Sixty Years of Evolution
Corporate History
Starting as a British company with just £10m capital to invest, 3i has evolved to an international venture capital firm, with a €5.6bn market capitalisation
| 2006 |
3i exceeds £2bn in realisation proceeds for the year to 31 Mar 2006 |
| 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 achieved 150 IPOs in the last ten years and over 400 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 £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 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 Singapore (1997), Hong Kong (2001), Shanghai (2005), Mumbai (2005) and 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 |
Print this page |
