Paris, June 24, 2024.
Montefiore Investment, the leading investor in small and medium-sized service companies in France, announces the appointment of Christian Mantei as Senior Advisor.
Christian Mantei will draw on his 40 years of experience in the tourism sector to strengthen Montefiore’s commitment to and support for companies in this fast-changing sector.
Chairman of Atout France since 2019, Christian Mantei began his career in 1985 with the travel agency Clé de France, where he held the position of manager, before becoming a tourism engineering consultant with the Federation of French Natural Parks for 5 years. He then joined Maison de la France as Director of Marketing and Information, before becoming Deputy Managing Director. Six years later, he became Director of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Christian Mantei then refocused his expertise in tourism engineering, first as a Director in a consultancy firm, then as head of AFIT (Agence Française de l’Ingénierie Touristique). In 2005, he took over the management of ODIT France, before participating 3 years later in the creation of Atout France, the new French tourism development agency. He was appointed Chief Executive Officer in 2008, a position he held until 2019, when he became Chairman.
In 2020, he was appointed Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his major contributions to France. He is also an Officer of the Legion of Honour, a member of the Board of Directors of the Grand Palais/RMN and a member of the ADP Stakeholder Committee.
Christian Mantei is a graduate of the Ecole Saint-Genès in Bordeaux.
With almost 20 years of experience in the tourism sector, Montefiore Investment stands out for its ability to transform SMEs and SMIs into true European champions. In particular, Montefiore has contributed to the remarkable success stories of B&B Hotels, Homair Vacances (now European Camping Group) and Voyageurs du Monde.
Since October 2020, Montefiore Investment has also been managing the “Nov tourisme” fund. Launched at the initiative of Caisse des Dépôts and France Assureurs to support the sector after the Covid crisis, this fund has made a significant contribution to the revival of tourism companies’ activities and investments, investing almost €200 million to support their growth.
Christian Mantei, Senior Advisor at Montefiore Investment, comments: “I am delighted to be joining Montefiore Investment as a Senior Advisor. Tourism, to which I have devoted my entire career, holds a special place at Montefiore, which has supported some of the sector’s greatest success stories, and I am particularly excited by the prospect of contributing to the growth and emergence of new leaders in this important sector of the French economy.“
Eric Bismuth, CEO of Montefiore Investment, adds: “We are delighted to welcome Christian Mantei to Montefiore Investment. Christian brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the rapidly changing tourism sector. He strengthens our team in one of our long-standing investment areas and will be a tremendous asset to the companies we work with. His appointment reinforces our ambition to support the transformation of the French tourism sector and help companies achieve their growth ambitions.“
About Montefiore Investment
Created in 2005, Montefiore Investment is the reference Private Equity firm dedicated to service SMEs and mid-market companies. With a team of 50 employees, and relying on its sector expertise and know-how, the company successfully supports companies in their growth and development projects. Montefiore Investment has demonstrated its ability to transform SMEs and midcap companies into true European champions. Its performance has enabled it to establish itself as a key player in mid-market private equity. Based in Paris and Milan, Montefiore Investment currently manages over €5 billion of equity and invests ticket sizes ranging from €20 million to €200 million in order to finance sustainable and profitable growth for its portfolio companies. Since 2021, Montefiore has also been a shareholder and strategic partner of Starquest, a management company dedicated to investments in innovative companies with a strong environmental impact (GreenTech).
