SWEN CP appointed a new Managing Director to lead its Mezzanine Debt activity

SWEN Capital Partners, a leading player in responsible private market investment, announces the appointment of Christopher Underwood as Head of the Mezzanine Debt and Flex Equity activity. He reports to Jean-Philippe Richaud, Deputy CEO & CIO, and succeeds Diego Felipe Aponte-Vargas, who now oversees business development and investor relations.

With nearly thirty years of experience, particularly in corporate financing and private debt, Christopher Underwood brings his expertise to support the growth of SWEN CP’s Mezzanine Debt activity. The strategy stands out with a differentiated positioning and strong recognition in the small-cap segment, which remains underserved by other market players. In his new role, he leads a team of five professionals, working closely with the Sustainable Finance team.

With over €200 million invested in the past 12 years across around 50 transactions, SWEN Capital Partners has built a solid track record in the mezzanine space. Its fund, SWEN Mezz Flex 3, already over 60% deployed, has completed 12 investments in high-growth sectors: future production and services, tech (data/software), as well as well-being and healthcare. The targeted companies are SMEs and mid-sized firms, with investment tickets ranging from €5 million to €10 million. Its multicontext positioning (including LBOs, sponsored or sponsorless, capital restructurings, external growth, or development mezzanine) gives it access to a particularly dynamic and diversified deal flow.

Biography

A graduate of NEOMA Business School and holder of an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, Christopher Underwood (55) has
over 30 years of experience in corporate finance. He began his career in consulting at SV&GM (1995–1999) and PwC in Transaction Services (1999–2002), before joining IXIS CIB / Natixis in Structured Finance (2003–2008). Christopher later specialized in mezzanine debt, notably at Access Capital Partners (2011–2025), where he spent nearly 14 years. He joined SWEN Capital Partners in 2025 to lead the Mezzanine Debt activity.