History of 3i

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

2011 3i opens office in Brazil. 3i raises Credit Opportunties Fund.
2010 3i closes inaugural €1.2bn Growth Capital Fund. Sir Adrian Montague CBE succeeds Baroness Hogg as Chairman at AGM. 3i establishes debt management with £3.8bn AUM.
2009 Michael Queen appointed CEO, Julia Wilson appointed Finance Director
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 independent 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

2011 3i floats Norma on Frankfurt Stock Exchange
2010 3i realises investment in Hyva, making a 7x return
2009 3i successfully realises investment in ABX
2007 3i invests for a minority stake in Norman Fosters' iconic architecture and design firm 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 $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 13 countries worldwide

2011 3i opens office in Brazil.
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