Abenex accelerates its international development with four new promotions

A long-standing European private equity player and a certified B Corp, Abenex has a team of 45+ professionals across its four offices based in Paris, Lyon, Milan and Amsterdam. Building on the success of its expansion in Italy and Benelux in the last years, Abenex is pleased to announce four promotions within its European investment team, across its Milan and Amsterdam offices.

These promotions reflect Abenex's ambition to strengthen and accelerate its investment capabilities in these European regions.

Milan, gaining momentum

Abenex has been active in the Italian market since 2021. Heading the office since its launch, Antonio Catalli is promoted to Partner. He joined the firm in 2021 to drive Abenex’s expansion in the region.

Antonio has over 15 years of experience in M&A and private equity, gained notably at J.P. Morgan in London where he started his career, and at Rothschild in Paris.

Under his leadership, the Italian team has grown with the arrival of two additional professionals: Jacopo Asinari di Bernezzo, promoted to Director, who previously worked at KPMG Advisory and then Siparex in Milan, and Pietro Razzi, promoted to Associate who began at Abenex in 2023.

Abenex has completed two platform investments in Italy to date: Di Marco, the pinsa romana inventor and international leading manufacturer for foodservice, and Zato, a global leader in the engineering and development of solutions for the metals recycling industry. The team also significantly contributed to the buy-and-build strategy in the region with, among others, a build-up completed on Di Marco.

Olivier Moatti, Managing Partner, noted: "Italy confirms its key position in Abenex's deployment strategy: two platform investments in four years is an exciting start for our initial development in Italy. Our Italian team’s commitment and skills are instrumental for Abenex's acceleration in the region."

Antonio Catalli, Partner and Head of Italy, added: "Abenex's hands-on, operational approach is particularly well suited to Italy's entrepreneurial landscape. The team has demonstrated its ability to build partnerships with local entrepreneurs in order to further support and accelerate the development of our portfolio companies, particularly internationally."

Amsterdam, a strengthened team

Abenex has strengthened its presence in the Benelux since 2023, notably through its investments in Only, a network of strategic communications agencies bringing together more than 900 experts, and more recently in De Hooge Waerder, a Dutch accountancy and advisory firm. Coen Barendsen, who holds an MSc in Econometrics from the University of Amsterdam and joined Abenex in 2023 alongside Sander de Lange (Partner) to build the firm's presence in the region, is promoted to Partner. Coen's career spans nearly 20 years in investment and M&A, starting at HAL Investments, followed by Heineken's M&A team and AAC Capital.

In July 2026, the team also expanded with the arrival of Daan Meurs, as Associate, who worked previously for four years at KPMG M&A.

Patrice Verrier, Managing Partner, stated: "The team led by Coen and Sander consolidates Abenex's market coverage in a segment that continues to be attractive for Small and Mid-cap private equity firms focused on primary transactions and buy-and-build strategy."

Coen Barendsen, Partner, Co-Head Benelux, commented: "With Only and De Hooge Waerder, our team demonstrates that Abenex's operational approach resonates as strongly in the Benelux as it does in France. We already completed ten build-ups in the Netherlands and internationally on three platforms."