Survey Uncovers Most Influential Investors In Private Equity

By Ulrika Lomas, for LawAndTax-News.com, Brussels

27 February 2008

Netherlands-based pension fund manager AlpInvest Partners has topped Private Equity News’ inaugural survey of the most influential investors in private equity, it emerged this week.

AlpInvest, which is half owned by Dutch pension funds PGGM and ABP, was set up in 1999 to invest primarily on behalf of its two parents, and manages approximately EUR40 billion.

Its size (it has more than 100 investment staff) and sophistication means it has continued to outperform its benchmark and has diversified into a broader remit, including mezzanine and cleantech investing.

Switzerland-listed fund of funds manager Partners Group was ranked second, and UK-based endowment Wellcome Trust came third.

Those surveyed, who included more than 200 intermediaries, advisers, private equity firms and a peer comparison of investors, said that AlpInvest was regarded as having a “very high capacity to invest and a very high capability in private equity”.

It was also seen as an innovator and as being skilful in due diligence.

From information disclosed in annual reports, AlpInvest said it had returned 9.5% from its private equity programme in the second half of 2007, for a full-year return of 29.4%. This took its five-year return to 51.3%, or a EUR3.7b return on investment.

Commenting on the firm’s expectation of growing its assets further, Volkert Doeksen, chief executive of AlpInvest, stated that:

“Despite the quieter period now, we expect the private equity market to grow exponentially in the next five years and there is certainly more we can do. We are happy with the existing structure as it allows our focus to be on investing rather than fundraising and the sponsors have a healthy appetite.”

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