Munich Private Equity Partners establishes Strategic Advisory Board with industry and business experts
2 DEC, 2025
By Joanna Piwko from RankiaPro Europe
Munich Private Equity Partners (MPEP), a specialist in fund investments within the European and North American lower mid-market buyout segment, has launched a Strategic Advisory Board. The new committee will support the management team on strategic topics, offer fresh perspectives, and deepen the firm’s understanding of investor needs – thereby enriching the dialogue with additional viewpoints.
The Advisory Board unites seasoned leaders from across the private equity landscape and the broader economy. Its initial members include:
Till Gutzen, co-founder of Cubera, a leading Nordic private equity manager focused on secondary transactions. Under his leadership, Cubera has grown into Scandinavia’s largest fund-of-funds platform. With more than three decades of experience in private equity, he brings deep expertise in fund, co-investment and direct investment strategies. Prior to founding Cubera, he worked in private equity at Swedish pension fund AP6 and served as managing director of multiple portfolio companies, as well as entrepreneur and investor.
Dr. Robert Carroll, Managing Partner at POLARIS Investments, a placement agent specialized in alternative investments. Previously, he was Partner and Head of Investor Relations & Responsible Investment Strategy at the European private equity firm Sofinnova Partners. Before that, he served as Senior Director leading PwC’s global fundraising advisory practice and worked at Mercury Capital Advisors, where he oversaw fundraising for institutional investors.
Elisabeth Köstinger, who spent over a decade in Austrian and European politics, including roles as Federal Minister for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism and as a Member of the European Parliament. After transitioning to the private sector, she has advised companies on sustainable business growth and ESG topics. She also serves on several supervisory boards, including that of Irish airline Ryanair.
Markus Drews, who brings more than 35 years of experience in international finance and insurance. Until the end of 2023, he was Managing Director of Canada Life Assurance Europe plc, leading the German business as CEO and serving on the European Leadership Team of Great West Lifeco. Previously, he sat on the Executive Board of Talanx Deutschland AG and chaired the Board of HDI Vertriebs AG. Today, he is a private investor and entrepreneur and acts as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the Supervisory Board of Volkswohl Bund Versicherungen.
We are delighted to welcome Till Gutzen, Dr. Robert Carroll, Elisabeth Köstinger and Markus Drews as distinguished experts. Their experience across private equity, our client segments and the wider economy adds substantial depth to our strategic dialogue beyond day-to-day operations. They will play a valuable role in helping us set the right impulses for the future in the best interest of our investors, says David Schäfer, Managing Director at MPEP.
In a market environment that remains complex and highly dynamic, integrating diverse perspectives into decision-making is more important than ever. With the creation of the Advisory Board, we are establishing an additional forum to discuss cross-disciplinary challenges and opportunities and to further develop our offering for investors in a sustainable way, adds Christopher Bär, Managing Director at MPEP.
MPEP provides institutional investors with access to high-quality private equity funds across the lower mid-market buyout segment in Europe and North America. Since its founding in 2011, the investment boutique has completed more than 100 fund investments, 95% of which were heavily oversubscribed. Its investor base includes pension funds, insurance companies, banks, family offices and foundations from Germany and abroad.
