Abraaj Capital, one of the leading private equity firms in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region, was named the “Best Institution for Private Equity” at the Banker Middle East Awards held here yesterday. Banker Middle East is one of the most respected and widely read financial publications in the region and its annual awards are highly valued by the industry.
Commenting on the award for Abraaj, Paul McNamara of Banker Middle East said: “Abraaj Capital has deservedly been named as the best private equity House in the region. Its contribution to the private equity industry is widely regarded as being critical to growth and development of the region. I am delighted to present this award to Abraaj as it represents the opinion of thousands of voters.”
Receiving the award, Shirish Saraf, Managing Director, Abraaj Capital, said: “The Banker Middle East Awards recognise excellence across the range of banking and finance and are the industry benchmark. It is a testimony to the pioneering role of Abraaj in the regional private equity sector and its significant growth over the last few years.
We are set to continue on a high-growth path of enhancing investor returns by deploying their funds across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.”
The Banker Middle East award comes just a few weeks after Abraaj was voted the “Middle East Private Equity Firm of the Year” by more than 20,000 readers of the Private Equity International (PEI) magazine. PEI is globally recognised as one of the most respected and widely read publications for the private equity industry.
The 2006 awards event was held under the patronage of the Bahrain Financial Harbour and the Economic Development Board of Bahrain and was supported by the Bahrain Monetary Agency.
Noteworthy investor interest in Abraaj’s India-focused US$250 million Sabre Abraaj Fund follows the successful closure of its US$500 million Abraaj Buyout Fund II. Its other funds include the Abraaj Buyout Fund I, The Abraaj Special Opportunities Fund II and the Abraaj Real Estate Fund.
About Abraaj Capital: A member of the Dubai International Financial Centre, Abraaj Capital is the leading asset management firm in the South Asia, Middle East/North Africa region. It has US$1billion of assets under management. The firm’s primary expertise is in private equity buyouts, strategic minority block positions in public enterprises and real estate investments within the region.
The executive directors of the firm have a long history of working together and are associated with some of the landmark private equity transactions in the region such as the acquisition of Aramex, Inchcape Middle East, the first and largest leveraged buyout transaction in the region, and Jordan Aircraft Maintenance Company (JorAMCo), a privatisation by the Government of Jordan. For more information, visit www.abraaj.com
