Invest Europe 2020 highlights
Message from the CEO
Eric de Montgolfier, CEO
At the end of any year, we take stock. 2020 was a year unlike any other, full of challenges at the personal, professional and economic level. For Invest Europe, it was a year in which we remained focused and made substantial progress towards our goal of putting members at the heart of our association.
Strategic shifts often start with practical changes. And in 2020, we reshaped our team to better deliver the quality services and products our members need and expect. We made new hires and promoted from within to build up our communications, public affairs and research teams, while also reinforcing our training function.
We carried out other important work to strengthen Invest Europe, integrating the European Private Equity Roundtable fully into the association as the Global Private Equity Platform. The change places large buyouts on the same footing as platforms for the Mid-Market, VCs and Limited Partners, recognising the alignment of all our objectives and activities on central topics such as regulation.
Perhaps most critically in the context of our response to the pandemic, we walked the walk. Invest Europe responded swiftly and decisively when the European private equity industry needed support.
We established essential resources including a COVID-19 library for members and portfolio companies, while at the same time pushing policymakers for urgent liquidity measures. We doubled the number of policy calls, increasing their depth and quality. And we made almost all of our conferences, events and training virtual as part of our drive to support, inform and educate members. These same members were provided with leading edge data and research, whether that be the market-beating performance of our sector or Europe’s most comprehensive economic impact and activity data. Our communications efforts focused on creating a new narrative across multiple channels to speak to the real contributions of private equity in Europe.
All our actions in 2020 have reinforced Invest Europe and brought us closer to members. There will be challenges and opportunities in 2021 and beyond as the recovery and rebuilding work in Europe accelerates. Invest Europe’s ongoing initiatives will position our association clearly as the trusted, go-to organisation for public advocacy, research, thought-leadership, industry networking and more.
Eric de Montgolfier, Chief Executive Officer
2020 Highlights video (04.06)
2020 Highlights video
2020 was a year unlike any other, full of challenges at the personal, professional and economic level. For Invest Europe, it was a year in which we remained focused and made substantial progress towards our goal of putting members at the heart of our association.
Our members
Public Affairs
Pushed for the right EU emergency response and support for businesses impacted by COVID-19
Substantially influenced the content of the Capital Markets Union agenda
Regularly informed our members in the midst of the COVID crisis through dedicated member guides and uniquely comprehensive resource libraries
Shaped the outcome of EIOPA’s advice on Solvency II and guided members on investor reporting issues
Made extensive preparatory work on reviews of regulatory initiatives, engaging with MEPs, attachés and Commission officials
Built a sector-wide coalition and ensured postponement of the DAC-6 application deadlines
Published seven key major guides on COVID-19 measures, ESG, cross-border distribution of funds, Brexit, Foreign Direct Investments, Solvency II and DAC-6
29
consultation responses and comment letters to EU and international policymakers
9
policy calls on hot topics (with a threefold increase in number of participants)
11
thought leadership pieces
Industry Data & Research
Accelerated and expanded our cutting-edge research and data gathering work
Launched Private Equity at Work, the first ever report underlining the industry’s key role in employment and job creation in Europe
Released new performance benchmark report demonstrating European private equity returns outperformance relative to public markets
Increased understanding of private equity returns metrics with the publication of an in-depth study on public market equivalent methodologies
Collaborated with Arthur D. Little on a market sentiment survey, taking the pulse of GPs and LPs in the context of the impact of COVID-19 on private equity
1,400+
european venture capital and private equity firms covered by EDC in 2019
86%
of €782bn European capital under management tracked
38
countries
Research
Research publications
Invest Europe is the most authoritative source of reliable data on the European private equity and venture capital ecosystem.
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Communications
Reshaped Invest Europe’s communication strategy to maximise the impact of existing resources, focusing on thought leadership to increase visibility and strengthen our voice
Developed and activated a new, positive narrative that works for all members, based on performance and the industry’s social and economic contribution
Reached a potential audience of several hundred million worldwide through over 800 interactions with journalists and 200 media articles secured
Deepened and expanded member communications, delivering essential and timely information to members, including the weekly newsletter and an interactive COVID-19 library
Enhanced digital communications and online presence, reinforcing our message, reaching new stakeholders and achieving engagement levels five times above the norm
Worked across Invest Europe to produce essential publications, including Private Equity at Work, increasing awareness and understanding of private capital’s value to Europe’s economy
12
publications aimed at our full range of stakeholders
400
pieces of global media coverage
+20.6%
increase in LinkedIn followers
Membership, Events & Training
Ensured seamless transition from physical to virtual conferences for the 2020 Investors’ Forum and Venture Capital Forum, bringing together LPs and GPs for three days of online debate and discussion, as well as the release of new data
Successfully converted all our practitioner-led training programmes to virtual, carefully adapting content, timing and structure to maintain quality and facilitate interactivity
Reached a wider audience and more members through the new online training format, exceeding expected participant numbers for online courses
Hosted the largest ever Chair’s dinner in London, attended by more than 120 guests in February
268
delegates Investors’ Forum – Virtual
157
delegates Venture Capital Forum – Virtual
120
guests at the last Chair’s dinner in London
Training
Our practitioner-led training programme offers professional courses for all industry participants, from new entrants to seasoned veterans.
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Save the dates
Investors' Forum - virtual
24-25 March 2021
CFO Forum - virtual
10-11 June 2021
Venture Capital Forum
13-14 October 2021
Industry Standards
Increasingly positioned Invest Europe as a key interlocutor with the European institutions on EU Sustainable Finance
Pushed the development of the content for the first Invest Europe Climate Change Guide over the finishing line; the Guide will be launched in mid-March 2021
Completed four of 11 action points within the Professional Standards Action Plan, and made good progress on all other points
Established a special working group of leading GPs, LPs and advisers to develop succinct guidance for members on how to apply new ESG disclosure rules
Governance & Finance
Reinforced the Invest Europe team with seven new hires and two internal promotions in 2020 resulting in full staffing and stronger expertise
Appointed new Director of Communication, completing an experienced executive management team
Integrated the member firms of EPER (the European Private Equity Roundtable) fully into Invest Europe with the creation of the Global Private Equity Platform
24
full-time employees
14
nationalities
16
languages
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