International Private Equity

Esas is an active private equity investor globally.

Our investment philosophy is based on building successful partnerships with other investors including private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors, corporations and management teams. We take minority or significant minority positions alongside reputable investors and invest in growth-oriented companies with solid business models.

We focus on developed markets, invest across sectors and are flexible in terms of deal size. We look for a clear exit strategy but can support extended holding periods.

PORTFOLIO

PARTIAL EXITS

SELECT EXITS

INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

ALİ SABANCI

Chairperson Esas Holding

Ali Sabancı is the chairperson of Pegasus Airlines and vice chairperson of Mars Sportif which are part of the Esas Private Equity portfolio. He also serves on the board of Esas Properties.

Ali is one of the co-founders of Esas Social, which was established to facilitate sustainable social investment. He focuses on increasing awareness of entrepreneurship in Turkey. As the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Board in the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), he has led successful projects including Angel Investing Legislation, Global Entrepreneurship Congress, G3 Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Week and TIM Innovation Week - Born Global. He is also an angel investor in more than 25 start-up companies.

Ali is a member of the Turkish American Business Association and the Turkish Family Business Association. In 2018 he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French government for his contributions to economic relations between Turkey and France.

Ali Sabancı earned his M.B.A. degree with a major in International Finance from Columbia Business School and B.A. degree in Politics and Economics from Tufts University.

H. ÇAĞATAY ÖZDOĞRU

Member of the Board & CEO Esas Holding

Çağatay Özdoğru oversees all of Esas’ business segments including real estate, private equity, venture capital and wealth management, and serves on their investment committees. He is a board member of Esas Properties and various private equity portfolio companies including Pegasus Airlines, Mars Athletic, Korozo and Ayakkabı Dünyası.

Çağatay joined Esas Holding in 2005 as an executive board member. He played a major role in establishing Esas Private Equity where he served as CEO since 2010, until transitioning to his current role in 2019. He led a number of Esas’ private equity investments and exits of various portfolio companies including UN Ro-Ro, Mars Cinema Group and Peyman.

Previously, Çağatay was the president of IT & Telecommunications Investments at Sabancı Holding. Prior to that, he held various positions at France Telecom Group, where he last served as the executive vice president of the REEMEA region. He was also a member of the Global Operating Committee.

In 2020, Çağatay was appointed as the chairman of Turkey - France Business Council at DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Council) and Independent Board Member of Fenerbahçe Football A.S in 2021. Çağatay is also a member of the Board of Directors at Tüsiad, Turkish Business & Industry Association as of April 2022. Previously, he served as the chairman of Turkey - Sweden Business Council and Turkey - Croatia Business Council, and board member of TBV (Turkey IT Foundation) and TUBISAD (Turkey IT Industry Association).

Çağatay Özdoğru earned his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, where he received the Hall of Fame Award for Alumni in 2016, and B.S. degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Istanbul Technical University.

İPEK MUTLU

Managing Director & Head of International Private Equity

Ipek Mutlu leads Esas’ international private equity investments and is based in London. She is a member of the International Private Equity Investment Committee and serves on the board of Bruin Sports Capital and LP Advisory Committees of HQ Capital Co-investment Fund III and SC Holdings Fund II.

Prior to joining Esas in 2017, Ipek worked for Virgin Management, Richard Branson’s family office, in their Geneva and London offices. Previously, she was part of Blackstone’s Private Equity team in London. Before that, she worked for FTV Capital, a growth equity fund in New York. Ipek started her career as a business analyst in the Strategy and Corporate Finance Practice at Mckinsey’s New York office.

Ipek Mutlu earned her M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School and B.A. degree, cum laude, in Economics and Latin American Studies from Harvard University.

DAVID A. TANNER

Investment Committee Member

David Tanner joined Esas as an investment committee member of international private equity in 2020.

David is the Managing Director of Three Mile Capital, a private investment company. Previously, he served as the Managing Director of Arlon Group and Executive Vice President and a member of the Management Committee of Continental Grain Company. Prior to that, David was a Founder and Managing Principal of Quadrangle Group, Managing Director at Lazard Freres & Co. and Managing Principal at Lazard Capital Partners, and partner at Warburg Pincus.

As an investor, David has invested in businesses at all stages of development across most sectors. He has served on the board of directors of numerous private and public companies in the US and Bermuda and currently serves on the boards of Northeast Bancorp, White Mountains Insurance Group Ltd. and Top Aces Corp (US). He is also Chairman of the Board of the New York University School of Law, Trustee of New York University, Trustee of Central Synagogue, Director of Lawyers for Children, Director of The Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation, Chair Emeritus of Montefiore Medicine Academic Health System and member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

David earned his J.D. from the New York University School of Law, Diploma of Economics from the London School of Economics and B.A. in history, with honors, from Princeton University.

DOMINIC SHORTHOUSE

Investment Committee Member

Dominic Shorthouse joined Esas as an investment committee member of international private equity in 2019.

Dominic is an active private investor based in London. Previously, he was the founder and managing partner of Englefield Capital, a mid-market private equity firm, from inception in 2001 until its sale in 2010 to the Brenninkmeijer family. Prior to that, he was a partner at Warburg Pincus & Co. and co-head of Europe. He started his career at Morgan Stanley in London.

As an investor, Dominic has been involved in most sectors and invested in businesses at all stages of development. He has served on more than 50 boards in the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Ireland, China and the US. He is also the deputy chair of the Anna Freud Centre, a UK-based charity serving child and adolescent mental health.

Dominic Shorthouse earned his M.B.A. degree from Stanford Graduate School of Business and M.A. in Latin and Greek Literature and Philosophy from Oxford University.

TEAM

İPEK MUTLU

Managing Director & Head of International Private Equity

Ipek Mutlu earned her M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School and B.A. degree, cum laude, in Economics and Latin American Studies from Harvard University.

LUKA HABEK

Investment Manager

Luka is involved in the sourcing, execution and monitoring of international private equity investments and is based in London.

Prior to joining Esas in 2020, Luka worked as an analyst at BNP Paribas Private Equity in Belgium where he focused on co-investments and fund investments across Europe. Previously, he was an analyst at Inpulse Investment Fund in Belgium and Poland. Luka started his career as a junior key account manager at L’Oréal in Croatia.

Luka Habek earned his M.S. degree in Financial Management from Vlerick Business School and B.A. degree, cum laude, in Business Administration from Zagreb School of Economics and Management.

BHIM SINGH

Senior Associate

Bhim is involved in the sourcing, execution and monitoring of international private equity investments and is based in London.

Prior to joining Esas in 2023, Bhim worked at Saranac Partners, a London-based multi-family office, where he focused on co-investments and fund investments globally. Bhim started his career in a boutique corporate finance firm, advising businesses on mid-market M&A and capital raising transactions across all sectors in Western Europe.

Bhim earned his BSc degree in Government & Economics from The London School of Economics.

TOM DARLEY

Associate

Tom is involved in the sourcing, execution and monitoring of international private equity investments and is based in London.

Prior to joining Esas in 2022, Tom worked at Jamieson Corporate Finance where he advised management teams in private equity backed transactions, working with companies across a range of sectors, geographies and sizes. Tom started his career at wealth management company Saunderson House.

Tom Darley earned his B.S. degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Exeter.

ESRA DEMİR

Investment Analyst

Esra is involved in the sourcing, execution and monitoring of international private equity investments and is based in London.

Prior to joining Esas in 2022, Esra worked at Forten, an early stage fintech start-up where she supported various functions with business development and analysis. Esra started her career as an analyst at Level39, an accelerator focused on the technology sector.

Esra Demir earned her B.S. degree in Economics and Mathematics from the University of California, San Diego.