Sixty Years of Evolution
Corporate History
Starting as a British company with just £10m capital to invest, 3i has evolved to an international private equity firm, with €12.3bn of assets under management.
| 2008 | 3i successfully raised $1.2bn India Infrastructure Fund |
| 2007 | 3i total return of capital reaches £2bn. 3i realisations exceed £2.4bn. 3i raises £700m infrastructure fund |
| 2006 | 3i launches QPE team applying private quity expertise to public markets. 3i closes Eurofund V at €5bn |
| 2004 | Philip Yea is appointed CEO and later Simon Ball is appointed Finance Director |
| 2001 | 3i transforms organisational structure along global business lines: Buyouts, Growth Capital and Venture Capital |
| 1994 | 3i successfully floats on the London Stock Exchange at a market capitalisation of £1.5bn; subsequently entering the FTSE 100 |
| 1983 | The 3i brand is launched under leadership of CEO Jon Foulds |
| 1945 | 3i is established through both the FCI and ICFC , to provide risk capital to growing independent businesses, led by William Piercy (later Lord Piercy) |
Landmark Deals
Over its 60 years, 3i has invested over €29bn to assist the growth of businesses worldwide.
| 2008 | 3i agrees €730m buyout of Global Garden Products |
| 2007 | 3i invests for a minority stake in Foster + Partners |
| 2006 | 3i-backed SR Technics is acquired for €1billion to UAE consortium |
| 2005 | Using its unique market knowledge and access, 3i consolidated four businesses and sells its stake in pan-European directories business, YBR |
| 2005 | 3i divests the world’s largest foreign exchange specialist, Travelex, in a £1bn transaction: generating a 10 times return on its investment |
| 2003 | 3i identified CSR’s potential early and helped drive internationalisation of the business, preparing it for its status as a $4bn company at its peak |
| 2002 | 3i sells Go Fly, low cost airline, to easyJet for £374 million |
| 2001 | 3i leads JP¥ 15bn (£73/€107m) MBO of Vantec, the ex-Nissan Motors subsidiary, the first ever western style MBO in Japan |
| 1970 | 3i’s £17,000 investment in Bond Helicopters (later acquired by Brokers, becoming the world’s largest civil helicopter firm), creates a £80m company |
| 1967 | 3i makes its first venture capital investment in 1967 via a £90,000 commitment to Oxford Instruments, later realising £4.3m |
Expanding its Borders
Since its UK regional expansion in the 1950s, 3i has expanded to over 14 countries worldwide
| 2007 | 3i opens new office in New York, US |
| 2006 | 3i opens new offices in Beijing, China and expands further via partnerships in Japan, CEE, Russia, Israel, Korea and the Gulf countries |
| 2005 | 3i launched new offices in Shanghai, China and Mumbai, India |
| 2001 | 3i completes its Nordic expansion via acquisition of SFK, Finland and Atle, Sweden and operations in Denmark |
| 1999 | 3i extends its venture capital operations into the United States, with offices in Silicon Valley and Boston |
| 1984 | Having established its UK presence, 3i adds offices in Germany and France, laying the foundations for its international network in the decades to follow |