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Alternative Investment Management

Designed to harness the unique strengths of our organisation for the benefit of our investors.

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With a strict focus on private market investment solutions, our alternative investment management platform utilises Investec’s extensive sourcing capabilities and proprietary deal flow to provide investors with direct and scalable access to a unique pool of investments.

Our investment solutions are powered by our adaptable lending framework and expert investment teams, who are committed to capital preservation. The combination of flexible lending and focus on capital preservation allows us to consistently deliver superior risk-adjusted returns.

 

Our differentiated strategy

Direct Lending

We are a leading private debt manager dedicated to the lower mid-market. Our strategy provides access to high-growth, lower mid-market corporate lending opportunities. We manage over €3bn of assets across private market credit strategies, supported by an experienced investment team with consistent growth and market-leading returns since 2010. Our customised senior-secured debt financing solutions support lower mid-market businesses in the UK and Europe in achieving their growth ambitions.
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Investec Direct Lending – Autumn Newsletter 2024

Our commitment to sourcing new investment opportunities and supporting over 140 borrowers remains steadfast. We continue to invest in long-term growth by enhancing our platform, launching a Private Credit Management team and appointing Alicia Forry as Head of ESG which we are very excited about.

Direct Lending | At a glance

Our highly experienced team has invested over €9bn through our disciplined investment approach, we construct diversified portfolios with strong downside protection and superior risk-adjusted returns.

2010

Established

€3.2bn

AuM

€3m-€50m

Target EBITDA

300+

Companies invested

140

Current portfolio companies

50+

Investment professionals
Callum Bell - Head of Lending, Direct Lending
Callum Bell, Head of Direct Lending and Alternative Investment Management

We partner with clients for the long term and provide them flexible, tailored investment solutions across a range of investment structures and strategies, predominantly focused on private credit. All of which are underpinned by investment track records that extend back well over 15 years.

 
 

Meet the Direct Lending team

Discover more about our experienced investment team who are ready to help you.

Why partner with us
Proprietary investment access

We provide our investors with access to opportunities that are typically hard to access. Our teams use Investec's flexible lending mandate to connect investors to a diverse range of proprietary sourced investments accessed through various structures including funds and mandates. This access is enhanced by our deep institutional knowledge and the significant economies of scale we achieve within our core sectors.

Proven credibility

Investors benefit from our 30-year UK & European track record in financial services, our global footprint, and long-standing client relationships across our core sectors, all of which reinforce our credibility and commitment to delivering value.

Strategic alignment

Our innovative co-investment model ensures a strong alignment with Investec, offering investors the unique opportunity to co-invest alongside Investec's balance sheet. This alignment guarantees shared objectives and mutual success in our investment ventures.

Focus on risk-adjusted returns

At IAIM, our experienced investment teams focus on capital preservation, a core foundation of our investment thesis that enables us to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns. We are dedicated to upholding the highest standards of investment excellence, ensuring robust financial outcomes for our partners and stakeholders.

 
 

Our commitment to sustainability

We are committed to our purpose to create enduring worth and understand that our lending activities play an important role in helping to direct the flow of finance towards business activities that lead to more sustainable outcomes for the environment, society and our investors. Since ESG factors can affect the financial performance of companies, we consider them an essential component of the overall credit risk profile of our investments.

Deal origination

We have several exclusions that align with Investec’s The Way We Do Business as well as an enhanced due diligence approach that we apply to sensitive industries.

Responsible lending

We classify all potential investments into high, medium or low ESG risk according to a process that is informed by the IFC guidelines. Our double materiality approach, rooted in the UN SDGs and the SASB principles allows for deal-specific insights to be included. Sustainability is integrated into our credit process where ESG considerations are discussed to help inform each investment decision.

Engagement

We continue to consider sustainability performance throughout the life of the investment by gathering data and engaging with borrowers on sustainability-related topics at least once a year. We work closely with our private equity sponsors and borrowers to develop sustainability-linked financing options where appropriate and we provide our borrowers with access to internal and external sustainability advisors.

Get in touch with our expert team

  • Callum Bell

    Callum Bell

    Callum Bell

    Head of Direct Lending and Alternative Investment Management

    Callum oversees the sponsor coverage, origination and structuring of private debt solutions for European corporates and private equity clients. Callum has over 20 years of investment banking, strategy consulting and leveraged finance experience in Europe.

  • Luke Benjamin

    Luke Benjamin

    Luke Benjamin

    COO Investec Alternative Investment Management (IAIM)

    Luke manages the operations of the investment management platform, developing and implementing processes and systems and enhancing operational efficiencies to support its growth and strategic objectives. Luke has over 25 years’ experience in managing investment management platforms across UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Get in touch with our expert team

Callum Bell
Callum Bell

Callum Bell

Head of Direct Lending and Alternative Investment Management

Callum oversees the sponsor coverage, origination and structuring of private debt solutions for European corporates and private equity clients. Callum has over 20 years of investment banking, strategy consulting and leveraged finance experience in Europe.

Luke Benjamin
Luke Benjamin

Luke Benjamin

COO Investec Alternative Investment Management (IAIM)

Luke manages the operations of the investment management platform, developing and implementing processes and systems and enhancing operational efficiencies to support its growth and strategic objectives. Luke has over 25 years’ experience in managing investment management platforms across UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Meet the IAIM team

Discover more about our experienced investment team who are read to help you.

 
Discover more about the Wealth Management services offered by Investec Wealth & Investment (UK), part of Rathbones Group. 

About Investec Alternative Investment Management (IAIM)

Investec Alternative Investment Management (IAIM) is the asset management business of Investec. It leverages the organisation’s origination and proprietary deal flow capabilities to deliver private market investment solutions.

Investors have immediate and scalable access to a proprietary source of investments - benefitting from Investec’s flexible lending mandate and proven investment teams that focus on capital preservation. This enables IAIM to deliver premium risk-adjusted returns. IAIM is a 100% owned subsidiary of Investec Bank plc.

About Investec Direct Lending

Investec Direct Lending has more than 10 years of experience originating, investing and managing private debt assets. Since its inception, it has originated more than €9 billion in loans across more than 300 deals over that period. Its focus is on providing private credit solutions to lower mid-market corporate borrowers in Europe – an underserved group that provides strong risk-adjusted return opportunities for investors. The team of more than 50 professionals has in-depth expertise in its specialist market - concentrating on senior, unitranche, subordinate and integrated cash flow and asset-based lending. The team has a strong track record of credit selection, delivering premium risk-adjusted returns combined with low historical loss rates.

About Investec Bank plc 

Investec Bank plc (‘Investec’) is the banking subsidiary of Investec plc. Investec plc is a FTSE-250 listed company which holds the Investec Group’s non-Southern African businesses under a dual listed company structure. Investec partners with private, institutional and corporate clients, offering banking and investment services in the UK, Europe and certain other countries.