Team

Having spent more than 30 years in the financial markets, Michele has acquired a solid expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity with significant experience in selecting, evaluating and structuring Private Equity transactions.

Michele founded and chaired the Private Equity company Essling Capital where he was the Chairman of the Investment Committee. Under his leadership, Essling Capital quickly raised and invested approximately €500m with excellent results for its investors.

Prior to that, he spent more than 15 years with the Rothschild & Co Group. Initially in the M&A team, then as a member of the Executive Board of Rothschild & Co (formerly Paris Orléans SA), the group's holding company, where he managed a large portfolio of investments and holdings in Europe, the US and emerging markets. Prior to joining the Rothschild & Co Group, Michele worked at Morgan Stanley, Paribas and Oddo-BHF Group.

Michele graduated from Bocconi University in Milan (Italy) and holds an MBA from the Wharton School (USA).

Prior to founding Mircap Partners, François was a founding principal of Aktor Capital, an independent Investment Management company specializing in Private Equity club deals (funds and co-investments).

Previously, and until 2018, François was co-heading of the Rothschild & Co group's proprietary investment portfolio (Rothschild Proprietary Investments, "RPI"). François was also a member of RPI's Investment Committee and co-Head of a co-investment program dedicated to private clients of the Rothschild & Co group.

Prior to joining Rothschild & Co's Private Equity business in 2008, François worked at Morgan Stanley and Rothschild & Co in Mergers and Acquisitions.

François is a graduate of ESCP-Europe.

François joined the team since its creation in 2022 as a Principal. Previously, he spent more than 6 years at within Essling Capital’s Co-investment team where he was involved in numerous deal opportunities in various industries and geographical areas.

He started his career at Société Générale and Rothschild & Co (Paris Orléans) before joining Deloitte in 2014 as a M&A Analyst.

François graduated from emlyon business school and holds a master’s degree in business law from Université Catholique de Lille.

Prior to joining Mircap Partners at its creation in 2022, Igor had professional experiences at Rothschild & Co and Eurazeo Capital, where he participated in several M&A, Debt and Private Equity transactions.

Until 2022, he was involved in various entrepreneurial projects in the eco-friendly retail, data and restaurant sectors. In parallel, he continued his financial and strategic analysis activities as a freelance.

Igor is a graduate of HEC Paris (MSc in Management).

Between 2016 and 2022, Julien was Director of Operations at Essling Capital where he oversaw the Middle & Back Office functions and the structuring of Private Equity Funds.

With around twenty years of experience in Luxembourg, Julien began his career in 2003 and spent six years in particular as Conducting Officer of AIFM PO Participations (listed company: Rothschild & Co).

Julien graduated from of the University Institute of Technology of Metz in business and administration management.

Philippe Audouin joined the team in 2023.

He began his career by founding and expanding his own company over a period of 10 years.

Philippe Audouin was the CFO and Deputy Director of Eurazeo until 2022. Prior to that, he held leadership positions at France Telecom, including CFO and HR Director of the multimedia division. He was member of the Supervisory Board of PagesJaunes and Board Member of various Eurazeo portfolio companies, such as Europcar and Elis. He is a Board Member of the Private Equity firm The Gate Technologies Capital.

He taught at HEC for five years, as a lecturer and then as a lecturer for the third year students of the Entrepreneurs program.

Philippe Audouin is a graduate of the Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) business school. He is a member of the Consultative Committee of the French Accounting Standards Authority (ANC), Member of the issuers' consultative Committee of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), and Vice-Chairman (2004-2014), Chairman(2015-) of DFCG, the nationwide professional organization of French CFOs.

Sidney Cabessa joined the team in 2023.

He was Senior Advisor at Essling Capital since 2018, after having been a Senior Advisor at Rothschild & Co between 2012 and 2017.

Between 1986 and 2012, Sidney was Chairman of the Board of CIC Finance, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CIC LBO Partners and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CM-CIC Capital Privé.

Sidney is a chemical engineer and a graduate of Science Po Paris.

Philippe Cerf joined the team in 2023.

Philippe Cerf has spent over 30 years as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse where he was co-head of TMT Emea focusing on the technology sector and Vice Chairman of M&A Emea.

He is now an independent advisor and holds board positions at Louis Dreyfus Group and Giift.

Philippe Cerf is a graduate of the Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) business school, and of the Harvard Business School Master of Business Administration.

Thierry Baudon joined the team in 2023.

Thierry Baudon is Chairman of Armen Partners UK, British subsidiary of Armen Partners, the European GP Stake pioneer. He chaired Invest Europe, the European Private Equity & Venture Capital Association from 2019 until 2021. In 1998, he founded Mid Europa Partners - one of the leading private equity firms operating in Central Europe with over €5bn AUM - and managed then chaired it until 2019. Prior to that, Thierry was Managing Director of the International Finance Division at Suez-Lyonnaise between 1995 and 1998 and previously held senior positions at the World Bank/IFC and at the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) in Washington DC and London between 1980 and 1995.

He is an engineer of the Corps des Ponts et des Eaux et Forêts, a graduate of the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne in Economics and Finance, a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School and of INSEAD.