This development comes at a time when Andera Acto recently announced the successful closing of its latest fund Acto V at €1.1 billion and has strong ambitions in terms of internationalization of dealmaking. Over the last months, the team also appointed senior advisors in Belgium, DACH region and Italy and aims to invest a minimum of 20% of the vehicle outside of France.
Andera Acto aims to complete one to two transactions per year in Spain, focused exclusively on management-sponsored deals, providing non-dilutive capital (structured through a mix of mezzanine financing and minority equity) of €20m to €160m per transaction, enabling management teams to significantly increase their ownership or limit dilution.
Joaquin will be focused on the sourcing and execution of opportunities in Spain and the follow-up of the local portfolio companies, working closely with Antoine Soucaze, Director, leading the Spanish coverage for Andera Acto for the last two years.
Joaquín has over 25 years of experience advising corporates and financial sponsors, both on M&A and debt transactions. He has proven strong execution capabilities and expertise designing bespoke capital structures.
Before joining Andera, Joaquín was Managing Director of DC Advisory in Madrid, where he led the Capital Solutions team. Previously, he was one of the founding partners of Montalban Capital, independent advisory firm sold to DC Advisory in 2019, Managing Director at Atlas Capital and Director in Banesto Corporate Finance team.
Graduated in Business and Economics from CUNEF, and in Law from UNED, he holds an MBA from INSEAD.
For Joaquin Gonzalo, Senior Advisor of Andera Acto : “Spain offers a particularly attractive environment for sponsorless, mezzanine financing. The market is driven by management teams seeking flexible capital solutions to structure succession, accelerate growth or execute acquisitions while retaining control. I am very pleased to support Andera Acto in deploying this strategy in Spain and to contribute to building long-term partnerships with ambitious companies across the country.”
Antoine Soucaze, Director within Acto team leading the Spanish coverage, adds: “Over the last 2 years, we have identified and worked on several opportunities and are convinced of the deepness of the “management-sponsored” deals market in Spain. With his great experience, we are confident that the arrival of Joaquin will be a strong accelerator in our dealmaking in the region.”
Stéphane Bergez, Head of Andera Acto, comments: “Spain stands out today as one of Europe’s leading economies, with particularly robust growth dynamics. Establishing a dedicated presence in the country is therefore a natural and strategic step for Andera Acto as we continue to develop our European platform and support ambitious management teams in their long-term projects. We are pleased to welcome Joaquin and look forward to working closely with him”
Beyond the Andera Acto strategy, Spain is already a key pillar of Andera Partners’ broader international development strategy. Over the past decade, the firm has completed 20 investments in the country (including add-ons) across its other investment strategies and more recently, the firm continued to strengthen its local presence, with the opening of a Madrid office at the end of 2024 for its Andera MidCap strategy, led by Gonzalo Boada and further reinforced a few months ago with the appointment of Ignacio Moreno Martínez as Senior Advisor. Joaquín Gonzalo will be based in Andera Partners’ Madrid office.