PEOPLE

Core
Beliefs

Alignment

Successful, long-term partnerships are built on alignment between key stakeholders

High drive, low ego

Persistent performance is a function of hard work, ambition and humility

Continuous improvement

Investment capabilities are improved by continuously adding  learnings to institutional memory

TEAM

James Roebuck

Managing Partner

Michelle Khong

michelle mannio

Partner

Stefan Matei

Partner

Nick Comhair

Associate Director

Alberto Sannino, CFA

Investment Manager

Joanna Ernst

Head of Capital Formation

Steve Halliday

Chief Financial Officer

John Morrison

Chairman

Dante Leone

Special Advisor - Legal

ABOUT US

Opera leads the market for small-cap Independent Sponsors in Europe

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PRINCIPLES

Opera captures the alpha that exists at the intersection of private equity, entrepreneurship and specialist domain expertise
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Specialist Access to Independent Sponsors

Specialist Access to
Independent Sponsor Opportunities

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James Roebuck

James is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Opera and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He oversees all aspects of the business, including investment due diligence, portfolio management and management company finance and operations, with a focus on investment sourcing and structuring. Prior to Opera, James was a Managing Partner at Clearsight Investments and has more than 20 years of experience investing within private equity. He holds a BA in Financial and Business Economics from the University of Newcastle and an MBA from Lancaster University Management School and the University of St Gallen.

MICHELLE Mannio

Michelle is a Co-Founder and Partner at Opera and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. She co-leads portfolio management and due diligence of new investments. Prior to Opera, Michelle held investment roles at Clearsight Investments and the StepStone Group. Michelle also worked in the capital markets divisions of Standard Chartered and Barclays Capital. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Master of Architecture from the National University of Singapore.

Stefan Matei

Stefan is a Partner at Opera and a member of the firm’s Investment Committee. He co-leads portfolio management and due diligence of new investments. Prior to Opera, Stefan held roles at Clearsight Investments and worked in the investment banking division of Citi in London. He holds a BSc in Finance from Bocconi University, graduating “Laurea a Pieni Voti”.

Nick Comhair

Nick is an Associate Director at Opera and focuses on due diligence and portfolio management. Prior to Opera, Nick held roles at William Blair in London focused on M&A within the industrials and business services sectors. Nick holds a Master in Financial Management from Vlerick Business School and a Master of Science in Business Engineering from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics & Management.

Alberto Sannino

Alberto is an Investment Manager at Opera and focuses on due diligence and portfolio management. Prior to Opera, Alberto worked at KPMG and Deloitte. Alberto holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management and a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance from the University of LUISS Guido Carli in Rome.

Joanna Ernst

Joanna is the Head of Capital Formation at Opera with a focus on investor relations and fundraising, alongside public relations initiatives. Prior to Opera, Joanna held senior roles at Alpha Leonis Partners and Quaero Capital, having begun her career at UBS. She holds a BA (Hons) in International Finance and Capital Market Studies from the University of Brighton.

Steve Halliday

Steve is a Finance Director at Opera and focuses on the finance, regulatory, legal and operational functions of the Opera management company and Opera funds. Prior to Opera, Steve held senior finance roles at Dialectic Group, LGT Capital Partners, Harmonic Fund Services having begun his career at PWC. He holds a Bachelor of Law (LLB) from the University of Edinburgh and is a Chartered Accountant through the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

John Morrison

John is Chairman and member of the board at Opera focused on strategy, organisational development and process design. Prior to this role, John worked in a senior role at Munich Private Equity Partners, Alliance Trust Equity Partners and Albany Venture Managers and has more than 25 years of experience in private equity.

Dante Leone

Dante is a Special Advisor and member of the board at Opera. As the co-founder of CP-DL, a law firm with offices in Milan, Italy and Lugano, Switzerland, Dante is also General Counsel to Opera and has more than 20 years of experience within private equity, M&A and international finance.