EQT Partners, investment advisor to all EQT funds, has opened a new office in Warsaw with a team headed by Piotr Czapski. The local presence in Poland is a crucial step in EQT’s expansion into the Central and Eastern European markets.

“These markets are relatively new to EQT Partners and we see excellent investment opportunities for all our business lines. I am convinced that in a few years a meaningful part of EQT´s investments will come from Central and Eastern Europe,” said Conni Jonsson, Managing Partner of EQT Partners.

Poland will initially be the most important market with its population of 38 million inhabitants and position in Central and Eastern Europe. Piotr Czapski has joined EQT Partners as Partner and local Head of the Central and Eastern European organization. Mr Czapski is 43 years and has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington in the US. He comes most recently from a position as board member of Netia S.A, the largest alternative telecom operator in Poland. Prior to that, he led McKinsey & Co’s Business Technology Practice in Eastern Europe.

“We are pleased to have Piotr Czapski joining us in Poland to lead and develop the Central and Eastern European operations. He has genuine global competence and experience combined with a broad local network which is essential when setting up a business in a new region. We will start by focusing on Poland but also cover the other countries in the region,” said Thomas von Koch, Partner at EQT Partners and Head of EQT Partners buy-out operation EQT Equity.

The expanding presence in Central and Eastern Europe will also be an important support for existing portfolio companies as they look at new potential markets or add-on acquisitions. The region is one of the fastest growing in the world, with a predicted growth rate of above 5% on average. As markets and institutions have matured in the region in recent years, the opportunities for private equity in various forms have become apparent.
 
“Many companies in the region have now reached a point where they are looking beyond organic growth in their home markets and in that context we have a lot to offer with our global reach and network, in addition to our experience of driving industrial acceleration and operational excellence,” said Piotr Czapski, Partner of EQT Partners.

EQT: Company Profile
EQT is a leading private equity group with operations in Northern and Eastern Europe, North America and Asia. EQT manages funds with activities in buy-outs as well as mezzanine finance. EQT has a unique industrial approach and a strong record of delivering superior returns over time.

EQT has raised approximately EUR 11 billion in equity commitments across 11 funds. In total, EQT’s funds have invested and financed more than EUR 7 billion in over 70 companies.

The approach within the buy-out operation, EQT Equity, is to acquire high-quality, market-leading, medium-sized companies in growing industries in Northern Europe and Asia with a potential for top-line growth and to contribute to their industrial acceleration.

EQT Opportunity focuses on applying the industrial acceleration approach to companies which have a sound underlying business and a clear value creation potential, but which face problems requiring special expertise to resolve.

EQT Expansion Capital provides flexible finance solutions in a variety of situations including LBOs led by private equity sponsors, acquisitions by strategic investors, expansion capital or restructuring of the shareholder group. EQT Expansion Capital does not acquire companies but provides subordinated and equity-oriented debt solutions. Focus is put on market-leading, medium-sized companies with a potential for top-line growth.

EQT has also established a business line, EQT Infrastructure, that will be investing in a diversified portfolio of infrastructure assets that provide essential services to local communities.

All EQT businesses invest in companies in which EQT can serve as a catalyst for change and transforming these companies into leading positions by making genuine, permanent improvements.

EQT Partners, investment advisor to all EQT funds, has more than 100 investment professionals with a broad range of industrial and financial background located in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Munich, Frankfurt, New York, Zürich, Warsaw, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

Piotr Czapski
Piotr Czapski graduated from the University of Washington in the US, with the B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering. From March 2005 to August 2008 he served as member of the management board of Netia SA and Netia’s Strategy and Business Development Director. Prior to commencement of his cooperation with Netia, Mr. Czapski worked at McKinsey & Company in Warsaw as a Principal (1997-2005); at Chrysler Corporation, US, as the research engineer (1995-1997) and earlier at the University of Washington, Seattle, US, in the position of research assistant (1990-1995).

Contact:
Piotr Czapski, Partner, EQT Partners
+48 660 66 55 00 piotr.czapski@eqtpartners.com

Johan Hähnel, Communications & PR
+46 706 056 334 johan.hahnel@eqt.se