Pemberton hires new head of France

Mid-market lender Pemberton Asset Management, backed by UK insurer Legal & General, has appointed a new head of France, the firm said.

Geoffroi de Saint Chamas joins from Lazard, where he was head of debt advisory in France. He has 25 years’ experience in European corporate banking, acquisition and leveraged finance markets.

As well as Paris, Pemberton operates from London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan and Luxembourg.

“We are very well placed to meet the growing demand from borrowers across Europe and Geoffroi’s appointment is a further sign of our commitment to build-out our European office network with senior and well-known loan bankers with strong local networks and relationships,” Symon Drake-Brockman, managing partner at Pemberton, said.

Prior to joining Lazard in 2009, de Saint Chamas was co-head of Royal Bank of Scotland’s leveraged finance business in France. While there, he led more than 60 transactions involving acquisition financing for private equity firms and corporates, both for mid-market and larger companies. He began his career at Paribas and has held various positions in advisory and structured finance at Crédit Agricole.

Pemberton held a first close on its maiden private debt vehicle, the European Mid-Market Debt Fund, on €547 million in July. The lender started fundraising in January and is targeting €1.5 billion. The firm is also seeking to launch other debt strategies in the coming months.

L&G is a 40 percent shareholder in Pemberton. The insurance company has committed €250 million to the firm’s mid-market strategy and made a third investment into the pooled fund alongside other limited partners.