Sixty Years of Evolution
Corporate History
Starting as a British company with just $17m capital to invest, 3i has evolved to a leading international private equity firm, with a $9bn market capitalization as at end of March 2006
| 2006 | 3i exceeds £2bn in realization proceeds for the year to 31 Mar 06 |
| 2004 | Philip Yea is appointed CEO and later Simon Ball is appointed Finance Director |
| 2001 | 3i transforms organizational structure along global business lines: Buyouts, Growth Capital and Venture Capital |
| 1994 | 3i successfully floats on the London Stock Exchange at a market capitalization of $2.6bn; 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 ndependent businesses, led by William Piercy (later Lord Piercy) |
Landmark Deals
Over its 60 years, 3i has achieved 150 IPOs in the last 10 years and over 400 trade sales in the last five years alone
| 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 $1.7bn transaction: generating a 10 times return on its investment |
| 2003 | 3i identified CSR’s potential early and helped drive internationalization 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 ($127m) MBO of Vantec, the ex-Nissan Motors subsidiary, the first ever western style MBO in Japan |
| 1970 | 3i’s $29,000 investment in Bond Helicopters (later acquired by Brokers, becoming the world’s largest civil helicopter firm), creates a $140m company |
| 1967 | 3i makes its first venture capital investment in 1967 via a $156,000 commitment to Oxford Instruments, later realizing $7.4m |
Expanding Its Borders
Since its UK regional expansion in the 1950s, 3i has expanded to over 14 countries worldwide
| 2007 | By 2007, 3i has access to over 20 regions and various growth sectors via fund investments in Japan, CEE, Russia, Israel, Korea and the Gulf countries |
| 2006 | 3i expands its growth capital business via the launch of its New York office |
| 2006 | 3i’s Asian network incorporates offices in Shanghai and Mumbai (2005), Hong Kong (2001), Singapore (1997) with plans for Beijing (2006) |
| 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 |