Review & Outlook 2011

A few notes to update you on our activities in private equity and advisory for the chemicals industry. If you have not had a chance to check our updated website, please do so and let me have your comments www.neilaburns.com

• Silicones: Our involvement with SiVance, carved out of Clariant, September ’09, continues to be a great pleasure. The business is doing very well. The carve-out could not have gone more smoothly and we are still hiring to support continued growth in the coming year.
• Other equity activity continues with a focus on specialties in North & South America and Europe. Compared to this time last year, the pipeline is packed very well. Our partnerships with GenNx360 and Linley continue to bear fruit across a fairly wide EV range up to $1Bn +.
• Our advisory practice focuses on surfactants, oleochemicals and related feedstocks. Our partnership with Desmet Ballestra Italy has been particularly active with the recent re-launch of their ethoxylation platform on new technology. We continue to limit other advisory work to a few long-term clients. However, we will expand our reach into Asia and Latin America with additional personnel in the coming year.
• Our support of the ACS, CM&E Group continues to be very fulfilling. In March, Tim Wilding of Oppenheimer gave an outstand review of chemicals M&A. Then, in October, a panel including GE Capital, Lanxess, Jones Day, GenNx360 and Houlihan Lokey sold out the venue with their “Anatomy of a Deal” discussion. If you are in New York City, January 6^th, please join us for lunch with the ACS Chief Economist for some unique, unedited analysis of the industry’s prospects for 2011. Register here.
• In partnership with ICIS, we are organizing and chairing the 1^st World Surfactant Conference in NYC area, May 12 – 13 2011. Preliminary details here. This is a business conference targeted at senior managers in the industry.

As always, please feel free to reach out if you think we can help with anything. Our equity capital program combines a patient outlook with good understanding of the chemical industry. We like to support management teams with a growth agenda and to enable owners realize their ambitions for their businesses.

Our best wishes for a happy and prosperous New Year.

Neil