(AltAssets) February 1, 2012 – Global private equity firm HIG Capital has opened an office in Rio de Janeiro, and appointed Fernando Marques Oliveira as a managing director to lead its Brazil and Latin America team.

Prior to joining HIG, Oliveira was a managing director and head of the Latin America team at General Atlantic, where he was involved in a number of transactions including Qualicorp and Peixe Urbano. Before GA he worked at Grupo Icatu, where he led a number of investments including Mabel, Aracruz and Grupo ABC.

Sami Mnaymneh, co-founder and managing partner at HIG, said, “I am pleased to welcome Fernando to the firm. He is a proven investor with long standing experience in the Brazilian market. Under his leadership, we are committed to building a strong team in Brazil, focused on long term success.

“Brazil’s economy has a very bright future, thanks to its large population – including a rapidly growing middle class – and its abundant natural resources. We look forward to being part of it by targeting a segment of the market which has been mostly overlooked by international investors,” he added.

A number of private equity firms have recently opened offices in Latin America. Spanish private equity firm Mercapital and global buy-out titan Advent International recently opened offices in Bogota, and the latter also has a well-established office in São Paulo.

With 2010 GDP growth of 6.1 per cent year over year, the continent posted the second strongest growth rate globally, surpassed only by emerging Asia, according to recent data compiled by Partners Group.