Fabrizio Cerina (born in Piacenza, Italy) is the chairman of international investment banking group Crédit des Alpes.

Fabrizio Cerina
OccupationInvestment banker
Years active1995 – present
TitleCrédit des Alpes Group, Chairman

Career

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Cerina began his career by acquiring a 34% stake in Banque de Participations et de Placements, Geneva.[1] He later sold it to Lebanese buyer Al-Mashreg Bank.

Most of his career took place in Geneva (CH) and London (GB).[2][3] In 1982 he acquired Attel Bank, in which he invested CHF1.5 million (US$1.53 million), eventually listing the holding company on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange in 1987 at a value of approximately CHF130 million (US$132.6 million).[4]

In the 1990s Cerina was dubbed "a banker and a gentleman"[5][6] by Swiss and international press when, as the controlling shareholder of Attel Bank, he voluntarily refunded clients out of his own pocket after a rogue trader caused losses amounting to CHF45 million (US$46 million). The trader stole money from clients, as well as dealing in unauthorized junk bonds and NASDAQ securities.[1][6]

Cerina merged and developed the business into Crédit des Alpes, an investment bank that advises on large international transactions. The bank put together the US$4.2 billion acquisition by Vivendi (VIV:FP)[7] of Brazilian broadband market-leader company GVT in 2009 — then the largest world's telecoms deal.[8] [9]

References

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  1. ^ a b "First Person: Fabrizio Cerina". Financial Times (London, UK). 21 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Private Equity, investors focused on Italy - Cerina (Crédit des Alpes): smaller transactions, but higher returns". archiviostorico-corriere.it.
  3. ^ Stefano Righi (21 June 2022). "Private Equity, gli investitori puntano sull'Italia - Cerina (Crédit des Alpes): operazioni più piccole, ma rendimenti più alti". Il Corriere della Sera (Italy).
  4. ^ Corrado Bianchi Porro (2 May 2021). "Finanza sostenibile in crescita". L'Osservatore (Switzerland).
  5. ^ "The banker and gentleman lives in Lugano". NewsgateNY.com.
  6. ^ a b "Il "banchiere gentiluomo" abita a Lugano". Il Messaggero (Italy). 25 October 1993.
  7. ^ "Vivendi Company Profile Bloomberg". Bloomberg (28 March 2020).
  8. ^ "Crédit des Alpes: Vivendi reprend GVT au Brésil (Crédit des Alpes leads on Vivendi deal to buy GVT in Brazil)". archiviostorico-corriere.it.
  9. ^ "Crédit des Alpes: Vivendi reprend GVT au Brésil". L'Agefi (Switzerland). 3 December 2009.
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