Barry Whyte

Private equity firm Partners Group has raised EUR650m ($853m) for its Partners Group Direct Investments 2009 direct investment program. The fund has previously invested in Grupo Santillana, a Spanish-language educational book publisher, and Kaffee Partner, a German coffee company.

Quad-C Management, a Charlottesville, VA, private investment firm has bought Durcon, a supplier of work surfaces, from Stonebridge Partners, a private equity firm based in White Plains New York. Durcon was advised by Harris Williams & Co.

CapMan, a leading alternative asset manager in the Nordic countries and Russia, has set up its fifth mezzanine fund, to be called Capman Mezzanine V, which will invest in mid-market Nordic companies. The fund will be worth EUR60 million ($78.7 million).

Private equity firm TPG [TPG.UL] is selling its 9.3 percent stake in Parkway Life REIT in a deal that could raise as much as S$91.1 million ($69 million), IFR Asia reported on Wednesday.

Laurence Garrett has joined venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners as a general partner, the company announced. Garrett will work in the area of technology and internet companies. Garrett is a former partner of 3i Ventures.

Ashok Aram has left the biggest private equity firm in the Middle East, Abraaj Capital, to return to Deutsche Bank as chief executive for the Middle East and North Africa. Aram left Deutsche Bank in July 2009 to take up a position as managing director of Abraaj. He will remain on the company’s board.