MiddleGround makes push into Europe with new office

• Alexander van der Have, Anthony Denaix and Robert Jonkers will oversee MiddleGround’s European strategy
• Fifteen professionals in total were hired to form the European team
• MiddleGround is a private equity firm with over $3.3bn of assets under management

MiddleGround Capital, a US-based private equity firm, has launched its European office, making new hires and key executive level promotions to lead the new team.

The firm’s European office is in Amsterdam. Alexander van der Have, Anthony Denaix and Robert Jonkers will oversee the European strategy. They will report directly to John Stewart, MiddleGround’s founding partner.

Van der Have becomes managing director and head of the investment team. Before this, he was at Ingka Investments (part of IKEA Group). Anthony Denaix joins as managing director and head of business development, while Robert Jonkers joins as managing director and head of operations.

The European team will also include Brandon Hamel and Sarah Varghese, who have been promoted to vice-president of the transaction team and senior associate of the transaction team, respectively. They have agreed on a rotational assignment in Amsterdam.

The promotions are part of the firm’s plan to scale up its operating capabilities to meet the increasing needs of global investors and portfolio investments, according to a statement.

“We have already established a strong foothold in Europe, and the official launch of our European office marks the next stage of growth for our firm,” said Stewart.

In total, 15 professionals will form the European team. This launch is aimed at further capitalising MiddleGround’s existing relationships in Europe and meet the requirements of institutional investors across continental Europe and UK.

“Over the course of the past year, we hired 51 employees, deployed $2.1 billion of capital, raised $450 million of co-investment deployed and maintained a work culture that is second to none within our industry,” Stewart added.

Based in Lexington, Kentucky, MiddleGround is a private equity firm managing more than $3.3 billion of assets. The firm’s employee base has nearly doubled over the past year, increasing to 100 employees as of December.