News

19 November 2018, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Paris. With the appointment of Dr. Markus Geiger as Head of Private Debt on 1 November 2018, ODDO BHF AM confirms its commitment to developing a Private Debt platform. Dr. Geiger will lead a specialized deal team investing into private debt instruments and advising private debt funds for institutional and retail investors.

Our first solution dedicated to professional clients will focus on senior secured debt deals in the German Mittelstand segment, which is the backbone of the German economy. The Mittelstand, which represents the overwhelming majority of German companies, is made of export driven, adaptable and innovative SME’s (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises). The financing of the Mittelstand companies is increasingly provided by funds whatever the operation: PE-backed LBO, corporate M&A, Capex financing or refinancing. Like all across Europe, the German private debt asset class is growing, driven by increasing regulation and bank disintermediation.

With assets under management of USD 667 billion worldwide at the end of 2017 (source: Prequin), Private Debt is currently one of the fastest growing asset classes. Given the low interest rates on traditional bonds, institutional investors are increasingly interested in alternative investments. At the same time, medium-sized companies are looking for new financing opportunities in view of the regulatory capital constraints of banks. Private debt funds bring both sides together. They offer a potentially attractive risk-return profile even for conservative investors.

ODDO BHF Bank AG is an established and trusted player in the German loan market since 1987, with extensive origination and risk analysis capabilities. Based in Frankfurt, Dr. Markus Geiger will rely on an experienced team of 5 investment specialists, benefiting from a
successful track record of originating and executing more than 50 buy-outs and corporate acquisitions within the Mittelstand universe.

Dr. Geiger is a seasoned specialist for private debt investments. Most recently, he was Head of the D/A/CH region in Frankfurt at Kartesia Advisor, a European specialist in the financing of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Nicolas Chaput, CEO of ODDO BHF Asset Management: "We are delighted to welcome Dr. Geiger to our team. Thanks to him, we will offer both to our institutional investors and retail clients additional potentially attractive investment opportunities in the alternative space.
Beyond this strategy in German senior loans, Dr. Markus Geiger and his team will develop strategies across the whole debt capital structure.

Curriculum vitae of Dr. Markus Geiger

Before Dr. Markus Geiger joined ODDO BHF Asset Management, he spent four years as Head of the D/A/CH region at Kartesia Advisor LLP, responsible for numerous debt and equity transactions, notably in Germany and France, but also in Eastern Europe. In 2006 he joined the German private equity firm Steadfast Capital, where he was in charge of various mid-market buy-outs in automotive, machine building and consumer products as a partner. He began his career in 1997 as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton (now Strategy&), advising corporate and private equity clients on growth, restructuring and corporate finance.

Dr. Geiger studied Business Administration in Germany, France and the UK.

Curriculum vitae of Christian Sievers

Christian Sievers has joined ODDO BHF Asset Management in 2018 as Investment Director. Before joining ODDO BHF Asset Management Christian Sievers spent 11 years at ODDO BHF AG as project manager in the Leveraged Finance division. He has 11 years of experience in leveraged finance originating and executing several small- and midcap LBOs in the DACH region and gained experience in M&A and international marketing at ODDO BHF AG and Beiersdorf AG.

Christian Sievers is a graduate in business administration from the University of Applied Sciences Kiel (Germany) and holds an MBA from the University of Western Sydney (Australia)

Curriculum vitae of Martin Siml

Martin Siml has joined ODDO BHF Asset Management in 2018 as Investment Director and has 13 years of experience in corporate and leveraged finance. Prior to joining ODDO BHF Asset Management, Martin Siml spent 6 years at ODDO BHF AG, where he carried out numerous leveraged finance transactions in various origination and risk management roles. Martin Siml began his career with a 7-year stint at WestLB, gaining wide transaction experience through working within the M&A, debt advisory and leveraged finance units.

Martin Siml is a graduate in business administration from the Technical University in Berlin (Germany)

About ODDO BHF Asset Management

ODDO BHF AM is part of the independent Franco-German financial group ODDO BHF that was founded in 1849. ODDO BHF AM is an independent asset management leader in Europe. The asset management of the ODDO BHF Group comprises ODDO BHF AM GmbH in Germany, ODDO BHF AM SAS and ODDO BHF Private Equity in France, which together manage assets totalling € 61.6 billion. ODDO BHF AM offers its institutional and wholesale clients a unique range of high-performance investment solutions in all main asset classes, i.e. European equities, quantitative strategies, fixed income, multi-asset solutions, private equity and now private debt. On a combined basis, 70% of assets under management are from institutional clients and 30% from distribution partners. The teams operate from investment centers in Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Paris with additional locations in Luxembourg, Milan, Geneva, Stockholm, Madrid, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi and Zurich. ODDO BHF AM puts the long-term support of its clients at the heart of its priorities. Its independence allows its teams to be responsive, flexible and innovative in order to constantly find solutions tailored to the customers’ needs.

www.am.oddo-bhf.com

About ODDO BHF

ODDO BHF is an independent Franco-German financial services group, with a history stretching back over 160 years. It was created from the alliance of a French family-owned business built up by five generations of stockbrokers and a German bank specialising in Mittelstand companies. With 2,300 employees (1,300 in Germany and 1,000 in France and Tunisia), and more than 100 billion euros in assets under management, ODDO BHF operates in three main businesses, based on significant investment in market expertise: private banking, asset management and corporate and investment banking. The Group has a specific ownership structure as 60% of its capital is held by the Oddo family and 30% by employees. This “partnership” ethos guarantees the long-term involvement of its teams. In 2017, ODDO BHF generated net banking income of 591 million euros, and at 31 December 2017, the Group had over 844 million euros of shareholders' equity.

www.oddo-bhf.com

Press contact
CITIGATE DEWE ROGERSON
Yoann Besse / Laurence Duhamel
+33 1 53 32 78 89 / +33 1 53 32 84 73
[email protected]
[email protected]

Download the whole press release

Disclaimer
ODDO BHF AM is the asset management division of the ODDO BHF Group. It is the common brand of four legally separate asset management companies: ODDO BHF AM SAS (France), ODDO BHF PRIVATE EQUITY (France), ODDO BHF AM GmbH (Germany) and ODDO BHF AM Lux AG (Luxembourg).
This document has been drawn up by ODDO BHF ASSET MANAGEMENT GmbH for all market communication. It's goal is to present the ODDO BHF AM brand. Its investor communication is the responsibility of each promoter, distributor or advisor. Potential investors are invited to consult an investment advisor before investing in a strategy. Investor's attention is drawn to the fact that all strategies are not authorised in every country. Should they decide to invest, investors are invited to acquaint themselves with the detailed nature of any risks incurred, in particular the risk of capital loss. The value of the investment may vary both upwards and downwards and may not be returned in full. The investment must be made in accordance with investors’ investment objectives, their investment horizon and their capacity to deal with the risk arising from the transaction. ODDO BHF AM SAS cannot be held responsible for any direct or indirect damages resulting from the use of this document or the information contained in it. This information is provided for indicative purposes and may be modified at any moment without prior notice. Investors are reminded that past performance is not a reliable indication of future returns and is not constant over time. Any opinions presented in this document result from our market forecasts on the publication date. They are subject to change according to market conditions and ODDO BHF AM SAS shall not in any case be held contractually liable for them.
From January 3, 2018, when ODDO BHF ASSET MANAGEMENT provides investment advisory services, please note that it’s always on a non-independent basis pursuant to the European Directive 2014/65/EU (so-called “MIFID II Directive”). Please also note that all recommendations made by ODDO BHF ASSET MANAGEMENT are always provided for diversification purposes