Paris, 12 January 2009

Xavier Tassel joins Crédit Agricole Private Equity as Partner in the Special Situations team, which focuses mainly on investments in distressed companies and manages a €50 million fund.
The team is led by Arnaud Mauduy, and now consists of four people.

Xavier Tassel, age 42, is a graduate of Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Reims and holds an MBA from Northeastern University (Boston).

He started his career at Taittinger in 1992, where he managed the distribution of spirit brands and was head of marketing.

In 1999, he joined strategy and organisation consultancy KPMG Consulting as senior consultant, before specialising in refinancing and restructuring by becoming a manager at KPMG Corporate Recovery. When the team moved to Kroll Talbot Hughes in 2004, he was promoted to Director.

Xavier Tassel has carried out numerous assignments for companies of all sizes in Europe: refinancing and financial restructuring, operational restructuring, crisis management, acquisitions, disposals and distressed M&A.

Contact
Martine Sessin-Caracci - +33 (0)1 43 23 90 88
martine.sessincaracci@ca-privateequity.fr

About Crédit Agricole Private Equity
Crédit Agricole Private Equity, an AMF-authorised investment management company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Crédit Agricole S.A., specializes in direct private equity investment in unlisted companies.
A multi-specialist, Crédit Agricole Private Equity has 50 investment teams focusing on different segments of the private equity market (Expansion & Buyout capital, Venture Capital, Mezzanine, Renewable Energy, PPP Infrastructure, Co-Investment and Special Situations) and manages a total of €2.8 billion in various types of private equity vehicle (FCPR, SICAR, FCPI and SCR). Crédit Agricole Private Equity supports entrepreneurs in their growth projects. www.ca-privateequity.com