The Review March 2020 1586088804 PDF
The Review March 2020 1586088804 PDF
The Review March 2020 1586088804 PDF
Investment in
FORTUNE
Leading Provider of
Premium Seafood and
Gourmet Food Products
INSIDE
08 12
04 // Co-CEOs Message
Driving Growth from a Position of Strength
08 // Interview
Terminus CEO Talks Artificial Intelligence
Gilbert Kamieniecky Discusses Technology Investments
Driving Growth
from a Position
of Strength
Rishi Kapoor Hazem Ben-Gacem
Co-Chief Executive Officer Co-Chief Executive Officer
For nearly 40 years, Investcorp has succeeded because of unprecedented urbanization, invested in one of the leading artificial
the trusted relationships we have cultivated with our clients, intelligence & machine learning platforms in China, invested
shareholders, employees and other stakeholders. These bonds in several healthcare focused companies and launched a new
have been built and strengthened by understanding the needs of infrastructure business in the Middle East, predicated on seeking to
our constituents and then by diligently acting upon them. capture all of the trends mentioned above.
A Unique
Growth Journey
Mohammed Alardhi
Executive Chairman
Investcorp is continuing to deliver solid progress on its strategic Investcorp’s assets under management (AUM) are at an all-time
objectives despite macroeconomic and geopolitical headwinds. high of US $31.1 billion. As we continue to grow, we remain
focused on advancing our Environmental, Social and Governance
The new year began with significant market volatility, demonstrating
(ESG) journey. This year, we will be rolling out new initiatives
the fragile state of various dynamics of the markets. From trade
to continue promoting best practices across our operations.
wars to Brexit, political gridlock in the US in an election year and
We believe these will help further build upon our Firm’s unique
tensions in the Middle East, the first calendar year quarter did
culture and world-class talent as key competitive advantages.
not see any shortage of geopolitical events and uncertainties.
We recognize that evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical
If the current state of global affairs were not complex enough,
dynamics will pose challenges in 2020 and beyond. We
the coronavirus outbreak has introduced a new challenge. The
are committed to remaining disciplined as we execute
virus’ impact continues to ripple across markets, disrupting trade
on our growth strategy. We have solid momentum and
and supply chains worldwide and affecting asset valuations. The
our objective of achieving US $50 billion in AUM over
longer-term implications of the new virus remain to be seen.
the medium term has never been more in sight.
Winston Churchill once said, “never let a good crisis go to waste”,
and one takeaway from the coronavirus outbreak for investors
is the importance of diversification, especially during periods of
extreme volatility. Over the last several years, Investcorp has been
taking decisive actions that have significantly strengthened the
resiliency of the Firm to both navigate through choppy waters and
also to take advantage of market opportunities and dislocations.
5
2 0 2 0 F I S C A L H A L F Y E A R R E S U LT S
Investcorp’s AUM
Grows to US $31.1 Billion
Despite a challenging macroeconomic backdrop and continuous trade and geopolitical tensions, Investcorp
delivered solid H1 FY 2020 results as its organic and inorganic growth strategy continues to deliver value to
clients and shareholders. The period was characterized by higher fee income, strong organic growth in AUM and
robust levels of investment and fundraising activity.
The Firm’s AUM increased by US $3.0 billion to US $31.1 billion as it continues to focus on reaching its target
of US $50 billion in AUM over the medium term. Net income reached US $48 million for the period, down 17%
compared to H1 FY19 as a result of lower investment returns and fair value adjustments to legacy investments.
Net income for the period, excluding fair value change of legacy investments, of US $59 million is 2% higher than
US $58 million for the six months ended December 31, 2018.
Investcorp enjoyed strong investment activity of US $1.9 billion, up from US $1.2 billion in H1 FY19, with
healthy placement activities and record-breaking deal-by-deal fundraising. This was supported by solid execution
on several key strategic initiatives, including; increased globalization of its distribution platform and advancement
of its strategy to diversify across products, clients and geographies with the closing of the Mercury Capital Advisors
and CM Investment Partners acquisitions.
Jan Erik Back, Chief Financial Officer of Investcorp said, “Our solid results reinforce our confidence in Investcorp’s
organic and inorganic growth strategy. We enter the second half of our fiscal year as a stronger and more
diversified firm, supported by a robust balance sheet and world-class talent. Our progress on our initiatives has
enhanced our firm’s resiliency. Looking ahead, we are confident in our ability to build upon our long track record of
growth and value creation.”
7
INTERVIEW - TERMINUS CEO TALKS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
In January 2020, Investcorp and China Everbright Limited’s New Economy Fund completed
an investment in Terminus Technologies (“Terminus”), one of the fastest growing and most
technologically advanced companies in China.
Headquartered in Beijing, Terminus leverages Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things
(IoT) to make buildings, operations, communities and cities smarter through its comprehensive
portfolio of solutions. Since its founding in 2015, Terminus has grown into a unicorn and currently
has approximately 530 employees.
Investcorp connected with Victor Ai, CEO of Terminus, for this special Q&A column for The Review.
Victor Ai
CEO of Terminus How will AI technology and the Internet of Things take the world into the future? Which industries
will be most impacted?
The marriage of AI with the IoT (AIoT) has and will continue to unlock new, exciting opportunities
for our business and society at-large. These new generation technologies are empowering, upgrading
and transforming traditional industries.
We first defined the powerful combination of the “AIOT” in 2017, and we have since established a
four-step formula that we call the “AIOT LOOP.” We believe that traditional industries will complete
this loop through the following phases: 1) Transformative, 2) Online, 3) Intellectualized and 4)
Automatic. Highly digitalized industries are much further along in the AIOT Loop process and
we believe that traditional industries have only started to scratch the surface of the intelligence
transformation, creating vast opportunities for our business.
Our goal is to help traditional industries complete and accelerate their transformations so they can
realize the compelling benefits of combining AI, IoT and edge computing, all of which represent
Terminus’ core technology.
There are exciting developments every day at Terminus, from filing these emerging technologies. Terminus has defined the smart city
new patents to the critical services we provide across more than evolution into four stages. Stage 1 is product driven; Stage 2 is
8,000 projects. Our clients include many Fortune Global 500 solution driven and Stage 3 is a City Level Solution Matrix. We
companies, including: CNPC, State Grid, Greenland Group and believe that China’s smart city will move from Stage 2 to 3 in the
China Poly Group, among others. Also, we serve many Fortune next three to five years with projects such as the Chongqing Future
China 500 companies, such as The National Palace Museum, Tech City providing a paradigm for the future. We’re pleased that
SINOGRAIN, iFLYTEK and Wanda Group. Terminus has been appointed to support this project, which we
believe will lay the groundwork for the standardization of products
We believe that our solutions and technology are world-class, but
for developing future smart cities.
it is still surprising to receive such positive recognition from our
clients for how our intelligent services empower them and help In the next five to ten years, we believe that smart cities worldwide
communities. will connect to each other as an internet of smart cities in Stage 4,
where the Internet of Everything will be achieved.
As you know, China has been suffering from the coronavirus, which
has been the largest surprise in the company’s journey. Many What’s next? How fast is AI technology advancing?
Terminus colleagues gave up their Chinese New Year to help defend
I believe that you can never find a new continent with an old
against the coronavirus. I feel lucky and inspired to have such
map. AI technology is advancing at a speed that our society has
dedicated employees that help achieve Terminus’ purpose every day.
never experienced before. I recall that Bill Gates once said, “We
Our staff purchased millions of masks and medical protective always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two
clothes from across the world, which were delivered to Hubei years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next
province. Moreover, Terminus is helping communities in China ten.” AI technology is quickly evolving, and we will see more and
to use intelligence technology to mitigate risks of the disease more applications. However, we will need to be patient to let AI
spreading. Terminus’ AIOT platform trained a new AI model to penetrate our daily lives.
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INTERVIEW - WITH GILBERT KAMIENIECKY
Interview
with Gilbert
Kamieniecky
Increased connectivity and digitization are permeating across all aspects of consumers’ everyday
lives, from smartphones to wearables and digital assistants. Despite significant technological
Gilbert Kamieniecky advancements, the industry is still in the very early stages of wide-scale deployment and adoption
Head of Private Equity - Technology of these technologies at an industrial level, which is often referred to as Industry 4.0. There is a
potentially massive and underpenetrated market for supporting industrial companies to realize
the value of these emerging technologies by leveraging real-time intelligence and data analytics
to enable smarter, safer and more efficient operations. Our analysis found that the total economic
impact of IIoT is expected to range between US $4-11 trillion by 2025, and we believe that the
majority will come from B2B applications, as manufacturers will increasingly need to maximize
efficiencies, minimize downtime and increase throughput.
ITP has been investing in companies with a focus on big data for more than 20 years. We identified
IIoT as a key investment trend as we were attracted to the space by the mission critical nature of
the industry’s products and purpose. Moreover, these businesses tend to feature strong levels of
recurring revenue, and high-quality intellectual property, which adds further upside and downside
protection from an investment perspective.
What do you believe has been the secret to Investcorp and Looking ahead, we have identified Artificial Intelligence,
ITP business’ success? Industry 4.0 and Cybersecurity as key investment themes.
We have been successful investors in the lower mid-market These themes have, and will continue to have, major
for more than two decades and we continue to be encouraged implications for both traditional and emerging industries.
by the attractive opportunities in the space. First, we believe While this sentiment is widely accepted, we have been
that we have a world-class team and our specialized expertise surprised by how many companies have yet to adopt the
and hands-on approach are key ingredients to our success. critically important technologies of the future; this creates an
All our partners have successfully acquired, managed and even larger addressable market for the businesses we invest
exited middle market tech companies with attractive returns. in. It is an exciting time to be a technology-focused investor.
11
INVESTCORP’S GLOBAL SURVEY
Investcorp’s
Global Survey
“As responsible stewards of capital, institutional investors recognize and have started planning accordingly for the market
forces that will influence investment portfolios and society in the years to come,” said Rishi Kapoor, Co-Chief Executive
Officer, Investcorp. “Identifying opportunities aligned with super-secular trends is one part of the process. Allocating
across the right markets, asset classes and time horizons is also critical, especially during periods of economic and
geopolitical uncertainties. In the last decade, we have seen investors increasingly seek exposure to private markets as an
optimal channel for tapping long-term trends as part of a diversified investment strategy. The findings from our survey
support the thesis that this dynamic shall continue and we will of course look to capture many of these trends as we seek
to drive long-term value creation for our investors.”
Participants
185 $10 Trillion 60%
Global AUM Senior
Investors Represented Executives
Methodology: Investcorp commissioned the annual megatrends survey. Investors across a range of institution types were
approached by Mercury Capital Advisors to complete the poll. Data was collected and analyzed by IMD Business School in October
2019. Approximately 60% of respondents were senior executives at their organizations, identifying themselves as CIOs, heads of
investment groups, managing directors and partners.
13
INVESTCORP INDIA AT A GL ANCE
Mumbai Skyline
Bewakoof.com NephroPlus
In 2019, Investcorp invested in Bewakoof.com, one of the leading In November 2019, Investcorp closed a US $45 million
direct to consumer online apparel companies in India, focused on investment in NephroPlus, the leading dialysis service provider in
providing creative and distinctive fashion at affordable prices for India, to support the company’s organic growth plans as well as
trendy and contemporary Indians. its regional expansion across India and South East Asia.
Citykart ZoloStays
Citykart focuses on providing affordable apparel (average selling ZoloStays (Zolo), which Investcorp acquired in 2019, provides
price of US $3.50/piece) to lower income groups in smaller convenient full-stack co-living services to young professionals and
towns. Investcorp invested in Citykart in 2019. students in India who are looking for long-duration stays across
budget-friendly or premium price points.
InCred Finance
InCred Finance is focused on providing lending services in three
sectors, namely small & medium enterprises (SME), education and
consumer loans. The company leverages top-of-the-class technology
and credit analytics to generate superior risk adjusted returns.
15
INVESTCORP INDIA AT A GL ANCE
White Paper:
A Different
India
Mumbai
17
GROWING OUR FOOTPRINT IN ASIA
Growing our
Footprint in Asia
Partnerships
In China, the Firm announced an enhanced collaboration with China
Everbright, combining investment teams to invest in the Chinese
technology sector by establishing and jointly managing the China
Co-CEO Hazem Ben-Gacem with Executive Director and CEO of Everbright New Economy Fund I.
China Everbright Limited Zhao Wei
In November 2019, Investcorp announced the launch of the first-ever
private equity platform dedicated solely to investing in food brands in
Asia. The launch came in partnership with China Resources, one of the
world’s largest owners and distributors of food brands in Greater China,
and Fung Strategic Holdings Limited.
Among the highlights from the trip, which featured stops in Bangkok,
Beijing, Jakarta, Singapore and Tokyo, were a series of receptions
Investcorp arranged with Eisenhower Fellows. These events brought
together groups of prominent professionals across a range of industries
to discuss the most critical issues shaping global markets and their
impact on various sectors and local economies.
Tokyo
Seminar
Head of ICM Jeremy Ghose speaking at the Tokyo Seminar
19
GULF AND MENA
Investors
Conference
Bahrain
20
20 THE REVIEW // MARCH 2020
From Right to Left: Investcorp’s Board of Directors Member Hisham Al Saie, Executive Chairman Mohammed Alardhi during his opening remarks
Investcorp’s Executive Chairman Mohammed Alardhi, Investcorp’s Board of Directors
Chairman Dr. Yousef Al Ebraheem, Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National
Economy H.E. Sh. Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Investcorp’s Board of Directors Vice
Chairman Khalid Al Zayani and Investcorp’s Co-CEO Hazem Ben-Gacem
Chairman of Investcorp and Aberdeen Standard Investments Joint Venture Member of Parliament, United Kingdom, Rt. Hon. Sir Michael Fallon
Sir Gerry Grimstone
Investcorp held its 2019 Investors Conference at the Bahrain Four Economy attended the dinner along with other distinguished
Seasons in November under the patronage of His Royal Highness guests, including: Sir Michael Fallon, Member of British Parliament
Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy and Member of Investcorp’s International Advisory Board, and
Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister. Sir Gerry Grimstone, Investcorp Board Member and Chairman
of the Infrastructure joint venture between Aberdeen Standard
During his keynote address, Executive Chairman Mohammed
Investments and Investcorp.
Alardhi discussed Investcorp’s successful execution on its growth
strategy amidst an evolving macroeconomic and geopolitical More than 250 investors attended the conference to explore the
landscape. “We are now more global than ever as we’ve expanded shape and depth of investment opportunities across the globe.
into areas that we know well. We’ve accomplished this growth Speakers and attendees from the US, Europe, India, China,
while the world witnessed tectonic shifts.” Indonesia and the Gulf opined on an array of topics including
private equity, wealth management, infrastructure, real estate and
A gala dinner was hosted by the Executive Chairman, and
new growth markets.
Investcorp was honored to have His Excellency Shaikh Salman
bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National
21
GULF AND MENA
Tiryaki
Agro Exit
In January 2020, Investcorp successfully completed its exit from North America. Tiryaki Agro more than doubled its sales during
Tiryaki Agro, the largest agricultural commodity trader in Turkey and Investcorp’s period of ownership from approximately US $600
the world’s largest supplier of organic grains and oilseeds, with sales million to approximately US $1.3 billion.
of around US $1.3 billion. This marks the first exit of Investcorp’s
“At Investcorp, we are proud to support Tiryaki Agro through its
portfolio in Turkey. The proceeds will be paid in tranches.
journey to become the world’s largest supplier of organic grains
Investcorp partnered with the Tiryakioglu Family in September and oilseeds. Tiryaki evolved to become a prominent international
2010 to support its aspired transformation from a family managed player with operations across five continents from the Americas
domestic business into an institutionalized, international leader. to the Middle East with facilities in 14 countries, and offices
Through Investcorp’s partnership, Tiryaki Agro expanded its in the United States, Canada, Turkey, and the UAE, and still
infrastructure network, strengthened its capital structure, and continues to expand its areas of activities with procurement from
reinforced its management with professionals. Furthermore, the 25 countries and exports to 80 countries,” said Alptekin Diler,
company expanded inorganically by acquiring Sunrise Foods Principal at Investcorp and Board Member of Tiryaki Agro.
International, the number one distributor of organic grains in
Investcorp Visits
NEOM
A delegation of Investcorp leadership, including Hazem Neom is an anchor part of the Saudi 2030 Vision and
Ben-Gacem, Co-CEO; Sami Neffati, Managing Partner of planned to be the world’s most eco-friendly and futuristic
Infrastructure JV with Aberdeen Standard Investments; Yasser city. Investcorp’s visit was part of its early stage evaluation of
Bajsair Managing Director, Investor Relationship Management potential infrastructure and real estate investment opportunities
(IRM); and Nahar Houthan, Principal, IRM; visited Neom, in Neom.
a smart mega-city being built from the ground up in Saudi
Arabia. Neom is expected to be 33 times the size of New York Members of the team also attended the Future Investment
City and has been described as the “world’s largest and most Initiative in Riyadh in October 2019. The annual international
ambitious infrastructure project” – spanning 10,230 square forum provided a platform for expert-led debates on key trends
miles and requiring at least US $500 billion in investment. and issues impacting global investments.
Michael Milken
Chairman of the Milken Institute
Investcorp hosted a group of international investors led by Michael Milken, Chairman of the
Milken Institute, at its Bahrain office.
The session started with welcome remarks by Co-CEO Hazem Ben-Gacem, which was followed
by a speech from Michael Milken in which he stressed the importance of having a shared
mission and how every organization’s greatest asset is its people. This was followed by a Q&A
session with Dr. Deepak Chopra Founder of the Chopra Centre for Wellbeing moderated by
Louise Tabinner, Senior Advisor at the Milken Institute. Dr. Chopra discussed the seven pillars of
wellbeing and how leaders can better manage and inspire their teams.
The session concluded with two presentations about investing in the region by Walid Majdalani,
Head of Private Equity MENA, and Sami Neffati, Head of Infrastructure, presenting to the global
investors about opportunities across the GCC in private equity and infrastructure as the GCC
economies continue to grow and diversify.
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REAL ESTATE IN US AND EUROPE
In 2019, Investcorp made its largest real a robust industrial real estate portfolio of
estate portfolio acquisition in the Firm’s strategically-located assets in key markets.
history when it acquired two industrial
US
The opportunity to acquire these properties
and logistics real estate portfolios for is consistent with our established criteria for
approximately US $800 million.
real estate investments that generate stable
Industrial With consumers and businesses increasingly cash flows, have high occupancies and
demanding faster deliveries, Investcorp believes are located in some of the most desirable
Portfolio that industrial real estate assets close to major
population centers will continue to become
industrial, logistics hubs across the country.
With e-commerce continuing to drive demand
more important to efficient supply chains and for industrial and logistics assets nationally, we
enabling e-commerce. In line with this thesis,
are pleased to further enhance our platform
Investcorp acquired a 91.5% leased portfolio
through this transaction.”
of industrial and logistics properties located in
five major metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Georgia; Investcorp ranked as the second largest
Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Charlotte, North international buyer and fourth largest
Carolina and Memphis, Tennessee. international seller of US real estate in
Herb Myers, Managing Director in US Real calendar year 2019, according to Real
Estate said, “We have carefully assembled Capital Analytics.
Neil Hasson
Managing Director and Head
of European Real Estate
25
CONTINUED STRENGTH IN THE US
Fortune
Investcorp NY offices
Investcorp
Launches New
Website
Scan the QR code to visit Investcorp recently launched its new website featuring the
Investcorp’s new website Firm’s growth journey, global capabilities, rich history and
27
AROUND EUROPE
50 Most Influential
Private Equity
in European
Private Equity
In December 2019, Daniel Lopez-Cruz, Head of European investments across a wide range of industries and European
Private Equity, was recognized by Private Equity News as one of countries. He currently sits on the boards of Agromillora,
the 50 Most Influential in European Private Equity. Cambio Healthcare Systems, SPG Prints and Vivaticket and
has previously served on the boards of Polyconcept, Icopal,
Since August 2018, Daniel has served as Head of the European
Asiakastieto and Esmalglass.
Private Equity business, overseeing a team of more than 20 people
managing approximately US $2 billion. Daniel joined the Firm in
2005 and has since been responsible for a number of private equity
Annual Reception
Investcorp Wins
Second Consecutive
“Firm of the Year:
MENA”
For the second consecutive year, Investcorp was recognized
as “Firm of the Year: Middle East and North Africa” in
Private Equity International’s 2019 Awards series.
Investcorp Named equity landscape, chronicling the Firm’s rich history and
impressive growth over the last several years.
as a Firm Changing “We have given our investors the option to invest in India,
Landscape
foundation to execute to US $50 billion. I believe even if we
don’t do any more acquisitions, we have enough,” Executive
Chairman Mohammed Alardhi told PEI in an interview.
29
STRENGTHENING CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP
Environmental,
Social and
Governance
Highlights
Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues In 2019, the Firm introduced a new ESG policy
are becoming increasingly important for companies that will see it deepen its existing commitments.
Investcorp’s purpose goes beyond excellence in
of all sizes as they look to attract capital, retain
alternative investing to encompass broader issues
talent, protect against risks and meet growing
of social good that align with its values.
expectations to make a positive impact.
The Firm has also instituted recycling and
Investcorp takes great pride in its reputation as a
plastic reduction efforts across its global offices
strong corporate citizen and works hard to promote
and is looking to continue strengthening the
best practices and sustainable value across all
ESG performance of its portfolio companies
global operations – not just because it is good
and operations. The Firm remains focused on
business, but because it is the right thing to do.
continuing its ESG journey and working with its
stakeholders to drive sustainable value.
Investcorp Supports presented the “Investcorp Value Creation Award” to a winning student
group during this year’s conference, which took place in Muscat, Oman.
Injaz Al Arab Investcorp has supported INJAZ Al-Arab since its inception, serving
as a co-sponsor of initiatives, as a donor and fundraiser, and as an
advisor and active participant, including as a member on its board.
INJAZ Al-Arab was founded on the belief in the boundless potential
Ramzi AbdelJaber of Arab youth. The non-profit serves as a regional operating center
Chief Administrative Officer for Junior Achievement Worldwide, providing education and training
in workforce readiness, financial literacy and entrepreneurship
across the Arab world. Over 4,200 school, and 346 universities
participated in Injaz Al Arab’s program over the years, benefitting
more than 3,500,000 students. The Company Program that Injaz
provides offers youth in the MENA region an opportunity to learn
how to transform business ideas from concept to reality.
Women’s Alternative
Investment Summit
In November 2019, Portfolio Strategist Elena Ranguelova spoke alongside industry thought leaders at the 11th Annual Women’s Alternative
Investment Summit hosted by Kirkland & Ellis at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. During her on-stage panel, Elena discussed the
investment landscape for hedge funds and strategies that are expected to deliver performance in 2020, with emerging managers and niche
strategies identified as potentially attractive options in the current environment.
The Summit convened more than 400 senior-level women from the world’s leading institutional investors, private equity and venture capital
firms and other alternative investment fields such as real estate, credit, hedge funds, infrastructure and real assets.
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