Paris and London, November 2nd, 2020 – Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity investors, today announced that it has appointed Erik Maris as an Advisory Partner for its operations in France and Europe. Erik is the former co-head of Lazard, France and co-founder of Messier Maris & Associés, France’s most successful boutique investment bank.

“I am thrilled to work even more closely with Erik, who has supported Advent as a trusted advisor on a number of successful deals over the years,” said Michael Ogrinz, Managing Director and Head of Advent International in France. “His experience, knowledge of our ecosystem and entrepreneurial drive will be invaluable assets as we continue to expand our investment activities in France and beyond. We are delighted to be partnering with him.”

Erik will work closely with the Advent deal team to help identify and assess investment opportunities in France and more widely across Europe.

“I have long admired Advent’s sector-focused, strategic approach to investing and am excited to collaborate with this talented team of professionals,” said Erik Maris. “I look forward to working with Michael and his team to support Advent’s continued success and help drive growth across Advent’s diverse portfolio.”

James Brocklebank, a Managing Partner at Advent in London and co-head of Advent’s European business said: “The addition of Erik as an Advisory Partner is fantastic news and will reinforce our long-established presence as an investor in France.”

Erik’s engagement further expands Advent’s presence in Paris,  which was recently strengthened by three additional deal team hires. Juliette Assemat joined as an Associate Director, having previously worked for KKR and Apax Partners. Romain Dimus, who previously worked in Wendel’s private equity team, and Grégoire Gesnet, who previously founded the payment company Neos, both joined as Associates earlier this year.

Advent recently completed fundraising for both its flagship Global Private Equity (GPE) IX fund, at $17.5 billion, and Advent Tech, a $2 billion technology-focused companion fund to GPE IX. The firm has been deploying capital in France since 1987 and recent investments by Advent’s French team include Circet, Rubix, Zentiva, Corialis and Idemia.

Erik Maris is the most recent executive to join Advent’s large and growing network of operating professionals, a long-established element of the firm’s approach to investing. In addition to Advent’s in-house deal team and portfolio support group, the firm’s platform includes more than 100 external Operating Partners – former senior executives – and over 20 Operations Advisors—former executives with deep functional expertise in areas such as finance, IT, HR and sales.

Erik Maris has extensive experience both as an entrepreneur and business leader. He co-founded and led France’s most successful advisory boutique Messier Maris & Associés from 2010 to 2020 where he advised on more than 100 transactions including some of the highest profile deals in the industry. He previously worked at Lazard for 19 years, most recently serving as co-head of Lazard France.

Erik serves on the advisory Boards of Espérance Banlieue and La Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale. Erik is also a keen amateur sportsman, in sailboat racing as well as car racing (6 times LeMans driver).