PineBridge New Europe Partners
Pierre Mellinger
Managing Director, Warsaw
Mr. Mellinger joined the firm in 1998. Based in Warsaw, he has overall responsibility for the firm's private equity activity in Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Mellinger has extensive experience in investments, finance, and management spanning more than 30 years, including more than 20 years in direct investments. Prior to joining the firm, he was Co-Head of the Financial Institutions Team at EBRD, where he played a leading role in establishing the department and, in particular, its equity portfolio. Prior to EBRD Mr. Mellinger was a Director, Head of Business Development, and Deputy General Manager of the mortgage bank with Banque Sovac, a US $10 billion total balance sheet consumer finance, leasing, and mortgage finance affiliate of Lazard Freres. Mr. Mellinger’s previous experience includes a position as a senior officer at the French Minister of Finance in charge of export, credit finance, and financial relations with Central and Eastern Europe. Mr. Mellinger, a graduate of the French Ecole Nationale d'Administration, holds a degree in Economics from Paris University, a Law Degree from La Sorbonne, and a degree in Political Science from Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Paris.
Doina Popescu
Managing Director, Bucharest
Ms. Popescu joined the firm in 1998 and heads the Bucharest office. She originated, played a key role in investing in, monitored, and served in the Board of Directors of NEFs and GEMs investments in Astral Telecom, Orange Romania, Luxten Lighting Company, UTI Group, Digital Cable System, as well as having negotiated, executed M&A and exiting some of those investments. She specializes in services, security, telecom, CATV and media, manufacturing, construction and materials, food processing, FMCG, and retail. Before joining the NEF team, Ms. Popescu worked as an Investment Officer with the Danube Fund, part of the Greek Alpha Group, covering the Balkan Region. Ms. Popescu holds an MBA in Finance from a joint program of McGill University / HEC Montreal, an M.Sc. in Engineering and an M.Sc. in Computer Science and Mathematics.
Rossen Hadjiev
Managing Director, Warsaw
Mr. Hadjiev joined the firm in 2000 and has focused on deals in telecommunications, cable television, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing in Central and Eastern Europe. He played a key role in structuring, negotiating, and monitoring several investments in CEE, including Orange Romania, Orange Slovensko, and Bulgarian Telecommunications Company. He was also responsible for sourcing, closing, and monitoring the Jet Finance International investment. Mr. Hadjiev has more than nine years of private equity transaction and management experience in CEE. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Hadjiev was an Investment Manager for Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund, where he was responsible for sourcing, executing, closing, and monitoring investments in equities and high yield debt. Mr. Hadjiev received a BA in Business Administration from the American University in Bulgaria and holds an M.BA from IESE Business School (Spain). He was also an exchange MBA student at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College (NH, USA). Mr. Hadjiev currently serves on the Board of the Bulgarian Telecommunications Company, and in the past, has served on the Boards of Astral Telecom, the leading Romanian CATV operator. He is also on the Board of Jet Finance, the leading Bulgarian consumer finance company.
Dr. Geza Szephalmi
Managing Director, Budapest
Mr. Szephalmi joined the firm in 1998 as an Investment Director for Hungary. Since 2006, he has been Head of the Budapest office, which covers Hungary, the Czech Republic, and the former Yugoslav Republics for Alternative Investments. Mr. Szephalmi is also Chairman of the Ethical and Professional Standards Committee of the Hungarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (HVCA), and member of the OECD Business Advisory Board. Mr. Szephalmi has served on the Managing Boards of TriGranit (the largest developer of commercial real estate in Central Europe) and Waberer's (the market leader transportation and logistics group in Central and Eastern Europe), and was Vice Chairman of the International Energy Charter Transit Group (Brussels). Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Szephalmi worked as a Country Manager of Central Europe Trust, where he was responsible for opening the firm's new offices in Sofia, Bucharest, and Istanbul. He later became Country Manager for Hungary and turned it into the largest and most profitable office in the CEE region. He also served as the Chairman of HVCA and Magyar Hirlap, one of Hungary's leading newspaper groups. Mr. Szephalmi graduated with a degree in Law and Political Science from ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary and has completed courses in International Business Transactions at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and in International Corporate Law at Bristol University, UK, Faculty of Law.
Arthur Haze
Director, Warsaw
Mr. Haze joined the firm in 2008 as a Director, working out of the Warsaw office. He is responsible for sourcing, analyzing, negotiating, executing, and supervising transactions in CEE. From 2001-2008, Mr. Haze was the CEO and President of a pharmaceutical distributor in Poland, which he developed to become the leading company of its kind, and sold to Tamro/Phoenix in 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Haze was an investment officer in a Swedish private equity company, Oresa Ventures, for which he established offices in Moscow and Warsaw and completed several transactions in the healthcare and business services sectors. Between 1995 and 1997, Mr. Haze worked as a management consultant for Arthur Andersen in Sweden and was predominantly involved in M&A and restructuring of mid sized private businesses. He has a MSc in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Uppsala in Sweden.
Jakub Wojtaszek
Director, Warsaw
Mr. Wojtaszek joined the firm in 2001 and has focused on deals in manufacturing, IT, and transport & logistics. Prior to joining the firm’s New Europe Partners team, Mr. Wojtaszek worked as an Associate in the Corporate Finance Department of Arthur Andersen and as an Analyst at two private equity funds. Mr. Wojtaszek holds an MA in Finance from Warsaw School of Economics (Poland).
As of 30 June 2011.