My partner and co-founder Gerard Lopez is leaving Mangrove.
After almost 15 years of deal making together, his decision is a reminder of how special and ephemeral partnerships can be. The truth is that partnerships don't last forever: they evolve and change along the way and require constant attention. When they do come to an end, it is an opportunity for a new beginning that should not scare but rather encourage towards other horizons. Life is full of twists and turns….embrace them.
Being Gerard's partner has been a privilege and an honor. I look forward to doing it again. For now though, we go our separate ways with the knowledge that friendship trumps all.
We started the firm with our co-founder Hans Jurgen Schmitz just months after the Internet bubble burst in 2000, with clear convictions that come from self-belief. We were going to build a firm that did things differently and were indivisible in that confidence. This self-belief helped us get started in difficult times and today I consider it the single most important ingredient to our success. Much of our self-belief came from Gerard's natural character and confidence. It rubbed off effortlessly on all the Mangrove Partners and helped shape the successful firm that we are today.
The future is bright, but different. Gerard will remain on our firm's board and continue to help us think of ways we can disrupt entrenched industries…..
Hasta la vista amigo.
* This post was first published on LinkedIn