Connie Helyar

Connie Helyar is Main Committee Member of Guernsey Investment Fund Association and currently heavily involved in working with Brussels on the new AIFM Directive and other regulatory initiatives. Following the sale of her business in 2008 Connie offered herself as a Non-Executive Director to the Investment Fund Industry particularly specialising in private equity Funds. Connie has been a Non-Executive Director of the General Partner companies for PAI, a French based Buyout firm with three funds under management, Cognetas which is a UK based medium sized buyout firm with two funds and Innkap which is a venture capital operation which has two funds based in Sweden. Connie is also on the board of Premier Renn Entrepreneurial Fund which is a US based smaller cap fund specialising in Chinese businesses with a link to the US. From September 2008 to October 2010 Connie was a Consultant to International Private Equity Services Ltd, operating as an executive director of a variety of fund boards primarily in the private equity/venture space. Connie is also a Jurat of the Royal Court of Guernsey and operates in the local Courts as a Judge of Fact. Connie co-founded International Private Equity Services Limited (IPES) in 1998. The company was created to provide a dedicated niche market service exclusively to private equity fund managers. The company grew rapidly along with the growth in the private equity industry generally with assets under management of approximately $US36 billion at the time of selling. She was originally the Managing Director of the Guernsey based operation, but as the business expanded into other jurisdictions Connie became its Chief Executive and later Chairman of the Group. The business was successfully sold to management backed by private equity group RJD in September 2008.