About us
Castle Private Equity is a Swiss investment company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and, which specialises in private equity investments. It offers its shareholders the key benefits of private equity by investing in an actively managed portfolio of high quality private equity transactions.
Investment philosophy
How we do it
NAV as of 31 October 2022
106
USD million
Invested in
>400
portfolio companies
Performance (IRR)
9.9%
p.a. since inception
How does Castle PE invest in private equity?
Castle Private Equity’s investment objective is to provide shareholders
with long-term capital growth through investments in a well-diversified
portfolio of private equity funds and direct investments in private
companies.
Castle Private Equity is an investment vehicle investing its available financial resources in private equity partnerships. The specialised and highly-qualified management teams of these partnerships invest the capital in selected companies with a view to achieving significant value growth before selling their investment again. The investment manager has constructed a portfolio for Castle Private Equity consisting of an optimal combination of top-quartile primary private equity partnerships and premier secondary private equity portfolios.
Investment objective and policy
Castle Private Equity invests, directly or through its subsidiaries, in a global portfolio of private equity funds and direct investments diversified by vintage year, geography and stage focus. Castle Private Equity structures its investments through subscriptions to new funds and purchases of fund interests in the secondary market.
Castle Private Equity's assets are invested to gain exposure to privately negotiated investments in a variety of underlying companies’ financing stages, namely venture capital, buyouts and special situations. Castle Private Equity seeks investment opportunities on a global basis, although it invests its assets predominantly in the developed private equity markets of North America and Europe.
Past performance is not a guarantee, nor an indication of current or future performance
our team
MANAGEMENT AND INVESTOR RELATIONS
Dr. Hans Markvoort, General Manager
Dr. Hans Markvoort is a Partner at LGT Capital Partners and Managing Director of LGT Private Equity Advisers, the management company for the publicly listed private equity investment company, Castle Private Equity.
Prior to joining LGT Capital Partners in 2000, Mr. Markvoort was CFO of the European division of a privately held US-based capital goods manufacturer and trading company. Before that, Mr. Markvoort was Corporate Controller and Company Secretary of Industrieholding Cham, a listed Swiss company.
Mr. Markvoort studied economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands and the University of St Gallen, Switzerland, where he completed his PhD in 1995. He serves on the advisory board of a number of private equity partnerships.
Beny Meyer, General Manager
Benedikt Meyer is an Executive Director at LGT Capital Partners.
Prior to joining LGT Capital Partners in 2010, Mr. Meyer worked for Partners Group AG in Zug and London in various positions.
Previously Mr. Meyer worked for a financial services firm focusing on private equity investments. He also serves as an advisor for a number of startups.
Mr. Meyer studied economics at the University of Applied Sciences (HF) in Luzern and Zug.
Pia Skogstrom, Investor Relations
Pia Skogstrom is an Executive Director at LGT Capital Partners.
Prior to joining LGT Capital Partners, Ms. Skogstrom was head of investor relations at KGR Capital, a specialist fund of hedge fund manager that was acquired by LGT Capital Partners in 2008. Before joining KGR Capital,
Ms. Skogstrom worked for Integrated Asset Management, a global fund of hedge fund manager, and prior to that spent four years in the technology venture capital sector.
Ms. Skogstrom is a member of the UK Society of Investment Professionals and is registered with the FCA.
Our team
Directors
Gilbert Chalk, Chairman
Gilbert Chalk completed his BSc and MA in Business at Lancaster University and obtained an MBA from Columbia University in 1972.
He worked in corporate finance at Hill Samuel Bank before joining Hambros Bank in 1980 as a manager and, subsequently, director in their corporate finance department. In 1987 he founded and became managing director of Hambro European Ventures, a position he held until 1994. Since 1994 he has been active as director and adviser of a number of privately financed companies. From 2000 to 2010 he was chairman of the Baring English Growth Fund. He currently is director of Constantine Group plc, Vantage Goldfields Limited and Aurora Russia Limited and is an investor representative at Cognito Limited. Gilbert Chalk was elected at the general meeting held on 29 October 2008.
Dr. Konrad Bächinger, Deputy Chairman
Dr. Konrad Bächinger received a Ph.D. in law from the University of Zurich. He was admitted to the bar in 1977. He acted subsequently as legal counsel for the St. Gallische Creditanstalt and as head of legal department of Adolph Saurer AG. In 1984, he joined LGT Bank in Liechtenstein as general counsel. In 1989 he was appointed managing director and head of legal matters and project department. In 1990 he became member of the executive board of the bank, heading commercial banking and legal matters. In 1998 he became chief executive officer of LGT Capital Management. In April, 2001 Dr. Bächinger was appointed to the group executive committee of Liechtenstein Global Trust, now known as LGT Group Foundation. In 2006 he became a senior advisor of LGT Group Foundation and in 2010 he retired from LGT. Dr. Bächinger is also deputy chairman of the board of directors of Castle Alternative Invest AG and of several investment companies managed or advised by affiliates of LGT Group Foundation. He was chairman of the advisory board of the Futuro project to establish a vision for the Liechtenstein financial center.
Dr. Bächinger was elected to the board of directors in 1997.
Thomas Amstutz, audit committee chairman
Thomas Amstutz (Swiss citizen, born 1962) completed his bank apprenticeship at Credit Suisse and graduated from Commercial School of Business Administration. From 1981 until 2004 he held a variety of management positions with Credit Suisse Group. In 1987 he was appointed managing director of CSFB Geneva, Head of Foreign Exchange/Precious Metals Options. Between 1991 and 1996 he held different positions within Credit Suisse in Zurich, before heading the Sales and Trading department in
Frankfurt. In 1999 he was appointed member of the executive board of Credit Suisse Private Banking and from August 2002 until December 2004 he was member of the executive board of Credit Suisse Financial Services and Head of the Division Investment Management. From 2005 until 2014 he was chairman of Absolute Private Equity AG, Zug, Absolute Invest AG, Zug (both listed Swiss investment companies) and Absolute Investment Services Ltd., Zurich. Thomas Amstutz is owner of Gryth Group AG, Zurich and holds the position as a board member of Alpine Select AG, Zug, Baloise Bank SoBA, Solothurn and Vicenda Asset Management AG, Zug. Mr Amstutz
was elected to the board of directors of Castle Private Equity AG at the annual meeting in April 2012.
Heinz Nipp, remuneration committee chairman
Heinz Nipp completed a banking apprenticeship and training as a financial analyst which were later followed by executive management studies at Stanford University. Prior to joining LGT Bank in Liechtenstein in 1982, Mr. Nipp spent several years abroad to gain practical banking experience. Mr. Nipp was the CEO of LGT Bank in Liechtenstein until 1 January 2001 when he was appointed member of the group executive committee of Liechtenstein Global Trust, now known as LGT Group Foundation. In October 2006, Heinz Nipp was appointed executive chairman wealth management Asia of LGT Group Foundation. He retired from his functions at LGT in 2008. Heinz Nipp was elected to the board in 1997.