The enduring power of top private equity firms left four of the top five names in our FN100 list of Europe's most unfluential unchanged from last year to this. Apax Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, CVC Capital Partners and Coller Capital held their top rankings in the private equity section of the list, but competition was clearly tough.

Jon Moulton, founder of Better Capital, and Guy Hands chairman and chief investment officer of Terra Firma, were among the most high-profile figures to come just outside the top 10.