA. He is also a CFA Charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia
- Marc is a US national and speaks English
Nori Gerardo LietzMember of the Investment CommitteeAmerican, 64
Nori Gerardo Lietz
Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Nori Lietz is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading figures in Real Estate: she has one of the longest and most successful track records advising and investing on behalf of institutional clients worldwide
- In 1988, Nori was the founder and CEO of Pension Consulting Alliance (“PCA”), a San Francisco-based firm which she grew into the world’s largest Real Estate advisory firm in terms of client assets. Her clients included several Sovereign Wealth Funds (including the world’s largest, Norges Bank, as well as Korea Investment Corporation and several Gulf SWFs), the United Nations, several public pension funds (including Calpers and Calpers in the USA) and some of the largest private pension funds and insurance companies in the world. Her longest standing relationship is with the State of Oregon, which under her advisory has enjoyed the top performance in the USA for their Real Estate portfolio for each of the past 15 years
- In 2007 Nori sold PCA to Partners Group, one of the world’s largest alternative asset managers. As CIO of Real Estate and Chairman of the Real Estate Investment Committee at Partners Group (as well as Member of the Global Investment Committee), she launched the Real Estate program and grew the division to circa US$ 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
John MaxwellMember of the Investment CommitteeBritish, 57
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
Jean MoutonMember of the Investment CommitteeFrench, 64
Jean Mouton
Member of the Investment Committee
Investment Committee- Jean was a Senior Partner and Managing Partner at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) since 1997 and a Partner since 1989. He was appointed Partner Emeritus in 2019
- He was in charge of the development of senior relationships with large French and Italian companies at CEO and Executive Committee levels in particular in infrastructure, industrial goods and pharmaceuticals. He also led several internal leadership roles including Chair of the Partner Development Committee for Holland, Belgium, UK, France, Iberia, West Africa and South America, Member of the Worldwide Compensation Committee and CEO of BCG Italy from 1990 to 1995
- Prior to BCG, he spent two years at Grands Travaux de Marseille (now Vinci group)
- Currently, Jean serves as Chairman of the Board of Nexans, the French listed power, telecom and fiber optic cable manufacturer and is also Censor of Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur (ACA)
- He earned his BA in Economics at the Université Paris-Sorbonne, his Master in Civil Engineering from L’ Ecole Superérieure des Travaux Publics in Paris and an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago
- Jean is a French national and speaks French, English and Italian
Management
Alessandro PoliFounder, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 51
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 a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London and Paris 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, 57
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 VenturiniHead of Investor Relations & Corporate DevelopmentItalian, 50
Deborah Venturini
Head of 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
Anna FergusonHead of Business Development British, 39
Anna Ferguson
Head of Business Development
Management- Anna worked for 15 years at Triago, a leading global Private Equity placement agent, based both in Paris and London
- After establishing Triago’s London office in 2016, she was Partner and Head of Triago UK and was responsible for both fundraising and GP sourcing
- She is part of the Steering Committee of PEWIN, an organization for senior women leaders in Private Equity
- Anna graduated with a Master of Arts with Honours from Edinburgh University in the UK
- Anna is a British national and speaks French and English
Katrin BrökelmannHead of Corporate DevelopmentGerman, 51
Katrin Brökelmann
Head of Corporate Development
Management- Katrin Brökelmann joined Praesidium in November 2020 and is Head of Corporate Development
- Katrin has over 20 years of industry experience as an investment professional in Private Equity and Venture Capital with 3i, Pinova Capital (a German small-cap Private Equity firm she co-founded) and Triago
- She started her career at McKinsey in Berlin
- She holds a MSc in International Management from ESCP Europe and a BA from Vienna University
- Katrin is a German national, fluent in German, English, French and Italian.
Lorenzo GiordanoChief Financial OfficerItalian, 52
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, 34
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, 39
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, 39
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
Andrea SartorNon-executive Co-FounderItalian, 49
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
Ambra ArdemagniOperationsItalian, 31
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, 30
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
Anna MeroniOperationsItalian, 26
Anna Meroni
Operations
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium in 2019, Anna worked at Atelier Europeo in Brescia
- She graduated in Translation and Interpreting at IULM University in Milan and earned her MSc in Intercultural Studies and French at Aarhus University in Denmark
- Anna is an Italian and Danish citizen and speaks English, French, Danish and Italian
Alessandra MazzilliInvestment AssociateItalian, 27
Alessandra Mazzilli
Investment Associate
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
Alessandro PrudenziatiInvestment Analyst Italian, 25
Alessandro Prudenziati
Investment Analyst
Management- Prior to joining Praesidium in 2019, Alessandro worked at BAFFI CAREFIN Centre for Applied Research on International Markets, Banking, Finance and Regulation, located at Bocconi University in Milan
- Prior to that, he was at the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission in Luxembourg
- Alessandro graduated in Economics and Social Sciences at Bocconi University in Milan
- Alessandro is an Italian citizen and speaks English, Spanish and Italian
Raffaella CapacchioneOffice ManagerItalian, 51
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
Board of Directors
Annamaria KoerlingChairman of the Board of DirectorsBritish, 55
Annamaria Koerling
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Annamaria is currently Managing Partner at Delfin Private Office in London and serves on the Board of the Jersey Financial Services Commission and Schroder & Co
- She is the former Head of Wealth Management at C. Hoare Bank
- Prior to that, she spent over 20 years as Executive Director of Wealth Management at Schroder & Co., Merrill Lynch, Cazenove and Morgan Stanley
- She holds an MA in modern languages from Cambridge University and is a Fellow Commoner of Queens’ College
- Annamaria is a British citizen and speaks English, French, German, Dutch and Italian
Marco CostagutaVice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Member of the Investment CommitteeItalian, 61
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, 51
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 a French multi-billion family office’s offshoot into Private Markets: the company was based in London and Paris 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
Bridget Caroline BarkerMember of the Board of DirectorsBritish, 62
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
Gilles DusemonMember of the Board of DirectorsLuxembourgish, 50
Gilles Dusemon
Member of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- Gilles is Partner at the law firm Arendt & Madernach S.A. in Luxembourg since 2010 and Head of Investment Management
- Formerly, he was Head of Investment Management at the law firm Loyens & Loeff in Luxembourg and Dubai
- Gilles is the Co-Chairman of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Working Group at the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI), Founding Member of the Luxembourg Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (LPEA) and a Member of Invest Europe’s Legal, Tax and Regulatory Committee
- He holds a Master’s degree in business and law tax from Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis (France), as well as an LL.M. in International Taxation from New York University
- Gilles is a Luxembourg national and speaks English, French, Italian and German
François PaulyMember of the Board of DirectorsLuxembourgish, 56
François Pauly
Member of the Board of Directors
Board of Directors- François is Chairman of Compagnie Financière La Luxembourgeoise and Senior Advisor at Castik Capital Partners
- Formerly, he was Chairman and CEO of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (BIL), CEO of BIP Investment Partners (a listed PE group) and CEO of SAL Oppenheim in Luxembourg
- François is involved with several charities including Fundacao Felix Chome Belo Horizonte Bresil, Fondation Felix Chome, Fondation du Souvenir et de l’Amitie du Rotary Club de Luxembourg, Fondation de Luxembourg and the Croix-Rouge Luxembourg
- He graduated from ESCP-Europe (Paris, Oxford, Berlin)
- François is a Luxembourg national and speaks German, French, English and Italian
Roberto PoliMember of the Board of DirectorsItalian, 82
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
Fulvio Renoldi BraccoMember of the Board of DirectorsItalian, 54
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
Advisory Board
Etienne D’ArenbergChairman of the Advisory BoardBelgian, 53
Etienne D’Arenberg
Chairman of the Advisory Board
Advisory Board- Etienne joined Mirabaud Group in 1999 and has successfully developed a practice managing very significant assets for a limited number of families. In 2011 he became a Limited Partner and five years later he took over the management of the UK market for the Group. Etienne sits on the Board of Mirabaud Europe Ltd and also on the Board of his own Family Office
- From 1995 to 1999, he was Managing Director at Creditanstalt Investment Bank (CAIB) in Vienna focusing on CEE countries. There, he was in charge of the Group Wide Asset Management and of the Private Equity departments
- Prior to that, he was a Development Analyst for a subsidiary of Compagnie Générale des Eaux, one of the world’s largest utilities at the time
- Etienne sits on or chairs several Charity Boards in Switzerland and rest of Europe
- He holds an MSc from Boston University
- Etienne speaks fluently French, English, German and Italian and has knowledge of Spanish and Dutch
Paul MaderaMember of the Advisory BoardAmerican, 64
Paul Madera
Member of the Advisory Board
Advisory Board- Paul Madera is Co-founder and Managing Director at Meritech Capital Partners, a leading $2.5 billion venture capital fund based in Palo Alto (CA)
- Paul invests in private technology companies in the SaaS, financial, and medical device sectors
- He has led investments in noteworthy tech companies such as Facebook, Mulesoft, Glaukos and Salesforce
- Prior to Meritech, Paul was Managing Director of Private Equity at Montgomery Securities/Banc of America
- He began his career in finance as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley & Co. in New York
- Before entering the private sector, he served in the USAF as an F-16 Pilot based in South Korea, Spain and Utah
- Paul holds a BS in Political Science from United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Stanford
Charles MartinMember of the Advisory BoardItalian, 59
Charles Martin
Member of the Advisory Board
Advisory Board- Charles is a Managing Partner in the London law firm Macfarlanes LLP and works principally in M&A and Private Equity, acting for sponsors, corporates and family offices
- He is rated in the top tiers of the most highly recommended M&A and Private Equity lawyers in the United Kingdom by the leading directories
- Clients look to him particularly for strategic counsel and tactical input on a wide variety of legal matters including M&A, litigation and family office issues
- Much of his work is cross-border. He is an officer of and actively involved in the International Bar Association
- Charles has worked for many of the Macfarlanes major clients: highlights include leading the team advising Verizon Communications Inc. on its acquisition of Vodafone’s interest in Verizon Wireless for $130bn
- He is a trustee of the Visitors’ Art Foundation, Outside In and Pallant House Gallery and actively supports a number of other charities
- He was Senior Partner of the firm from 2008 to 2020 and stepped down to focus on client work and relationships
Statutory Board
Renato SantiniChairman of the Statutory BoardItalian, 60
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, 52
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, 57
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