We build futures

Giulio De Lucia has gathered extensive experience in strategy and turnaround execution mainly in the technological, food ingredients and luxury goods environment. His experiences includes the definition of growth, turnaround and performance improvement strategies, as well as more operational roles during the execution of implementation projects in post merger acquisitions, restructuring strategies and efficiency improvement programs.

Besides being involved in the overall investment process (sourcing, transaction management, investor’s management), Giulio is actively involved in the strategic and operational management of the portfolio companies ranging from board positions to CEO assignments. Currently he is chairing the Board of Directors of Antiquorum Auctioneers Ltd. and Blattmann Schweiz AG.

In his last position Giulio was a Senior Vice President and Restructuring Officer at OC Oerlikon Management where he was responsible for the Global Restructuring Office. During the restructuring he was also acting Head of Group Procurement. Between 2003 and 2010 Giulio was the Managing Partner for the Restructuring & Performance practice at KPMG Switzerland. Before he joined KPMG in 2003, Giulio was a strategy consultant with the The Boston Consulting Group (Zurich) and a project manager with the ABB group (Zurich, Lisbon, São Paulo).

Giulio De Lucia holds a Diploma (lic. oec. publ.) from University of Zurich and an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau. He is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

René Steiner is Managing Partner of FIDES Business Partner where he is responsible for the Private Equity Business of the Company. In 2011 René Steiner was also a Founding-Partner of Fides Equity Partners.

René has gathered extensive experience in banking, the venture and private equity and the consumer brand industry. This includes the development of growth, turnaround and performance improvement strategies, as well as operational roles during the execution of implementation projects in post-merger acquisitions, restructuring and efficiency improvement programs. Prior to FIDES he was Director in the Advisory Practice of KPMG Switzerland, consulting corporate clients. Earlier he was in the role as Investment Manager/ Partner active in the Private Equity industry, where he was acting as deal maker, structuring and managing a number of corporate transactions. In that capacity he also took over operational leadership and/or board roles.

René Steiner has a Corporate and Investment Banking background and was employed for the major Swiss Banks in Switzerland and abroad. He holds a degree in economics and as Swiss-certified banking specialist.

Tom Clausen is a Managing Partner of FIDES Business Partner where he is mainly engaged in the Private Equity activities of the firm. He contributes 25 years of experience in performing due diligences on, investing in and actively monitor Private Equity funds and direct investments in companies in the US, Europe and Asia. He also has been engaged in a number of financial advisory assignments. All these activities have enabled him to establish a wide network to Private Equity groups, investors and companies in different parts of the world, particularly in India and China.

In his last position, he was a Co-founder and Managing Partner of Capvent, a Private Equity group focused on private equity funds and direct investments. Earlier, Tom Clausen was an Executive Director at Société Générale in Zurich and London and focused on the bank’s leverage finance and mezzanine investment business. Prior to that, he worked for Credit Suisse for 10 years where he spent most of the time in the San Francisco office as a senior corporate banker providing structured debt financings to high growth companies on the West Coast.

He holds a law degree (lic.iur) from the University of Zurich and an Executive MBA from the University of San Francisco.

Rohan Ajila is a Managing Partner of FIDES Business Partner, based in Bangalore, India, where he is mainly engaged in defining and building out the growth strategies of the firm’s portfolio companies and creating and managing partnerships in Asia, particularly in India. He contributes 20 years of experience in performing due diligences on, investing in and actively monitor private equity funds and direct investments in Asia, coupled with his extensive experience as an entrepreneur and board member of several companies in India. In addition, he has been actively involved in the translocation process (cross border technology and process transfer) of European companies setting up operations in India and defining their growth and HR strategies for Asia. All these activities have enabled him to establish a wide network to Private Equity groups, companies and industry experts in India.

In his last position, he was Managing Partner of Capvent, a Private Equity group focused on Private Equity fund and direct investments in Asia. Earlier, Rohan Ajila was involved in his family business, a successful and profitable consumer packaging company in India listed on the Indian stock exchange. He is also the founding director of an Indo German Joint Venture manufacturing high end cosmetic glass for global cosmetic companies. Previously, he started the first international health and fitness business in South India, and co-founded and managed Indiamarkets as CEO, which was a pioneer in the online and offline B2B e-commerce and supply chain consulting business.

He holds a BBA and MBA from the University of Houston, Texas (USA).

Manfred Handle is a Co-Founder of FIDES Business Partner and is responsible for the operational Business of the Company.

Manfred Handle has gathered extensive experience as Entrepreneur, Consultant, as well as CFO and Finance and Accounting Manager for Industrial and Service Management Companies. Before founding FIDES Business Partner, he was Managing Partner of Agino Management Consulting which he founded and developed in the past several years successfully. In 2011 he also joined the Fides Equity Partners Team as Partner. Before he started his entrepreneurial activities Manfred Handle was active in Leadership Positions in the Finance & Accounting Department, either as CFO as well Head of Accounting and Controlling, in Austria and Germany.

Manfred Handle has gathered a Diploma in technical Engineering and Construction and attended in a number of additional development trainings in the areas of Finance and Accounting.

Sherine Müller joined FIDES Business Partner in the beginning of May 2014.

She looks back on many years of experience as executive assistant to the CEO and in charge of office duty at an insurance brokerage company.

Sherine has a commercial education and a certificate as mentor of commercial apprentice.