Coller hires fundraising veteran – exclusive

Secondaries firm Coller Capital has hired Remy Kawkabani, who has 25 years of private equity fundraising experience.

While details of Kawkabani’s precise role are unclear, his long history in fund structuring and placement will no doubt be called on as the secondaries firm ramps up marketing for its eighth global fund.

Coller’s $7.2 billion Fund VII, which closed at the end of 2015, is understood to be nearly fully committed and the firm is likely to be plotting to launch a fundraise this year.

Kawkabani, who is joining Coller as a partner, formerly held several senior positions at Credit Suisse, where he was responsible for the origination and structuring of private equity funds. He served as a managing director and chief executive officer of Credit Suisse Asset Management for the EMEA region before leaving the bank to head up the EMEA business for New York-based private equity firm Siguler Guff.

PEI named Kawkabani as one of the 100 most influential people in private equity for the 10-year period from 2001-11.

Coller has made a few big-name hires in recent years. In June 2016 it brought on former Doughty Hanson chief executive Stephen Maquardt to lead its investor relations activities. Adam Black, Doughty’s head of ESG and sustainability, had been poached in March. Earlier this week Secondaries Investor revealed that principal Louise Boothby has been promoted to partner responsible for deal origination and execution.

If Coller begins raising capital this year as expected, it will be one of a handful of established firms trying to raise large pools of capital for secondaries investment. Ardian, for example, is planning to launch an $8 billion secondaries fund in the second half of the year.

A spokesman for Coller confirmed the appointment and declined to comment further.

– Rod James contributed to this report.