Strong values, mutual respect, extensive experience
Our purpose
We believe that entrepreneurship is the engine of the economy.
We seek to support entrepreneurs and ambitious management teams with capital, insight and expertise in order to build excellent, future-proof businesses that positively impact society and which people are proud to work for.
We respect the trust that our investors put in us. We work to safeguard their investments and provide superior risk-adjusted returns in a responsible manner, consistent with our values. We trust and support each other as a team and have fun working together.
Our Values
Trust
Trust is at the core of both our investing strategy and our relationships – we do what we say we will do.
Integrity
We act with integrity at all times, with all people and in all situations. We can be demanding of others, but in exchange we will hold ourselves to the same standards.
Empathy
We act with empathy towards one another and with everyone who has a stake in our business. We listen and we care. We look to find a solution that is optimal and fair to all stakeholders.
Humility
We are not entitled to succeed. Although we believe that our approach distinguishes us from others, we realise that we must prove our value in every interaction.
Respect
We respect each other and our stakeholders. We encourage respectful dialogue, openness and transparency. We seek to ensure that we maintain the dignity of everyone with whom we interact.
Our team
We are a close-knit, highly experienced team of private equity investors, with a long history of working together
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Razzak Akbar
CFO
Razzak is the CFO of the firm. Previously, Razzak was the Finance Director at ESO Capital. Prior to this, he worked at Deloitte in both their London and Bermuda offices specialising in clients within the private equity and alternative investments space.
Razzak graduated with a First Class honours degree in Computer Science with Management from Kings College London and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. He also has an MBA with Distinction from London Business School.
Razzak Akbar
CFO
Razzak Akbar
CFO
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Jolie von Arnim
Head of Investor Relations
Jolie von Arnim is the Head of Investor Relations at Freshstream. Previously, Jolie was Co-Head Investor Relations at Copper Street Capital. She was also a founding member and Head of Investor Relations at Strategic Industrial Capital Partners (SICP) (2013-2016) and Audley Capital (2005-2013). Mrs. von Arnim started her career in finance in Equity Research at Deutsche Bank.
Jolie earned her B.A. degree with Honors at Princeton University and her MBA from Columbia Business School.
Jolie von Arnim
Head of Investor Relations
Jolie von Arnim
Head of Investor Relations
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Clair Buckingham
Office Manager
Clair is the Office Manager at the firm. Prior to joining Freshstream, Clair worked as an Executive Assistant at Bregal Capital and 3i.
Clair holds a Bachelor Degree in Law from the University of the West of England.
Clair Buckingham
Office Manager
Clair Buckingham
Office Manager
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Alexandra Campbell
ESG Coordinator
Alexandra is the ESG Coordinator at the firm. Prior to joining Freshstream, Alexandra worked as an Executive Assistant for a private individual as well as in the property industry.
Alexandra holds a BA in Anthropology & Sociology and a MA in Management from Durham University.
Alexandra Campbell
ESG Coordinator
Alexandra Campbell
ESG Coordinator
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Tom Carroll
Director
Tom is a Director at the firm. Previously Tom was an Associate at Bregal Capital and prior to that started his career in investment banking at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Tom graduated from Imperial College London with a First Class MSci degree in Physics.
Tom Carroll
Director
Tom Carroll
Director
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James Cartwright
Principal
James is a Principal at the firm. Previously James worked at Eight Roads in the Principal Investments team, where he focused on healthcare services and technology investments. Prior to that, James worked at Bain & Company in South Africa and Nigeria.
James graduated from the University of Cape Town with an honours degree in Finance and Economics.
James Cartwright
Principal
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Rayhan Davis
Chief Investment Officer
Rayhan is the Chief Investment Officer of the firm. Previously, Rayhan was a Managing Director and a member of the founding team of TowerBrook, being part of TowerBrook’s spin-out from Soros Private Equity Partners, which he joined in 2004. Prior to TowerBrook, Rayhan worked at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs.
Rayhan graduated from Oxford University with a First Class Masters degree in Chemistry, coming top of his department in his final year.
Rayhan Davis
Chief Investment Officer
Rayhan Davis
Chief Investment Officer
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Reza Fardad
Partner
Reza Fardad is a partner of the firm. Previously, Reza was a Partner of Clavis Advisors, a corporate finance advisory boutique which he co-founded in 2010. Prior to Clavis, Reza worked at Silver Point Capital where he was involved in a number of distressed debt and private equity investments. He began his career in investment banking at Citigroup working on mergers and acquisitions in the energy and chemical sectors and subsequently moved to Corporate Structured Finance.
Reza received an MSc in Finance and Economics from the LSE where he also achieved a First Class BSc in Economics.
Reza Fardad
Partner
Reza Fardad
Partner
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Lodewijk de Graauw
Partner, Head of Portfolio Operations & ESG
Lodewijk de Graauw is Head of Portfolio Operations & ESG for the firm. Previously, Lodewijk was a partner at Bain & Company, where he led the European turn-around practice. He also worked in India (Delhi) and Australia (Perth), where he was a founding member of both offices.
Prior to, and during his time at Bain, Lodewijk was an entrepreneur, having owned and operated several start-up companies. Lodewijk graduated from Tilburg University with two Masters’ degrees (cum laude) in Economics and Computer science, and earned his M.B.A. with distinction from INSEAD.
Lodewijk de Graauw
Partner, Head of Portfolio Operations & ESG
Lodewijk de Graauw
Partner, Head of Portfolio Operations & ESG
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Gilles Gradassi
Director
Gilles is a Director at the firm. Previously Gilles worked as an Associate at BregalCapital for two years. Prior to that, Gilles was at Credit Suisse in the European M&A and Industrial/Energy teams.
Gilles received an MSc in Industrial Engineering from EcoleCentrale Paris.
Gilles Gradassi
Director
Gilles Gradassi
Director
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Nick Mansell
Senior Financial Controller
Nick is the Financial Controller at the firm. Previously, Nick worked as an audit manager at Deloitte in London specialising in banking and capital markets clients.
Nick graduated with a First Class honours degree in Chemistry from the University of Bristol and is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Nick Mansell
Senior Financial Controller
Nick Mansell
Senior Financial Controller
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Frits Meeuwissen
Associate
Frits is an Associate at Freshstream. Previously Frits worked at OC&C Strategy consultants, where he focused on value creation at family-owned or entrepreneur-led enterprises in the mid-market.
Frits graduated from the Erasmus University Rotterdam with an honorary degree in Financial Law and a degree in Financial Economics
Frits Meeuwissen
Associate
Frits Meeuwissen
Associate
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Adam McLain
Partner
Adam is a Partner of the firm. Previously, Adam was the European General Counsel and a Managing Director at TowerBrook, where he worked from 2011 to 2015. Prior to TowerBrook, Adam worked at Sullivan & Cromwell for nine years.
Adam received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he finished first in his class, and his B.A. from Claremont McKenna College.
Adam McLain
Partner
Adam McLain
Partner
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Alex Potter
Associate
Alex is an Associate at Freshstream. Previously he was an Associate in the Financial Institutions Group at Goldman Sachs.
Before starting his investment banking career, he spent five years in the British Army, serving as an Officer in the Scots Guards. Alex holds a BA in Business and Management from Oxford Brookes University.
Alex Potter
Associate
Alex Potter
Associate
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Mollie Rawnsley
Financial Controller
Mollie is a Financial Controller at the firm. Previously, Mollie was an assistant manager at KPMG within their Asset Management audit team.
Mollie has an undergraduate degree in Biology and a Master’s in Business Management with Distinction, both from the University of Durham. Mollie is also a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Mollie Rawnsley
Financial Controller
Mollie Rawnsley
Financial Controller
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Marike Stribos
Associate
Marike is an Associate at the firm. Previously Marike worked at Barclays in Amsterdam in the Benelux coverage team.
Marike received two MSc degrees (cum laude) in Finance & Investments and Accounting & Financial Management from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, and earned her double major B.B.A. in Finance and Management with high distinction from the University of Iowa as a Division I student-athlete.
Marike Stribos
Associate
Marike Stribos
Associate
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Patrick Smulders
Managing Partner
Patrick is the Managing Partner of the firm. Previously, Patrick was a member of the founding team of TowerBrook, being a Managing Director and Investment Committee member since its inception, and was part of TowerBrook’s spin-out from Soros Private Equity Partners, which he joined in 2004. Prior to TowerBrook, Patrick was a co-Founder and Senior Partner at Doughty Hanson.
Patrick earned his A.B. from Harvard College and received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Patrick Smulders
Managing Partner
Patrick Smulders
Managing Partner
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Victoria Swann
Legal Counsel
Victoria is a Legal Counsel at the firm. Before joining Freshstream, Victoria worked as a corporate lawyer in the private equity team at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP in London.
Victoria is a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales. She has an LLB law degree from the University of Bristol and obtained a distinction in the Legal Practice Course from BPP Holborn.
Victoria Swann
Legal Counsel
Victoria Swann
Legal Counsel
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Jiri Taecke
Principal
Jiri is a Principal at the firm. Previously Jiri worked at Morgan Stanley in London and New York in the Benelux coverage, Basic Materials and M&A teams.
Jiri received an MSc in Corporate Finance from Ghent University and a MSc in Finance from Vlerick Business School.
Jiri Taecke
Principal
Jiri Taecke
Principal
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Paul Tutein Nolthenius
Director
Paul is a Director at the firm. Previously Paul worked at Credit Suisse in the EMEA Technology, Media and Telecom team.
Paul received his MSc in Econometrics (cum laude) from the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
Paul Tutein Nolthenius
Director
Paul Tutein Nolthenius
Director
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Nino Van De Wal
Associate
Nino is an Associate at Freshstream. Previously, he was a strategy consultant at EY-Parthenon, the strategy practice of EY. He worked at EY-P’s Private Equity group in London and was a core member founding the PE value creation group in the Netherlands.
Nino worked on deals and strategy assignments across sectors (e.g. advanced manufacturing, energy, materials/chemicals, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, B2B services, IT, utilities and consumer products).
Nino Van De Wal
Associate
Nino Van De Wal
Associate
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Alexander Wijs
Associate
Alexander is an Associate at the firm. Previously Alexander worked at Morgan Stanley in London and New York in the Benelux Coverage and Transportation & Infrastructure teams.
Alexander holds an MSc in Finance from ESADE Business School and a BSc in Business Administration from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University.
Alexander Wijs
Associate
Alexander Wijs
Associate
Venture Partners
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Giuseppe Silvestri
Venture Partner
Giuseppe is a Venture Partner of the firm and a Partner of Clavis Advisors, a corporate finance advisory boutique which he co-founded in 2010. Prior to Clavis, Giuseppe worked at Silver Point Capital where he was involved in a number of distressed debt and private equity investments. Previously, Giuseppe was part of the investment team at Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. He began his career in the Private Equity Group at Lehman Brothers.
Giuseppe holds a magna cum laude degree in Business Administration from Bocconi University.
Giuseppe Silvestri
Venture Partner
Giuseppe Silvestri
Venture Partner
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Marc van der Lubbe
Venture Partner
Marc is a Venture Partner and works across mostly the Benelux as well as the UK with a primary focus on origination. Previously, he was a senior advisory banker at Citigroup and Evercore for over 20 years and ran his own advisory business serving both private equity funds and entrepreneurs in a wide range of industries before joining Freshstream. He has worked in the UK, Germany and Japan. Marc has a degree in Finance from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Marc van der Lubbe
Venture Partner
Marc van der Lubbe
Venture Partner