As part of its strategy to develop further its direct investment platforms, Bregal Investments, Inc. announced the formation of Bregal Partners, L.P., a middle-market private equity fund with $500 million of committed capital. Robert Bergmann and Scott Perekslis will serve as managing partners and will lead the fund’s investment efforts. The fund, based in New York, will focus on control-oriented investments in North America in the following industries: consumer, food and beverage, healthcare and energy services.

Bergmann and Perekslis are middle-market private equity veterans, having previously worked together at Centre Partners Management for more than 20 years, most recently serving as senior partners.

Louis Brenninkmeijer, co-chairman of Bregal Investments, commented, “We are delighted to be able to announce today the next step in the evolution of our global private equity investment platform. We are very pleased to be partnering with Bob and Scott, who we have known and worked with for more than eight years, and we look forward to their assistance in building another important leg to our business. Our relationship with Centre will continue, and we remain committed to their future success.”

“After a long and rewarding career at Centre, I am excited to be embracing this new challenge with Scott and our new partners at Bregal,” said Bergmann. “We share a clear vision of how to build a successful private equity business with staying power through market cycles, and we look forward to putting capital to work in the months ahead.”

“The opportunity to create a new fund within a strong global platform in conjunction with a supportive capital partner and a longtime friend and colleague is both compelling and energizing,” added Perekslis. “As we look forward to this new endeavor, Bob and I remain appreciative of our relationships with our longstanding colleagues at Centre; we greatly value our experience there over the past two decades, and we look forward to continued successful collaboration with them in the future.”

Founded in 2002 with offices in New York and London, Bregal is the corporate investment arm of Cofra Holding AG, a sixth-generation family holding company based in Switzerland.