Mary Abbott

The private equity market in Europe remains at least as buoyant as in Canada and the United States and, despite political and market uncertainty, PE M&A activity remains high, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Partner Mary Abbott writes. However, the realities of sourcing and executing on deals remains a challenge, as it does globally. Despite this shared reality, deal-making in Europe has some features or norms not common in North America that prudent businesses (and investors) can leverage to their advantage. Some of them arguably make deal execution more predictable and completion more certain.

Despite a number of disruptive events in 2016, or perhaps because of them, private equity funds remain the favoured access point for institutional investors looking for a return from their private investments. For this reason, the fundraising environment has arguably never been better for general partners. But how does a GP stand out from the pack in a crowded market in 2017? In a PE Hub Canada feature article, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Partner Mary Abbott  offers 10 useful tips to PE fundraisers.

Advent International became a news-maker in 2016. Not because of its successful US$13-billion fundraising, but because the venerable firm’s latest fund was oversubscribed at a reported US$20 billion despite not featuring what has been to date a mainstay of private equity funds: the “hurdle” or “preferred return”. In an exclusive PE Hub Canada feature article, Mary Abbott, a partner at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, asks: is this the start of a trend?

Institutional investors are increasingly looking for direct deal opportunities. For private equity firms, what does it mean when your investor client becomes your competitor? According to Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt Partners Mary Abbott and John Groenewegen, it means allowing co-investment rights (and accompanying lower fees) in the hope that large limited partners will decide not to invest directly but rather be alongside the fund as a co-investor.