A scion of the billionaire Brenninkmeijer dynasty behind clothing retail giant CA is the new chief executive officer of a private equity firm backed by the billionaire family that’s seeking to expand their empire.
Jens Brenninkmeyer is Bregal’s new CEO – Bregal Investments- Linkedin
Jens Brenninkmeyer, 38, a former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker and Sixth Street executive, starts next month in the top role at Bregal Investments after serving as the buyout firm’s chief strategy officer since 2023, according to a statement Tuesday.
He previously led a review of Bregal’s operations and also oversaw new deal activity across its strategies, ranging from buying stakes directly in companies to allocations for private equity funds, according to the statement from Cofra Holding, which oversees the Brenninkmeijers’ major assets.
Bregal is one of the driving forces behind the Brenninkmeijers’ push to open their business empire to more outside investors as they expand beyond CA, the clothing retailer that traces its origins back to 1841.
Founded in 2002, Bregal now has about €19 billion ($22 billion) in assets under management and recently established a new strategy to invest in secondary markets led by Luis Cabrera, who joined in October. Based in London and New York, Bregal opened to external capital in 2016, a year after the family’s real estate arm, Redevco, made a similar move.
Cofra oversees assets totaling more than €35 billion, with other divisions including an asset-management arm that opened to external capital from foundations and other long-term investors four years ago.
“From 2026 onwards, our goal is to accelerate growth and diversification by launching more strategies,” Boudewijn Beerkens, Cofra’s CEO, said in a separate statement.
Jens, a German native and sixth-generation family member, will be based in New York but spend at least a week each month in London, according to a person familiar with the matter. The firm is also seeking to participate in more co-investment opportunities, the person said, who asked not to be identified as the details are private.
Bregal’s latest appointment follows the recent departure of Goldman Sachs veteran Alain Carrier as CEO, while Ryan Selwood died in 2024 after becoming chief investment officer the previous year. The firm last year hired a veteran of direct lender Hayfin as chief financial officer, while another family scion, Lawrence Brenninkmeyer, became Bregal’s deputy chairman.
Jens Brenninkmeyer, a Harvard Business School graduate, started his career as an analyst at Goldman and later helped to lead fintech investments for San Francisco-based alternative-assets firm Sixth Street, according to his LinkedIn profile.
“I’m pleased to step into the CEO role at a key moment,” said Brenninkmeyer, who uses a variation of the dynasty’s surname.
