By Pamela Barbaglia

LONDON (Reuters) – U.S. investment firm Warburg Pincus has appointed SAP executive Brian Duffy as a senior adviser in its technology team as it bets on the digital transformation of its portfolio companies while also scouting for new tech targets.

This U.S. company is known for being a growth investor as it invests in companies with strong earnings potential. It has invested heavily in telecoms, media, and technology (TMT), since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Duffy will be able to use his expertise to find new investments worldwide.

Duffy will stay in Chicago and will work alongside SAP to oversee their strategy for converting more customers to cloud computing.

Flavio Porciani, Warburg Pincus managing director, stated that the company wanted to offer its portfolio companies (current or prospective) access to sector leaders and expertise. This statement emphasized Duffy’s record of promoting digital transformation.

Duffy has 16 years of experience at SAP, including as head of global strategic initiatives. He will now work closely with Warburg Pincus European tech team. This group recently completed a deal worth 5.1 billion euros to acquire Deutsche Telekom’s Dutch subsidiary, T-Mobile Netherlands. It is part of an alliance with Apax.

The 41-year-old Irishman will frequently travel to Europe where Warburg Pincus’ regional co-heads, Adarsh Sarma in London and René Obermann in Berlin, both have a technology background and remain hungry for sector expansion.

Since 1966, Warburg Pincus have invested over $24 billion into technology companies.

It has signed deals with Visma Software in Norway and British Community Fibre. In addition, earlier this year, the company backed Quantexa and Personetics Technologies, both Israeli fintech firms.

According to Reuters sources, the New York-based company has just raised $16 billion from investors in its most significant private equity fund.