Former President & Chief Executive Officer at Dufieux Industrie SAS

Evolem is a regional private equity investment manager focused on the Rhône-Alpes region in southeast France. The firm also invests in the Paris area and in the southern coastal region Provence-Côte-d'Azur. They target profitable small and medium-sized businesses. Evolem has invested in sectors as diverse as the swimming pool industry, domestic help services, specialized nutrition, non-food extreme value retail, sustainable development, signage, financial services, arts and crafts, specialized hobbies and direct marketing.Their Evolem 1 fund is invested in minority participations in profitable growing companies, targeting startups, financing for organic and external growth as well as shareholder restructuring. The firm generally co-invests with third parties including business angels. The Evolem 2 fund focuses on LBO operations, primarily takeovers of companies with 5 to 30 million Euros in turnover.

BNP Paribas Développement is an active investor which aims to provide development capital and LBO assistance to small- to medium-sized French businesses in the manufacturing, electronic technology and consumer sectors. The firm typically invests between 1 and 15 million euros, seeking buyout businesses valued between 10 and 100 million euros.BNP Paribas Développement seeks a minority position in their investee companies, collaborating actively with company management to increase value.