Munich, London — Silverfleet Capital has gained another experienced investment specialist in Ricardo Sommer (photo) . With him, the European investment company expands its investment team specializing in smaller medium-sized companies, led by Alex Brebbia and David MacKenzie. As Principal, Ricardo Sommer will in future be responsible for the investment activities in the German-speaking region, focusing on companies with a value of between EUR 25 and 75 million. In addition, he will support the activities of the Lower Mid-Market team in other regions from the Munich office.
Ricardo Sommer comes from the investment company Quadriga Capital, where he played a key role as a director in buyouts of industrial companies and business services providers in the DACH region. Previously, Mr. Sommer worked as an investment manager for Syntegra Capital and advised clients in the private equity and industrial goods sectors at the Boston Consulting Group. He studied industrial engineering with a focus on mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Berlin and holds an MBA from INSEAD.
David MacKenzie, Partner at Silverfleet Capital and Co-Head of Lower Mid-Market, said, “We are pleased to welcome Ricardo Sommer on board. He brings extensive investment experience to our team and will actively support us in further expanding our engagement in the DACH region.”
About Silverfleet Capital
Silverfleet Capital has been active as a private equity investor in the European mid-market for more than 30 years and currently manages around €1.2 billion with its 30-strong investment team in Munich, London, Paris, Stockholm and Amsterdam.
Eight investments have already been made from the second independent fund closed in 2015 with a volume of 870 million euros: The Masai Clothing Company, a women’s fashion wholesaler and retailer headquartered in Denmark; Coventya, a French developer of specialty chemicals; Sigma Components, a U.K. manufacturer of precision components for civil aviation; Lifetime Training, a U.K. provider of training programs; Pumpenfabrik Wangen, a manufacturer of specialty pumps based in Germany; Riviera Travel, a British operator of escorted group tours and cruises; 7days, a Westphalian supplier of medical workwear; and Prefere Resins, a leading phenolic and amino resin manufacturer in Europe.
Silverfleet achieves value growth through its “buy to build” investment strategy. As part of this strategy, Silverfleet is accelerating the growth of its subsidiaries by investing in new products, production capacity and employees, installing successful retail formats or making follow-up acquisitions. Since 2004, Silverfleet Capital has invested €1.9 billion in 28 companies.
Silverfleet specializes in four key industries: Business and Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Retail and Consumer Goods. Since 2004, the private equity investor has invested 33 percent of its assets in companies headquartered in the DACH region, 31 percent in the UK and Ireland, 19 percent in Scandinavia and 17 percent mainly in France and the Benelux countries (1).
Silverfleet Capital has a solid investment track record. Most recently, Silverfleet sold Ipes, a leading provider of outsourcing services to European private equity firms (investment multiple 3.8x); CCC, one of the leading BPO services providers in Europe, as well as Cimbria, a Danish manufacturer of agricultural equipment (2); Kalle, a German manufacturer of artificial sausage pellets (investment multiple 3.5x); OFFICE, a UK footwear retailer (investment multiple 3.4x); and Aesica, a leading pharmaceutical CDMO company (investment multiple 3.3x).