Samena Capital is an Asia, India and MENA-focused alternative investments group, co-established in 2008 by Shirish Saraf and key partners from a cross section of industries and regions.
Under the deal, Samena Capital will be represented on the board of RAK Ceramics, and the two companies will work together to use private equity strategies to unlock new growth opportunities.
A recent article on Samena Capital in Business Times (Raffles Conversation) calls Saraf the Silk Road Dealmaker.
"[9] An article by Asian Venture Capital Journal says, " Operating partners now form the backbone of most private equity firms, in a variety of different guises.
"[10] Samena Capital was set up in 2008 to take advantage of the cross-border investment opportunities arising out of the dislocation in global financial markets, and the emergence of the Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern countries as the growth markets of the future,[11] even as the developed countries of Europe and the USA are receding into a recession.
[12] Samena Capital's main business lines include asset management (through special situations investments, credit market opportunities and direct investments/projects) and hedge fund seeding.
Through its special situations funds, it invests in companies that have the ability to go across markets (within the SAMENA region) and capitalise on cross border opportunities.
[5] They include: Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, minister of culture, youth and community development, UAE; Samir Fancy, chairman and founder of Oman’s oil and gas giant Renaissance Services SAOG; Sheikh Nawaf Nasser Bin Khaled Al Thani (belonging to the House of Thani), chairman and CEO of Qatar’s Nasser Bin Khaled Holding; Ziad Al-Turki, Vice Chairman of ATCO Group, one of Saudi Arabia’s premier family groups; Kamal Bahamdan, co-founder and CEO of Safanad and ex CEO of Bahamdan Group; Gratian Anda, chairman and CEO of IHAG Holding Corp, one of the leading Swiss family owned group of companies; Pansy Ho and Daisy Ho, the CEO and CFO, respectively, of Shun Tak Holdings; Hussain Al Nowais, the Chairman of Al Nowais Investments, a family owned conglomerate business; Maqbool Ali Sultan, former minister of commerce and industry of Oman; Sheikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa, senior political advisor to the Crown Prince of Bahrain; Sheikh Ahmed Al Thani, director of Nasser Bin Faleh Al Thani Group and former minister of communications and transport of Qatar; Sheikh Sultan bin Saleh bin Sultan, President and CEO of Salehiya Establishment, a leading Saudi Arabian pharmaceutical and medical equipment distributor; Sheikh Sultan bin Saqr Al Qassimi, managing director and co-founder of GIBCA, a highly respected industrial, manufacturing, construction, investment and real estate development group in the United Arab Emirates; Mishal Al Ardi, CEO of Al-Shuwayer Group of companies, a leading family owned business group in Saudi Arabia; Mohammed Al Barwani, founder and chairman of MB Holding in Oman; the Capricorn Investment Group; Richard Elman, executive chairman and founder of Hong Kong’s Noble Group business; Rana Talwar, managing partner and founding chairman of Sabre Capital; Shyam Sunder Bhartia and Hari Bhartia, chairman and co-chairman of Indian pharmaceutical giant, Jubilant Life Sciences; Ramiz Hasan, founder of Japan-focused hedge fund Invicta; and Simon Wong, one of the co-founders of GC Capital)[31].
Besides V-Nee YEH and Shirish Saraf, it includes members such as: Ramiz Hasan,[21] founder of Japan-focused hedge fund Invicta[22] and a founding shareholder of Samena Capital.
Samena's primary business is asset management, covering special situations, credit markets and hedge fund seeding/bespoke products: The flagship Samena Special Situations Fund (SSSF I) was launched in August 2008, raising almost US$180 million amidst what was one of the most challenging capital raising environments in history.
Some of the most profitable investments the fund made were in Eicher Motors and Voltamp Transformers in India, Rubicon Offshore International, CSE Global in Singapore, Saudi Hollandi Bank in Saudi Arabia, Union National Bank in the UAE and Renaissance Services in Oman.
[24] As a follow up to SSSF I, the company launched Samena Special Situations Fund II, which had a Final Closing in June 2013 of US$340 million.
[25] With a seven-year closed-ended structure, this fund has an investment strategy similar to its predecessor, but with an added emphasis on private placement and co-investment opportunities.
With the growth of its special situations business, Samena is understood to be seeking co-investment opportunities projects and direct investments, which are likely to be of a strategic or pre-IPO nature across a range of industries and geographies.
[30] In April 2011, Reyl & Cie, one of the leading Swiss banking and asset management groups, decided to partner with Samena Capital in a joint venture that combined SAM's hedge fund seeding business with Reyl and Cie's wealth and asset management expertise.