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Permira
Permira was founded in 1985 and operates as a global generalist asset manager under Managing Partner Kurt Björklund.
Permira
Permira was founded in 1985 and operates as a global generalist asset manager under Managing Partner Kurt Björklund. The firm's investment activity centers on four named sectors — Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services — where it pursues a thematic, growth-oriented strategy. This sector focus has been a constant in its more than three decades of operation, with the firm moving between majority and minority positions depending on the opportunity. The firm structures its capital across three distinct strategies: a flagship buyout practice, a growth equity platform for midsized companies, and a global credit arm. The credit business is itself split into a direct-lending division in Europe and a transatlantic liquid credit platform. On the direct investment side, Permira typically focuses on backing management teams to engineer operational and technology-driven change. The portfolio ranges from public-to-private transactions to expansion-stage investments. Geographic deployment spans Europe, the United States, and Asia, with confirmed portfolio positions including consumer marketplace Adevinta, digital identity provider BioCatch, and healthcare contract manufacturer Cambrex. A team of over 500 professionals works from 15 global offices, including hubs in London, Frankfurt, Milan, New York, and across Asia. The credit platform recently demonstrated its scale: in the current period, Permira Credit priced its Menlo CLO V at $428.1 million. The firm integrates a sustainability framework into its investment process, led by a dedicated head of sustainability, Managing Director Adinah Shackleton. Altss research confirms the firm also maintains an affiliated India advisory entity, Aegean India Advisors LLP, indicating distribution and advisory infrastructure in the South Asian market. Permira's structural differentiator lies in its multi-product assembly — operating a scaled buyout engine, a specialist credit manager, and a captive growth-equity pod under one roof — while maintaining a single, unified partnership culture. This design allows it to pursue different risk-return profiles without outsourcing the capital or diluting investment committee authority. The firm has raised 21 funds since inception, giving it the embedded LP relationships and permanent capital access of a top-decile manager while avoiding the rigid mandates that constrain single-product firms.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
1985
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
Europe
Country
United Kingdom
City
London
Corporate office
London, United Kingdom
Additional offices
Frankfurt, Germany · Guernsey, Channel Islands · Luxembourg · Madrid, Spain · Milan, Italy
Principals
Kurt Björklund
Managing Partner
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Permira's credit business fit alongside its private equity funds?
Permira operates its credit platform as a distinct line, offering private credit solutions in Europe and a transatlantic liquid credit business. This arm runs its own CLOs, such as the Menlo V vehicle priced at over $428 million, and functions with separate deal teams while benefiting from the firm's broader sector insights and origination network.
What investment stages does Permira typically target?
The buyout practice handles majority and control-oriented stakes in market-leading businesses, often via management buyouts, public-to-private, or corporate carve-outs. Separately, the growth equity strategy targets midsized, high-growth companies for minority or majority positions, emphasizing governance and active partnership with founders.
Which sectors does Permira explicitly focus its investment teams on?
Permira organizes its deal teams around four core sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare, and Services. The firm uses a thematic research process within each vertical to generate conviction-led investment ideas, and it consistently applies this framework across both its European and North American deal flow.
Who runs investment decisions at Permira?
Kurt Björklund serves as Managing Partner and leads the global partnership. Investment committees are composed of senior partners drawn from the firm's leadership, with final authority resting at the partnership level rather than a single external majority owner, as is typical in a private independent partnership structure.
Is Permira solely a private equity firm, or does it operate other strategies?
Permira's asset management platform encompasses three strategies: traditional buyout and growth equity, which has accounted for 21 funds raised since 1985, and a global credit business spanning European direct lending and transatlantic liquid credit. This multi-strategy design is central to its model and distinguishes it from a pure-play private equity house.
Does Permira maintain a presence in Asia and if so, how does it source deals there?
Yes, Permira maintains offices in Asia and operates through an affiliated advisory entity, Aegean India Advisors LLP, to support deal origination and portfolio oversight in the region. Its Asia-based teams collaborate with the global sector groups to evaluate buyout and growth investments, as evidenced by the I-MED Radiology exit in 2023, which involved a buyer with significant Asia-Pacific holdings.
What is Permira's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Permira does not publicly position itself as a co-investment partner for external GPs. The firm originates and leads its own transactions across the capital structure, and its LP base gains exposure through the pooled funds. When co-investing does occur, it is typically alongside its own funds or in club deals led by the partnership, rather than as a passive participant in third-party-led rounds.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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