UK buyout firm Permira has boosted its roster of senior advisers with the appointment of the former chief executive of German energy giant Eon, who was last year tipped to take the role of chairman at BP.

Wulf Bernotat has joined Permira as an adviser and it is hoped his background will be especially useful to its industrials team, according to a spokeswoman for the private equity firm. The division has this year already given Permira its biggest exit since 2008 - the €3.1bn sale of German chemicals group Cognis.