Team

A diverse and complementary team

Overly specialized teams are not suitable for the private equity business. The ASTORG team combines years of collective experience with diverse backgrounds and profiles giving it the flexibility to adapt to virtually all types of industries, businesses and situations.

The ASTORG team gathers complementary people, most of whom have been working together for a number of years. Their skills include finance, management, strategic consulting and audit.

For even more flexibility and speed, ASTORG calls on external advisors (consultants, former managers, investment banks, law firms,…) whenever necessary.

As of December 2007, the investment team is made up of 12 professionals, supported by an experienced Back-Office team.

XAVIER MORENO

MANAGING PARTNER

He co-founded Astorg Partners in 1998, after heading the Suez private equity teams for 7 years, including the chairmanship of Astorg Cie d’Investissement which was then a wholly-owned Suez investment company. Before that, he spent 6 years at Sanofi, as CEO of an operational division and member of the Executive Committee. Xavier Moreno started his professional life in 1976 at the French Treasury, where he held several senior positions including the financing and monitoring of state-owned institutional companies.

He is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique, the Institut d’Etude Politiques de Paris, and the Ecole Normale d’Administration.

JOEL LACOURTE

MANAGING PARTNER

He joined Astorg in 1999, after holding various CEO positions as a turnaround specialist for 4 years. He started his professional life in strategic consulting where he spent 14 years successively with the Boston Consulting Group, Mars & Co and Mercer Management Consulting. From 1987 to 1992, he was a partner at Apax Partners in Paris, followed by 3 years at Epargne Partenaires.

Joël Lacourte is a graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and holds an MBA from Stanford University.

THIERRY TIMSIT

MANAGING PARTNER

He co-founded Astorg Partners in 1998, after joining the private equity teams at Suez in 1995. He started his professional life in 1989 at Calyon,  where he held several positions in London and Paris , particularly in the project finance division.

Thierry Timsit holds an MBA from the ESCP-EAP graduate school of management.

PASCAL NOGUERA

PARTNER

He joined Astorg Partners in 2000, after spending 9 years at Banque Worms where he set up and headed the acquisition finance division.

Pascal Noguera holds a B.A. in Economy from the University of Paris I Sorbonne. He is a graduate of the Stanford University (Stanford Executive Program - SEP) and of IAE Paris.

CHRISTIAN COUTURIER

DIRECTOR

He joined Astorg Partners in 2001 following 8 years of strategic consulting in London and then Paris at Bossard and Gemini Consulting.

Christian Couturier holds an MBA from the ESCP-EAP graduate school of management and a Law Degree from University of Paris V-Assas - La Sorbonne.

JEAN-HUBERT VIAL

IDIRECTOR

He joined Astorg Partners in 2006 after 8 years in Mergers and Acquisitions (6 years at Rothschild & Cie and 2 years at Société Générale). He started his professional life as an auditor with Arthur Andersen in 1994.

Jean-Hubert Vial is a graduate of the Ecole des Mines de Paris.

FREDERIC SEBBAG

DIRECTOR

He joined Astorg Partners in 2004, after working as an investment banker at Banque Paribas and then Calyon Corporate Finance where he  specialized in equity and equity-linked new issues.

Frédéric Sebbag is a graduate of the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées and holds a post-graduate degree in Finance from Sorbonne University (where he was a regular teacher between 2001 and 2005).

ALEXANDRE VANNELLE

ASSOCIATE

He joined Astorg Partners late 2005 after 4 years at JPMorgan Paris and London, working on the origination and execution of mergers and acquisitions and capital market transactions.

Alexandre Vannelle holds an MBA from the ESCP-EAP graduate school of management and a philosophy degree from the Sorbonne University.

OLIVIER BINET

ASSOCIATE

He joined Astorg Partners late 2005 after 2 years with the Private Equity Division of Lehman Brothers in London, where he was in charge of the origination and execution of European mid-market LBO operations.

Olivier Binet is a graduate from the HEC graduate business school, majoring in entrepreneurship.

SOPHIE POCHARD

ASSOCIATE

EDOUARD GUIGOU

ANALYST

CATHERINE COUET

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

She joined Astorg Partners in 2005, after spending 17 years at Suez Group, where she successfully was Financial Controller at Suez Corporate and then Deputy Manager of the Financial Planning and Control Division at Suez Environnement.

Catherine Couet is graduated from ISSEC-ESSEC Group.

SOPHIE SADEN

GENERAL COUNSEL

She joined Astorg Partners in 2002 from SG Asset Management where she worked in the legal deparment. Prior to that, she was a lawyer at Deloitte & Touche.

Sophie Saden holds a Business Law Degree of University Paris X, a post-graduate degree in International Commercial Law and a DEJ degree in  applied Anglo-American Law.

SANDRINE HUCHELMANN

SENIOR LEGAL COUNSEL

She joined Astorg Partners in 2001, after various work experiences including law enforcement at Cie Financière Alcatel.

Sandrine Huchelmann-Mestrallet holds a public & private international law degree, a post-graduate international business law degree from University of Nice-Sophia-Antipolis, and a post-graduate degree in International Relations.

              ASSISTANTS