France’s sovereign wealth fund has appointed the first private equity professional to its executive board as it prepares to ramp up investment in local companies at a time when buyout activity in the country remains sluggish.

Bertrand Finet, who just weeks ago left UK buyout firm Candover Partners as head of its Paris office, has joined the executive committee of France's €20bn ($29bn) state-owned investment arm, Fonds Stratégique d'Investissement.