Sagard Holdings Inc. has launched of its Canadian middle-market private equity strategy under the leadership of Marie-Claude Boisvert.
Prior to joining Sagard, Boisvert was a Partner at Clearspring Capital Partners and a Managing Partner at Kilmer Capital Partners, where she was responsible for building the firms’ investment activities in Quebec, including deal sourcing, execution and portfolio management. Joining Boisvert as a partner is Patrick Daignault, who was previously Senior Director, Direct Private Equity at PSP Investments, based in Montreal, where he led several successful investments in business and financial services verticals.
“What attracted me to Sagard is the quality of the people and network, the values-based culture and Sagard’s ambitious plans for the Canadian private equity space, which it is backing with its own capital. Building a business of scale, focused on middle-market investments within the fast-growing Sagard platform, is a unique and exciting career opportunity.” Marie-Claude Boisvert
Sagard’s Canadian private equity fund will be based in the Montreal offices of Sagard, with plans to operate and grow Canada-wide. The team will be active in the market in the first quarter of 2021 with external fundraising efforts beginning in the middle of 2021.
Sagard Holdings is a multi-strategy alternative asset manager with professionals located in Montreal, Toronto, New York, Paris, San Francisco, and Singapore. Sagard invests across four asset classes: private equity Sagard Capital and Sagard Capital Partners, Sagard Europe, Sagard Canada mid-PE, private credit Sagard Credit Partners, royalties Sagard Healthcare Royalty Partners, and venture capital .
Sagard Holdings was founded by Power Corporation of Canada in 2005 as a complement to its global investment holdings.
Marie-Claude Boisvert and Patrick Daignault hired to build Sagard Private Equity focused on middle-market in Canada
MONTREAL – Sagard Holdings Inc. (“Sagard”) today announced the launch of its Canadian middle-market private equity strategy, under the leadership of Marie-Claude Boisvert.
A known and respected leader in the private equity space, Mrs. Boisvert has over 25 years of operational and financial experience in Canada and Europe, and brings significant transaction, investment and sector expertise, as well as a proven track record of returns. Prior to joining Sagard, Mrs. Boisvert was a Partner at Clearspring Capital Partners and a Managing Partner at Kilmer Capital Partners, where she was responsible for building the firms’ investment activities in Quebec, including deal sourcing, execution and portfolio management.
“What attracted me to Sagard is the quality of the people and network, the values-based culture and Sagard’s ambitious plans for the Canadian private equity space, which it is backing with its own capital,” Mrs. Boisvert said. “Building a business of scale, focused on middle-market investments within the fast-growing Sagard platform, is a unique and exciting career opportunity.”
Joining Mrs. Boisvert as a partner is Patrick Daignault, who was previously Senior Director, Direct Private Equity at PSP Investments, based in Montreal, where he led several successful investments in business and financial services verticals. Mr. Daignault’s career in finance began 15 years ago in London, UK, working in progressively senior roles in leveraged finance and private debt at CIBC, Barclays and Ardian.
“We are delighted to partner with Marie-Claude and Patrick to build Sagard’s private equity platform. They have the depth of experience, networks and sourcing capabilities to scale quickly as we continue to build our strategy of addressing the needs of middle-market business leaders and entrepreneurs across Canada,” said Adam Vigna, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Sagard Holdings.
Paul Desmarais III, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sagard, said: “The launch of Sagard’s Canadian private equity business is an important milestone in Sagard’s growth into one of the leading alternative asset managers in Canada. It builds on our many years of successful PE investing in Europe as well as our middle-market lending business in North America. I am particularly proud that Sagard will operate one of the only private equity funds in the country launched and led by a woman, highlighting our commitment to diversity across our businesses.”
Sagard’s Canadian private equity fund will be based in the Montreal offices of Sagard, with plans to operate and grow Canada-wide. The team will be active in the market in the first quarter of 2021 with external fundraising efforts beginning in the middle of 2021.
About Sagard Holdings
Sagard Holdings is a multi-strategy alternative asset manager with professionals located in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, New York, San Francisco, Paris and Singapore. Sagard looks to generate attractive returns by matching investment opportunities with flexible capital solutions and pairing entrepreneurs with teams that have deep industry knowledge. Sagard develops long-term partnerships and empowers the growth of its investments through a unique global network of portfolio companies, limited partners, advisors and other valued relationships. Today, Sagard invests across four asset classes: private equity, private credit, healthcare royalties, and venture capital. Sagard Holdings is a member of the Power Corporation of Canada group of companies. For more information about Sagard, visit sagardholdings.com.
Source: Private Capital Journal
