Robert Easton becomes BVCA Chairman
A Managing Director and Co-Head of Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, he succeeds Richard Anton, Partner at Amadeus Capital Partners. Simon Clark, Managing Partner of Fidelity Growth Partners Europe, becomes Vice-Chairman.
Dr Easton said:
"I am honoured to be taking on the role of BVCA Chair at such an exciting and challenging time for the UK economy. It's my belief the private equity industry, through the BVCA, can play a key role in promoting entrepreneurship and providing continuous commitment to create sustainable value in small and medium sized businesses across the UK and beyond. Given the importance of economic growth in the current climate, I'm also convinced that the BVCA's membership can contribute significantly through investment in UK businesses. "
Mark Florman, Chief Executive of the BVCA, said:
"Robert has been heavily involved with the BVCA for many years, having founded and chaired the Global Capital Committee in 2007 and served as Vice-Chairman for 2011/12. Robert's commitment to improving transparency and disclosure within the private equity industry - as demonstrated by his on-going membership of the Walker Guidelines Monitoring Group - will prove especially important when addressing the challenges the industry faces in the coming 12 months. I would also like to welcome the in-coming Vice-Chair Simon Clark and thank our out-going Chairman Richard Anton for all his work over the previous year, especially his involvement in the BVCA's 'Year of Venture' campaign."
Notes to editor
Dr Robert Easton is a Managing Director and Co-head of Carlyle Europe Technology Partners, a team of dedicated investment professionals who focus on European growth capital and buyout opportunities in a variety of sectors including media, software, telecoms, aerospace, healthcare and technology. He is based in London.
Since joining Carlyle in 2000, Dr Easton has worked in both Europe Buyout and Europe Technology funds and has also been involved with a number of cross-fund transactions at Carlyle in the United States and Japan. He has sector expertise in chemicals, advanced materials, renewables, aerospace and defence.
Dr Easton is currently a member of the Board of Directors of a number of Carlyle portfolio companies including Ensus and LBI and, in the UK, has lead successful exits of Firth Rixson and AZ Electronic Materials. In addition to his Directorships of Carlyle portfolio companies and his board-level involvement with the BVCA, Dr Easton also sits on the Advisory Board of the Imperial College Business School and has a number of outside charitable interests.
Dr. Easton was Vice President of Corporate Development at Invensys plc with responsibility for the execution of acquisitions and disposals. Dr. Easton was a key figure in the mid-nineties transformation of BTR from a diversified conglomerate to a focused engineering group and, following the merger of BTR and Siebe to form Invensys in 1999, in the further focusing of Invensys to become a leading Automation and Controls group.
Dr. Easton joined BTR in 1996 from Trafalgar House, another major U.K. engineering group where he was Director of Corporate Finance and Planning with responsibility for strategic planning and acquisitions and disposals. Prior to becoming a corporate development executive, Dr. Easton spent eight years in the investment banking business working initially for CSFB and then for a period of five years for Wasserstein Perella, a mergers and acquisitions specialist. Dr Easton has a first class honours degree in chemistry from Imperial College in London and a Doctorate in organic synthesis from Oxford University.- The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is the industry body for the UK private equity and venture capital industry. The BVCA has approximately 520 member firms, representing the overwhelming number of UK-based private equity and venture capital firms and their advisers.