Robin Hall, the veteran leader of private equity firm Cinven who retires next year, was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the ninth Private Equity News awards ceremony at London’s One Mayfair venue last week having spent more than 20 years as managing partner and then chairman of the firm.

Hall told the audience of his peers: "I have mixed emotions: on the one hand it's a great privilege to win such an award, on the other to win a lifetime achievement award makes you feel very old and that's a bad thing."