SYDNEY, Australia – Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) just received the 2025 ‘Firm of the Year Award’ at the Australian Investment Council (AIC) Annual Conference for the second year in a row.
The award recognises individual firms for their leadership, contributions to the private capital industry, and significant investment successes over the past year.
PEP also received the ‘Deal of the Year Award in the Upper Mid-Cap category’, for the sale of Zenith Energy to KKR.
Accepting the Firm of the Year Award, Tim Sims AM, Co-Founder and Managing Director of PEP, thanked the Australian Investment Council for its vital work in representing and advancing the industry in Australia, and thanked industry peers once again for their recognition of the team’s achievements through the year.
“This year marks PEP’s 27th anniversary —we have continued to experience strong progress in fundraising, investing, and the successful sale of assets, with strong investment returns in Private Equity, Secure Assets, Credit and PEP Gateway programs. We have also continued our strong commitment to ESG with robust programs across the group, high levels of commitment to Workplace Giving and a second exciting round of the PEP Women in Business program. These underscore our belief that high quality investing is not only about delivering excellent and consistent returns, but also about strengthening and contributing to the communities in which we operate. Thank you again — The Australian private capital investment community is among the best performing of its kind in the world and it is an absolute honour for the team to be recognised in this way by such an accomplished group of managers, investors and advisers.”
ABOUT PEP
PEP is Australasia’s oldest and largest private equity firm, with A$17 billion in assets under management across multiple investment strategies. Since it was founded in 1998, PEP has completed more than 200 investments (including bolt-ons) and engaged in over A$54 billion of transactions, including acquisitions and exits.
PEP’s distinctive culture — rooted in a team-based model, long-term apprenticeship, and enduring partnerships — underpins a consistent, disciplined investment approach. This has resulted in strong and sustained performance, with an average net IRR since inception of 28% per annum across its closed-end funds.
PEP has received numerous industry awards over the past 27 years, including the Firm of the Year Award from the Australian Investment Council in both 2024 and 2025.