Paris, June 30, 2022 – Apax, one of Europe’s leading private equity firms, is continuing to develop its pan-European activities, particularly in Italy with the appointment of Marco Conte as Head of Italy.
Since 2018, Apax has established a successful presence in Italy thanks to the opening of a dedicated office in Milan, and the remarkable work of its local Senior Advisor Francesco Panfilo. Successful first deals such as BIP (️Business Integration Partners, an international IT consulting firm) for example, have shown the relevance of Apax presence in a very dynamic private equity market like Italy and particularly with small & mid cap companies.
According to a research conducted by AIFI (Associazione Italiana del Private Equity) and PwC, the Italian private equity market registered a record year in 2021 with transaction values exceeding €5 billion.
Apax is still invested in the Italian company AEB, which provides solutions to improve the quality of wine, beer and food thanks to a complete range of natural ingredients (yeasts, tannins, clarifiers, enzymes, etc.), a process of expertise and services dedicated to producers of wine, food products and other beverages, oenologists and brewers.
“4 years later, the strengthening and sustainability of the team in Italy is strategic for Apax. Hence the hiring of a new Head of Italy with the objective of continuing the development of our activities by assisting Italian entrepreneurs with our financial and industrial expertise and to support them in their growth and in the development of their group on a European scale” explains Eddie Misrahi, CEO of Apax.
“The roadmap set by Apax is clear: to accelerate the development of our activities in the Italian market by providing Italian entrepreneurs with a local partner capable of advising and supporting them in their growth and development challenges. Apax unique value proposition combines financial strength and sector expertise that will allow to seize opportunities in the 4 strategic sectors of focus which are well represented in Italy: Consumer, Healthcare, Services and Tech & Telecom” concludes Marco Conte, head of Italy.
Marco Conte (39 years old) graduated from Bocconi University in Milan with a MSc in Finance, and earned a degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Padua. He started his career at Merrill Lynch International Bank in 2006. Between 2007 and 2010 he worked as Investment Manager at Jupiter Finance. In 2010 he joined the private equity firm Trilantic Europe where he spent 12 years focusing on the investments in the Italian market.
Contacts
Lauren Bardet
Apax – Communications Director
+33 6 16 32 72 82
lauren.bardet@seven2.eu
Jérôme Goaër – Verbatee
+33 6 61 61 79 34
j.goaer@verbatee.com
Valérie Sabineu – Verbatee
+33 6 61 61 76 73
v.sabineu@verbatee.com
About Apax
Apax is one of the leading private equity firms in Europe. With over 45 years of experience, Apax works with companies over the long term to make them leaders in their sector. The funds managed and advised by Apax amount to over €4.5 billion. These funds invest in high-growth SMEs and SMIs in four sectors of specialisation: Tech & Telecom, Services, Health and Consumer Goods.
Apax SAS, based in Paris (www.seven2.fr), and Apax LLP, based in London (www.seven2.com), have a common history but are two independent firms.
