H.I.G. Capital Opens Madrid Office
MADRID & MIAMI – February 7, 2012 – H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity firm with more than $8.5 billion of equity capital under management, announced today that it has opened a Madrid office and appointed Jaime Bergel as a Managing Director to lead its efforts in Spain.
H.I.G., through its H.I.G. Europe affiliate, currently has a team of over 40 investment professionals based in Europe, operating out of offices in London, Paris, and Hamburg. In 2011, H.I.G. Europe was one of the most active private equity investors in Europe, with eleven completed transactions.
Mr. Bergel was previously the founder and CEO of Gala Capital, a Spanish private equity firm he established in 2004, which was named one of the top 3 Spanish funds in 2007. Prior to that, he was a Managing Director and Head of Spain for both Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. In commenting on his appointment, Mr. Bergel stated, “I am very excited to join the H.I.G. team. H.I.G. is ideally positioned to take advantage of the many opportunities in Spain, given the significant amount of capital at its disposal, its experience in working with companies facing operational and/or financial challenges, including debt restructurings, and its focus on small and midsize companies, which form the backbone of the Spanish economy.” Mr. Bergel also added that he expects H.I.G. to be flexible in its approach in Spain, providing both debt and equity capital and investing in either majority or minority stakes in well positioned Spanish businesses. He also expects H.I.G. to help Spanish companies with international growth and expansion opportunities given its presence in the rest of Europe, as well as the U.S. and Latin America.
Sami Mnaymneh, co-founder and Managing Partner of H.I.G., added, “I am delighted to welcome Jaime to the firm. Few in the Spain market can match his deep knowledge, investment experience, and professionalism. I believe the market opportunity in Spain is a perfect fit with H.I.G.’s capabilities and, under Jaime’s leadership, we hope to be a very active investor in Spain. There are many attractive businesses in Spain, and despite short term challenges, we have every confidence that in the long run, the Spanish economy will recover and get back on a growth path.” Mr. Mnaymneh noted that H.I.G. Europe has already made a number of investments in Spain, including Saprogal and Bodybell.
About H.I.G. Capital
H.I.G. Capital is a leading global private equity investment firm with more than $8.5 billion of equity capital under management and a team of more than 225 investment professionals. Based in Miami, and with offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and San Francisco in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Paris and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing capital to small and medium-sized companies with attractive growth potential. H.I.G. invests in management-led buyouts and recapitalizations of profitable and well managed manufacturing or service businesses. H.I.G. also has extensive experience with financial restructurings and operational turnarounds. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 200 companies worldwide. The firm’s current portfolio includes more than 50 companies with combined revenues in excess of $8 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.hig.com.