Gonzague de Blignières

Gonzague de Blignières

Co-founder of RAISE

Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Equistone France, he founded and chaired Barclays Private Equity France, an investment fund based in Paris and specialised in midmarket transactions, and co-chaired Barclays Private Equity Europe. He has worked as an investor for over 30 years.

Gonzague began his career at Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP), first as Head of the Organisation Department from 1979 to 1981 and then as a financial analyst from 1981. After six years at Banexi as Director of Investment, he joined Charterhouse Associates SA as an associate (1987-1992), responsible for LBOs and LBIs and growth capital. He joined Barclays in 1992 to create Barclays Private Equity and became its Chairman in 2001.

Gonzague was Chairman of the French growth investors association, AFIC, from 2005 to 2006. He sits on the board of Fondation Entreprendre and chairs Réseau Entreprendre Paris, an organisation that supports business creation. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Business Angel des Cités (B.A.C.), a member of the Policy Committee of France-Investissement, and a board member of the ADIE and APCE funds.

Gonzague is a graduate of Ecole Supérieure d’Ingénieurs en Electronique et en Electrochimie (ESIEE) and holds a DEA advanced studies diploma in Solid-state Physics from the Orsay science faculty.

He is a Knight of the French Legion of Honour.

Discover RAISE’s website here.

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