05/06/2023

Xavier Núñez joins as Chief Operating Officer of New Emerging Pan-European CRO

  • Xavier Núñez assumes the role of COO for the emerging Pan-European CRO, leveraging his expertise and extensive experience in the field of clinical development

Madrid, June 5th, 2023.

Henko Partners, an Iberian private equity firm, is delighted to announce that Xavier Núñez has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the new emerging Pan-European CRO.

Xavier brings over 23 years of experience in the clinical development area, the last 9 being a strong operational leader in mid-size CROs with a focus on Biometric services and successfully managing teams in EU, US and Asia.

After the acquisition of the CROs BioClever (Spain), Popsicube and MissionTec (both in France), the integration is ongoing and the further expansion across Europe is rapidly proceeding to build-up a full-service high quality, client-oriented company that serves clinical research and development in Pharma, Biotech, MedTech and CellTech.

“I feel very privileged to join this fantastic new endeavour,” said Xavi Núñez. “The current and prospective further CROs which will build the new Pan-European CRO bring the right culture, talent and passion to continue providing the best services to our clients. Our integration focuses on keeping the quality of our local services whilst building a strong international harmonized team with outstanding talents of the different organizations. Quality, dedication to timelines and team spirit are forming our backbone; our clients and trial participants remain our priority.”

“We welcome Xavi onboard”, adds Lars Becker, partner at Henko. “He brings a wealth of experience to our pan-European CRO and will help us shape this new venture. His focus on excellence, but also on people and culture, will accelerate our path towards providing outstanding clinical trial services at a pan-European level.”

 

About BioClever:
BioClever is a Spanish CRO that offers comprehensive support in clinical research, from study design to publication of results. BioClever designs, conducts, monitors, and manages clinical trials and observational studies. The company is based in Barcelona and was founded in 2005 by Jordi Cantoni and Mireia Bonet. BioClever has a wide portfolio of tier one clients and credentials and publications of reference in Spain in recent years.

About PopsiCube:
PopsiCube is a French-based Contract Research Organization (CRO) that offers end-to-end services for clinical trials. The company has near of 20 years of experience in providing efficient and cost-effective clinical research services to clients in the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device industries. Popsicube’s team of experts offers services such as study design, site selection, regulatory affairs, project management, monitoring, and data management.

About MissionTEC:
MissionTEC is a leading clinical research organization that specializes in providing clinical research nursing services and investigator’s site supports. The company has a strong presence in Europe, with an extensive network of experienced and highly trained clinical research nurses who provide innovative solutions for clinical research studies. MissionTEC’s services include home healthcare services, support in patient recruitment and retention, study drug administration, or sampling, among others.

About Henko Capital Partners:
Henko Capital Partners is an independent private equity investor focused on supporting outstanding mid-cap companies in markets with long-term growth trends. The firm partners with strong entrepreneurs and management teams to develop successful businesses and actively engages with its portfolio companies to execute long-term growth plans. As entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, Henko aims to support companies to accelerate growth and transform into more resilient and sustainable businesses. The team has over 25 years of investment experience and a strong execution track-record with over 30 closed transactions. Henko is a responsible investor committed to strict environmental, social, and good governance principles. We aim to contribute to the long-term success of our investors and to a sustainable society.


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Atrás

· Private equity experience across Spain, Portugal, UK and Germany.

 

· Previously partner at Sherpa Capital, Spanish Private Equity with > €350m of assets under management (2020) focused on SMEs in Spain and Portugal.

 

· Partner at DPE Deutsche Private Equity, private equity fund targeting SMEs with €1.2bn of assets under management (2017).

 

· Morgan Stanley Capital Partners.

 

· MPA Harvard University, BSc from LSE London School of Economics.

Lars Becker

Partner

· Former EY Strategy and Transactions Analyst, providing corporate finance solutions in strategic advisory, valuation, m&a, financial restructuring and due diligence.

 

· Previous experience at UBS and Deutsche Bank.

 

· Master in Finance from IE Business School.

 

· Double degree in Business Administration and Actuarial Science from URJC.

Daniel Largo
Analyst

· Previously Investment Associate at Sherpa Capital.

 

· Previous experience at BBVA and Amazon.

 

· Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering from ICAI (Universidad Pontificia Comillas)

Pablo Fernández
Associate

· Extensive experience in finance and management control.

 

· Previous experience as CFO and Client Operations Director at Jones Lang Lasalle, Bouygues and Carrefour, proven ability to implement action plans and process reengineering to improve the company performances.

 

· Degree in Business Administration from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and MBA by IE.

Vanesa Valentín
CFO

· João has a strong background in M&A advisory services in the Portuguese and Spanish markets.

 

· João started his career at KPMG Portugal providing corporate finance and M&A advisory services and he has also worked at Alantra´s Credit Portfolio Advisory division. 


· João has a MSc in Management and Finance from Cass Business School and a BSc in Business Administration from Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics.

João Oliveira
Associate

· Extensive private equity experience.

 

· Previously Investment Executive at Sherpa Capital.

 

· Previous experience at Ferrovial and Clearwater.

 

· Business Administration and Management Degree from Universidad de Navarra.

Íñigo Urbón

Director

· Extensive private equity experience.

 

· Previously Investment Associate at Sherpa Capital.

 

· Previous experience at H.I.G. Capital and McKinsey & Company.

 

· Business Administration Degree and MSc in Finance from ESADE Business School.

Jules de Meeûs
Associate

· Extensive private equity experience.

 

· Previously Investment Executive at Sherpa Capital.

 

· Previous experience as an Assistant Manager at Deloitte Corporate Finance, participating in M&A transactions, debt raising and restructuring transactions; and Garrigues, leading Spanish law firm.

 

· Double degree in Law and Business Management (taught in English) from Universidad Pablo de Olavide.

Ricardo Mellado
Vice President