CHAMP Private Equity Refreshes and Extends Brand’s 32 Year History to Become CPE Capital 

2 September, 2019

From today, Australasia’s pioneering and most experienced institutional private capital manager has refreshed and extended its brand to become CPE Capital, capturing the firm’s entire 32 year history under one name. 

“As we work towards our 40th anniversary, CPE Capital is a name that embraces the firm’s full history.” CEO John Haddock said.

The firm was founded in 1987 by industry pioneers Bill Ferris AC and Joe Skrzynski AO as Australian Mezzanine Investments. In 2000, a joint venture was entered into with Castle Harlan Inc from New York to form Castle Harlan Australian Mezzanine Partners, later referred to as CHAMP Private Equity. Over the last five years the firm’s leadership has successfully transitioned to the next generation, a first of its kind in Australasia. At this time it is also acknowledged that the prior arrangements with Castle Harlan and CHAMP Ventures have concluded.

This brand refresh highlights the firm’s unique 32 year history:

• Net returns to investors on all exited deals have delivered a compound annual return of 21% pa, compared to the ASX All Ordinaries Accumulation Index return of 9.5% pa over the same period.   
• Ten landmark investments over this time have averaged a 6x return by turning ~$410m of investors’ equity into ~$2,520m of cash proceeds. 
• 289 millionaires have been created from former portfolio company executives who have invested alongside the firm. 

“CPE Capital’s experience and performance over 32 years across all market cycles and aspects of the private capital business in Australasia is unique and a foundation for the delivery of future superior investment returns.” CEO John Haddock said.

About CPE Capital

CPE Capital (“CPEC”) is Australasia’s most experienced private capital manager having been managing institutional private capital investments since 1987. Over the last 32 years the firm has made 75 platform investments across eight funds through the deployment of A$3.8 billion in investor commitments. Founded by industry pioneers Bill Ferris AC and Joe Skrzynski AO, since 2014 the firm has been managed by its next generation, making it Australasia’s first successful private equity leadership transition.

CPEC undertakes control buyout transactions, enters into founder partnerships and provides growth investments for mid-market companies in Australasia, including those which possess significant offshore operations or ambitions.  

CPEC’s long history of sustainable performance across all investment cycles is based on its ability to identify situations and opportunities that offer growth on a risk adjusted basis.  

Experience, flexibility, nimbleness and a specialist functional team structure are CPEC’s core attributes.

View our current portfolio.