Staff Writer

Average high bids for private equity fund interests fell to 61% of NAV in the five months through November 2008, driven by stale holding values, according to Cogent Partners.

The San Francisco-based secondaries firm has hired Rein Gabriel as an associate. Last month it hired former SL Green/Gramercy Capital executive John Graham to boost its acquisitions team.

The private equity fund of funds has hired former Unigestion secondaries executive Francesco di Valmarana amid increasing activity in the global secondaries market. The appointment brings the number of Pantheon's European secondaries team members to 25.

The UK-based secondary specialist has added Matthew Arkinstall to its team.

The San Francisco-based real estate secondaries firm has appointed former SL Green/Gramercy Capital executive as LPs increasingly look to liquidate some of their real estate positions. The appointment comes as Liquid works with LPs faced with capital calls in excess of their distributions.

The $850m Chicago Firemen’s Annuity and Benefit Fund will make a third secondaries investment by the end of the month.

The New York-based secondaries firm has hired Sabina Sammartino to head up due diligence in London and promoted two in Paris.

Gary Stevens has filed a lawsuit against the Connecticut secondaries firm claiming Landmark failed to honour a promise to give him an ‘ownership interest’ in the firm.

AAC Capital Partners, the former ABN AMRO buyout team, has secured €950m for further acquisitions from investors including Goldman Sachs, the CPPIB, AlpInvest and Adams Street.

The £15bn UK charity is particularly interested in direct secondary deals as it manages and rebalances its alternatives portfolio, Peter Pereira Gray, Wellcome deputy chief investment officer, said at the PERE Forum in New York yesterday.