A Succession-Track IR Seat at the Heart of European Private Equity
Lead relationships with world-class LPs, shape the next fundraise, and grow into the future Head of Investor Relations at Castik Capital.
“This is a rare and genuine succession opportunity within one of Europe’s most thoughtful and conviction-led private equity firms. Founder Michael Phillips — who played an instrumental role in building Apax before establishing Castik — has created a platform uniquely positioned to thrive in the years ahead.
Every element of Castik has been carefully considered — from its strategy and culture to the composition of its LP base, and now to the succession planning that will shape the next decade of leadership.
As the firm looks ahead to its next fundraise in 2027, Michael will be passing the baton – sharing his knowledge, insights, and relationships with the individual who will ultimately take the helm of Castik’s most pivotal role.”
— Henry Myers
Investment Professional to Investor Relations — Succession Partner
The Opportunity
We have been retained by Castik Capital to appoint an exceptional individual to lead the firm’s capital formation
and investor relations agenda — a mission-critical role with a clear path to partnership.
This is not a traditional fundraising or reporting function. It is a strategic leadership seat at the centre of Castik’s next phase of growth, where capital formation is one of the most decisive levers in private equity. You will work shoulder-to-shoulder with the Founding Partner through the next fundraising cycle, gaining hands-on exposure to investor origination, due diligence, roadshows, LP meetings, and closings.
As your remit expands, you will take full ownership of investor engagement and business development — becoming the trusted face of the firm to a sophisticated global LP base. Over time, you will formalise and scale the IR platform, build a high-performing team, and serve as the critical bridge between the investment committee, portfolio leadership, and Castik’s investors.
The Ideal Candidate
This role is designed for an investor — someone who has spent years in the deal seat and can speak with fluency, credibility, and commercial sharpness about value creation, strategy, and performance.
You will bring:
- 6–10+ years of top-tier private equity investing experience
- Strong deal exposure, able to articulate thesis development, underwriting, value-creation levers, and challenges
- Gravitas and emotional intelligence, with a calm and credible presence
- Outstanding communication skills, able to simplify complexity and build trust with management, deal teams, and LPs
- A relationship-driven mindset, with a genuine interest in capital formation and partnership-led investing
- A long-term orientation, focused on building something enduring
This will suit someone who wants to remain at the heart of the alternative investments market — but who prefers building deep LP relationships and influencing firm strategy, rather than living inside unpredictable deal cycles.
Trajectory & Upside
This is a true succession path, with a clear destination:
Shadow → Head of IR → Partnership
You will work directly with Michael Phillips through the 2027 fundraise, inheriting the relationships, playbook, and institutional knowledge required to take the helm. From there, you will shape the IR platform, the LP base, the capital strategy, and — in part — the future of the firm itself.
Culture & DNA
Castik is highly selective about who joins. The environment is:
- Low-ego, high-trust
- Calm, analytical, and conviction-led
- Operational and hands-on
- Long-term in philosophy
- Collaborative and unpolitical
Practicals
Location
London preferred (Paris, Nordics, or Luxembourg considered)
Language
Near-native English essential
Travel
Selective European & international LP travel, with high predictability
Compensation
Highly competitive cash + meaningful carry participation (aligned with seniority and succession path)
About Castik Capital
Castik Capital is a pan-European private equity firm with c.€5bn AUM and a long-term, buy-and-build investment philosophy. Founded by Michael Phillips (22 years at Apax), Michael Grober (Montagu / Apax), and Dr. Marc-Oliver Jauch (Apax), the firm partners with founder-led businesses across software, tech-enabled services, healthcare, and industrial technology, typically investing €100–300m equity tickets.
Castik focuses on creating market leaders through intensive buy-and-build, with each platform commonly executing 30–70 bolt-on acquisitions. The strategy is highly operational, avoids auction processes, and emphasises proprietary, founder-selected partnerships over broad auctions.
Headquartered in Luxembourg with a major operational hub in Munich, Castik’s ~60-person team is evenly split between investment and value-creation/operations. Since inception, the firm has raised:
€1.0bn
Fund I (2015)
€1.25bn
Fund II (2021)
€1.93bn
Fund III (2024)
€700m
Continuation Vehicle
(Waterlogic / Culligan)
Founded in
Euro’s of total commitments since inception
Operating Locations (Luxembourg, Munich, London)
Investment Professionals
Investments to date
Add-ons per deal
Exits to date
Investment Team
Michael Phillips
Investment Partner
Was an Equity Partner at Apax Partners
Was general manager of an operations subsidiary of OTTO Holding
Michael Gröber
Investment Partner
Was an Investment Partner & Co-Founder at Castik Capital Partners
Was an Investment Professional in the Consumer/Retail team at Apax Partners
Dr. Marc-Oliver Jauch
Investment Partner
Was an Investment Professional in the Business Services team at Apax Partners
Was a Project Leader with the Boston Consulting Group
Krzysztof Aniola
Investment Partner
Was Investment Professional at Mid Europa Partners
Started career in Consulting with McKinsey & Company
Sebastian Große Frie
Investment Partner
Was a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG)
Gained experience in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse
Simen J. Opsal
Investment Partner
Investment Professional in the Services team at Apax Partners
Spent two years as an Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions team at J.P. Morgan
Marco Düngler
Investment Director
Was general manager of an operations subsidiary of OTTO Holding
Was a Relationship Manager at the Raiffeisen Privatbank
Stefan Fritz
Investment Director
Was a consultant at Bain & Company
Holds an MBA from London Business School and a diploma in International Economics
Philipp Paul
Investment Director
Was a Project Leader in the Private Equity and Corporate Development Practice Areas
Gained Private Equity experience as a Summer Associate with BC Partners
Philipp Albath
Investment Manager
Was an Associate at Greenhill & Co.
Graduated with a M. Sc. in Technology and Management
Friedrich Spieth
Investment Manager
Gained experience in finance, including Private Equity at Goldman Sachs and BC Partners and M&A
Holds a Master in Finance from HEC Paris and a Bachelor of Science in International Economics, Management and Finance
Jenny Tran
Investment Manager
Spent two years as an Investment Banking Analyst at UBS and RBS
Holds a Master of Science in Management from London Business School and a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture
Leonhard Zinn
Investment Manager
Was a consultant for 3 years at McKinsey & Company
Gained M&A experience in an off-cycle internship
Timo Bräu
Senior Associate
Spent four years as a Private Equity Professional
Holds an MSc in Finance and CEMS International Management from ESADE Business School, and a BSc in Business Administration
Chloe von Fischer
Senior Associate
Started her career in consulting at Boston Consulting Group
Holds a Master of Science from Columbia Fu Foundation School of Engineering and B.A. in Business Administration
Julius Pizzoni
Senior Associate
Completed several internships, including consulting at McKinsey & Company and M&A
Holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration
Melina Funke
Associate
Gained experience in finance, including Investment Banking at Rothschild & Co
Holds a Bachelor of Science in Technology and Management with a minor in Computer Science
Oliver Larsen
Associate
Was a senior consultant at McKinsey & Company
Holds a Master of Science in Management and Technology (with a major in Finance & Accounting and a minor in Computer Science)
Ann-Sophie Molter
Associate
Worked as an Investment Professional in EQT’s Private Equity Team
Holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Auditing
Axel Schmitz
Associate
Started his career in consulting at McKinsey & Company
Holds a Master of Science in Management
Considering a Career Change?
If you are a top-tier investor who wants to build lasting LP relationships, shape the fundraising strategy of a leading European PE platform, and step into a genuine leadership succession seat, we would like to speak with you.
All conversations are handled with absolute discretion.