The head of UK investments at CVC Capital Partners has said that private equity firms act as a useful buffer for investors when things get difficult at portfolio companies.

Speaking at the annual SuperInvestor conference in Amsterdam about how investors are increasingly looking at direct investments rather than investing in funds, Rob Lucas, a managing partner at CVC, said that private equity firms earn their stripes when things go wrong at portfolio companies, and protect investors from the unpopularity of making tough decisions at such companies.