Category Archives: People

CapMan Wealth Services strengthens its wealth advisory team – recruits top professionals in Finland and Sweden

Capman

CapMan press release 21 January 2021 at 9.00 a.m. EET

CapMan Wealth Services strengthens its wealth advisory team – recruits top professionals in Finland and SwedenCapMan Wealth Services is a leading Nordic client-centric wealth advisor focusing on institutional investors, foundations, family offices and high net-worth individuals (HNWI). The company offers its clients individually tailored service and product concepts in the public and private market universe. CapMan Wealth Services has recruited four new wealth advisory, alternative investment and marketing professionals in the beginning of 2021.

Mikael Falck (CAIA, MSc. (Econ.)) joins CapMan Wealth Services as Director, Head of Private Markets and will be responsible for private market investments. His most recent employer was Swedish public pension insurance company Kåpan, where he was responsible for alternative investments, including private equity, real estate and infrastructure investments. Prior to that, he worked as Director, Portfolio Manager at Nordea Investment Management in Stockholm. Mikael has more than 15 years of experience from the private investment market.

Piia Nyberg (MSc. (Econ.)) is appointed Director, Wealth Advisory. She joins CapMan from Handelsbanken, where she worked as Investment Director and Senior Private Banker responsible for Kamppi and Ruoholahti branch office private banking clients and client acquisition.

Aaron Paulakorpi (BA) is appointed Director, Wealth Advisory. He joins CapMan from LähiTapiola, where he was responsible for private banking and ultra HNWI clients and family offices in South-Western Finland.

Pauliina Puputti (MSc. (Econ.)) is appointed Marketing and Sales Concept Specialist. She joins the team from Mandatum, where she developed and created marketing material to enhance client experience and provide sales support.

Private investments are a growing market that attracts a broadening and growing client base. CapMan Wealth Services provides also smaller institutions, foundations, family offices and high net-worth individuals with access to private equity funds and similar products that are CapMan’s core know-how. Access to the best products, investment reporting and private market expertise is combined into a unique full-service concept to clients.

“We are very pleased with our new colleagues and the experience and networks that they contribute. Our strengthened team offers a broader client base global access to publicly listed and private products,” says Christian Borgström, Managing Partner of CapMan Wealth Services.

CapMan Wealth Services is a subsidiary of CapMan Group that employs 12 professionals. The company is an investment service provider authorised by FIN-FSA.

For additional information, please contact:
Christian Borgström, Managing Partner, CapMan Wealth Services, tel. +358 40 595 5393

About CapMan
CapMan is a leading Nordic private asset expert with an active approach to value creation. We offer a wide selection of investment products and services. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers, we have developed hundreds of companies and real estate assets and created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the past 30 years. With over €3.5 billion in assets under management, our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors. We have a broad presence in the unlisted market through our local and specialised teams. Our investment strategies cover Private Equity, Real Estate and Infra. We also have a growing service business that includes procurement services, wealth management, and analysis, reporting and back office services. Altogether, CapMan employs around 150 people in Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, London and Luxembourg. We are a public company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki since 2001 and a signatory of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) since 2012. Read more at wealth.capman.com and www.capman.com.

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Categories: People

Kinnevik’s Deputy Chairman Henrik Poulsen will not be available for re-election

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Kinnevik

20 Jan 2021, 9:30 AM

Kinnevik AB (publ) (“Kinnevik”) today announced that the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors, Henrik Poulsen, has informed the Nomination Committee that he will not be available for re-election at the Annual General Meeting in 2021.

The Chairman of the Nomination Committee, Anders Oscarsson, commented:

“On behalf of the shareholders I would like to thank Henrik for his dedicated work in the Kinnevik board. The nomination committee looks forward to presenting its full proposal of the new board well ahead of the Annual General Meeting.”

For further information, visit www.kinnevik.com or contact:

Torun Litzén, Director Investor Relations
Phone +46 (0)70 762 00 50
Email press@kinnevik.com

Kinnevik is an industry focused investment company with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our purpose is to make people’s lives better by providing more and better choice. In partnership with talented founders and management teams we build challenger businesses that use disruptive technology to address material, everyday consumer needs. As active owners, we believe in delivering both shareholder and social value by building long-term sustainable businesses that contribute positively to society. We invest in Europe, with a focus on the Nordics, the US, and selectively in other markets. Kinnevik was founded in 1936 by the Stenbeck, Klingspor and von Horn families. Kinnevik’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm’s list for large cap companies under the ticker codes KINV A and KINV B.

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Categories: People

Diabeloop appoints Catherine Dunand Chairman of the Board.

Supernova Invest

Catherine Dunand brings her expertise in healthcare technological innovation to support Diabeloop’s growth and international development. Diabeloop announced today the appointment of Catherine Dunand as Chairman of the Board of Directors, succeeding Dr Guillaume Charpentier. Dr. Guillaume Charpentier, co-founder and Chief

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Medical Officer of Diabeloop, remains on the Board of Directors. Catherine Dunand, President of Cemag Invest, is a graduate of Ecole Centrale de Lyon, holds an MBA from INSEAD and received a certificate from the non-executive director program of Sciences Po. She sits on the boards of several innovative companies including Advicenne, Altavia, Fabernovel and Wandercraft. She has been a member of the board of Diabeloop since the end of 2019, where she supported the 31-million Euro Series B funding round.

Dr. Guillaume Charpentier said: “Five years ago, I founded Diabeloop with a dream, the creation of an artificial pancreas.This dream has now become a reality, with the registration of two Automated Insulin Delivery solutions in Europe, and the signing of several significant commercial partnerships. Diabeloop progressed incredibly quickly. It is now important for the company to successfully launch these products to get them into the hands of patients. Erik Huneker and Marc Julien, co-CEOs, have put together a superb team to carry out this mission. I am pleased that Catherine Dunand has agreed to succeed me as Chairman of the Board. She will be able to lead the company in its growth and bring her commercial experience and financial acumen, as well as a real empathy for patients and public health. I will remain on the board, and I will ensure that Diabeloop’s values are preserved; we still have a lot of work to do”.

Catherine Dunand, Chairman of the Board, added: “Diabeloop is one of Europe’s finest gems in the medical technology sector. A leader of innovation in artificial intelligence for the treatment of diabetes, Diabeloop’s mission is to improve patients’ quality of life. In terms of technology, regulatory and market access, the company has experienced extremely rapid success, particularly internationally, thanks to its exceptionally talented team. The recent partnership agreements with Roche and Terumo Corporation, launch of a subsidiary in Germany and opportunities in the United States mark a new era in the life of the company. I feel proud and honored to take on my new role and I’m fully aware of the responsibility that rests with me”.

Erik Huneker and Marc Julien, Diabeloop co-CEOs, concluded: “We would like to thank Dr. Guillaume Charpentier for his exceptional dedication and work over the years. The evolution of our governance with the appointment of Catherine Dunand comes at an exciting time for Diabeloop. Catherine’s expertise on financial, strategic and business development aspects will be of great help to us. We thank her for her involvement, and look forward to the rewarding challenges we’ll face together”.

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Catherine Dunand biography

Catherine Dunand co-founded and continues to serve as President of Cemag Invest, an investment fund that is dedicated to acquiring minority stakes in technology-oriented healthcare companies, particularly in medtech and artificial intelligence. Since 2019, she has also served as President of an American foundation that supports womens’ health. Since 2004, Catherine Dunand has been a non-executive director for a number of private and public Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), mainly in the healthcare sector. She is in charge of two audit committees and is a member of two nomination and remuneration committees. She joined Diabeloop’s Board of Directors in 2019 after having led the Series B investment round. Catherine Dunand managed a consulting firm in strategy and governance for fast-growing SMEs/ETIs. She was also Managing Director of SMEs in the healthcare sector. Catherine Dunand spent over 15 years in several roles at major pharmaceutical companies, including as International Marketing Director of Roussel Uclaf and Managing Director of the German-speaking area of Servier. Catherine Dunand is a graduate of Ecole Centrale de Lyon, MBA INSEAD, and received a certificate from the non-executive director program of Sciences Po.

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About Diabeloop

Diabeloop’s mission: to relieve people living with Type 1 diabetes from dozens of therapeutic decisions and reduce their heavy mental burden. Initially conceived from a medical research project, Diabeloop was created in 2015 by Dr. Guillaume Charpentier, now Chief Medical Officer, and Erik Huneker who has co-managed the company with Marc Julien since 2016. This complementary management team works with experienced partners, CEA-Leti (a research laboratory) and CERITD (a French research team of diabetologists). In 2018, DBLG1 ® System, Diabeloop’s first medical device for automated diabetes management, obtained CE marking, followed by DBL-hu, its solution for highly unstable Type 1 diabetes management in 2020. A second round of financing of 31 million euros concluded in November 2019 to speed up the international commercial rollout of the DBLG1 iController and support an ambitious R&D program. The company is supported by several investors and industrial groups in the healthcare sector, including CERITD, Aliad, Cemag Invest, Sofimac Innovation, Supernova Invest, Kreaxi, Crédit Agricole, Odyssée Venture, Agiradom, as well as business angels. Today, Diabeloop gathers the personality, the passion and the skills of close to 100 talented individuals who work hard to improve the quality of life for every person living with Type 1 diabetes.

Categories: People

Wilshire Announces New Leadership Team Members and Growth Vision at the Acquisition Close

Motive Partners

Transaction sees new leadership team members join to accelerate Wilshire’s delivery of its strategic growth objectives, capitalizing on the global digitization tailwinds to improve outcomes for investors globally

New York, January 13, 2021 – CC Capital, a private investment firm focused on investing in and operating high-quality businesses for the long term, and Motive Partners (collectively the “Investor Group”), a private equity firm focused on technology-enabled financial services companies, today announced the close of the acquisition of Wilshire Associates (“Wilshire”), a global investment technology and advisory company. At the close, Wilshire and its new investors announced their growth vision and new leadership additions to help capitalize on the market opportunity as a leading world-class data, analytics and investment solutions provider.

The leadership team at Wilshire will be augmented by a number of new executive hires, coordinated by the Investor Group to drive additional value to clients, including the new Chief Executive Officer, Mark Makepeace, Founder of FTSE International and former Chief Executive Officer of FTSE Russell, the global index provider that he grew from inception to be a leading global player. Andy Stewart, an Industry Partner at Motive Partners, joins as Chief Innovation Officer, having previously co-led BlackRock’s Alternative Investment platform. Mr. Stewart brings extensive experience building and leading investment businesses across some of the most successful asset management firms in the world. Jody Kochansky, an Industry Partner at Motive Partners, joins as Chief Technology Officer, having previously served as Head of the Aladdin Product Group at BlackRock. Aladdin is an operating system for investment professionals that powers every aspect of the investment process, and Mr Kochansky was responsible for defining and implementing the vision for the platform used globally by BlackRock and many of BlackRock’s largest clients. Nick Teunon, formerly the Chief Financial Officer of FTSE International, joins as Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Teunon has significant experience in both acquisitions and working with internationally focused growth companies. Alongside them, Jason Schwarz will continue to lead the investment and portfolio analytics activities as President and Chief Operating Officer.

The team will be focused on driving growth by providing investment solutions that deliver impact and value to existing and prospective clients, both organically and through acquisitions.
“The foundation Wilshire has built over nearly five decades provides us with a unique opportunity to deliver innovative solutions to the market, driving real benefits for our clients. I believe that this company, with its deep pool of talent, can unlock great value for those we serve,” said Mark Makepeace, Chief Executive Officer of Wilshire.

“Ahead of the retirement of our founder, Dennis Tito, we identified a set of experienced executives that we believe uniquely complement the existing talent and our growth aspirations and strategy of Wilshire. Working alongside Mark, Andy, Jody and Nick, we will have the opportunity to create long-term value as we improve outcomes for investors globally,” commented Jason Schwarz, President & COO of Wilshire.
The investment management industry’s rapid technological evolution presents opportunities for all aspects of the value chain. With its new leadership additions renowned for pioneering in the industry, Wilshire will build on its strong foundations by executing a growth strategy focused on product innovation and technology-enabled capability enhancements while maintaining its unique focus on improving investment outcomes for current and prospective clients around the globe.

“The leadership team we’ve structured is well-equipped to ensure our innovation roadmap supports the existing business, first and foremost enhancing client offerings and creating market efficiencies. Having worked with Jody at BlackRock, I have seen the impact that technology and pragmatism can have in partnership, and Wilshire is uniquely well-placed to leverage this intersection for the benefit of its clients and the industry more broadly,” said Andy Stewart, Chief Innovation Officer of Wilshire.
“Building upon Wilshire’s long-standing commitment to providing clients with deep insights and analytics, we are excited to focus on the digitization of the entire advisory and investment process. Technology will enable us to more closely partner with our clients across asset allocation, manager and product research, and portfolio construction and implementation,” said Jody Kochansky, Chief Technology Officer of Wilshire.

Effective immediately, the firm will operate under its shorter name – Wilshire – as part of a comprehensive global brand evolution, including the rollout of a new identity and digital assets through the first quarter of the year.
PJ Solomon, Broadhaven Capital Partners and UBS served as financial advisors and Kirkland & Ellis, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom served as legal advisors in connection with the transaction.

About Wilshire
Wilshire is a leading global investment technology and advisory company, dedicated to improving outcomes for investors worldwide. Founded in 1972, Wilshire advises on over $1.1 trillion in assets and manages $76 billion in assets. Specializing in innovative investment solutions, consulting services and multi-asset analytics, Wilshire serves more than 500 institutional and intermediary clients worldwide, delivering a high quality, coordinated platform of client-centric investment solutions that leverage the entire firm’s resources to the maximum benefit of our clients.
More information on Wilshire can be found at www.wilshire.com

About CC Capital
CC Capital is New York-based private investment firm focused on partnering with high-quality companies, owners and management teams to grow shareholder value for the long term. The firm was founded in 2015 by Chinh Chu, former Senior Managing Director of Blackstone where he spent 25 years in various leadership roles, and invests through the lens of long-term or perpetual ownership through various permanent capital sources. CC Capital acts as a value-added partner to the companies in which it invests and leverages its deep industry relationships with best-in-class executives and collective experience, insights, and resources to assist its management team partners in driving substantial value creation.
More information on CC Capital can be found at www.cc.capital

About Motive Partners
Motive Partners is a specialist private equity firm with offices in New York City and London, focusing on control-oriented growth equity and buyout investments in software and information services companies based in North America and Europe and serving five primary subsectors: Banking & Payments, Capital Markets, Data & Analytics, Investment Management and Insurance. Motive Partners brings differentiated expertise, connectivity and capabilities to create long-term value in financial technology companies.
More information on Motive Partners can be found at www.motivepartners.com

For more information please contact:
AMANDA LAKE, Prosek Partners on behalf of Wilshire media@wilshire.com

 

Categories: People

MMI appoints healthcare industry veteran Mark Toland as CEO

Andera Partners

Toland joins Andrew Cleeland (Chairman of the Board, MMI) in developing the field of robotic-assisted microsurgery

CALCI, Italy, January 12, 2021 – Medical Microinstruments (MMI) SpA, a robotics company dedicated to improving clinical outcomes for patients undergoing microsurgery, announced today the hiring of Mark Toland as Chief Executive Officer. He brings more than 25 years of experience in the medical device industry and most recently served as President and CEO of Corindus, a vascular robotics company that Siemens Healthineers acquired for $1.1 billion in 2019. Following the CE mark of MMI’s Symani Surgical System® in 2019 and successfully completing the first human use cases in 2020, Toland will drive the company’s strategic direction from the developmental stage to broad commercialization.

“There is a tremendous need across healthcare to evolve treatment paradigms from a predominantly manual model to one that leverages robotic technology, data integration and AI to improve patient outcomes,” said Toland. “The Symani Surgical System offers an unprecedented level of precision for microsurgical procedures that has the potential to significantly impact patient outcomes in very complex procedures. I look forward to helping the company realize that potential and working with a very talented and growing team at MMI.”

The Symani Surgical System was used to successfully complete four first-in-human surgical procedures in Florence, Italy. The cases included one post-oncological reconstruction of the pharynx and three complex, post-traumatic lower limb reconstructions, demonstrating the combined benefits of tremor reduction and motion scaling (7-20x) with the system’s NanoWrist® instruments, the world’s smallest wristed surgical instrumentation. The system offers seven degrees of freedom and dexterity beyond the reach of human hands to enhance free-flap reconstructions, replantations, congenital malformations, peripheral nerve repairs and lymphatic surgery, which represent over one million combined procedures annually in the U.S. and Europe.

“Mark’s extensive experience in the medical device industry and particularly in the field of robotics will play a pivotal role in MMI’s continued growth and impact on microsurgery,” said Andrew Cleeland, the chairman of MMI’s Board of Directors. “We look forward to empowering surgeons around the world with the most advanced technology that will make highly complex procedures more reproducible and new procedures possible.”

Toland joined Corindus in 2016 and transformed the company into the industry leader in vascular robotics with the only approved system for coronary, peripheral and neurovascular indications. Under Toland’s leadership, the company built advanced capabilities in automation and telerobotics, which included the first ever remotely performed heart procedure in the world and transcontinental pre-clinical studies using 5G technology. The Siemens Healthineers acquisition of Corindus for $1.1 billion was the fifth largest medical technology acquisition of 2019. Prior to Corindus, Mark served as Senior Vice President of Boston Scientific, where he built the company’s global solutions business and led all aspects of the U.S. commercial team’s cardiovascular businesses, which represented approximately $4 billion in revenue.

Categories: People

Blackstone Announces Appointment of Frank Slootman, Chairman and CEO of Snowflake, as Senior Advisor

Blackstone

NEW YORK, January 13, 2021 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced the appointment of Frank Slootman as a Senior Advisor. Mr. Slootman is currently the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Snowflake and is an entrepreneur with over 25 years of enterprise software industry experience. He will advise across Blackstone’s businesses, with a focus on Blackstone Growth (BXG). At Snowflake, which recently completed an initial public offering, and previously at ServiceNow and Data Domain, Mr. Slootman has had repeated success creating fast-growing, market-leading software businesses.

Jon Korngold, Global Head of Blackstone Growth, said: “Frank is a software industry visionary who has an incredible track record of building great teams and world-class companies. Given BXG’s focus on partnering with entrepreneurs to help transform regional champions into global industry leaders, Frank’s insights will be invaluable to us and to our portfolio companies.”

Frank Slootman added: “I’m excited to advise Blackstone. Having run a number of global software companies, I appreciate the scope of resources that Blackstone can bring to high-growth technology companies. Given this period of high growth and innovation, Blackstone is well positioned to help entrepreneurs realize their potential and execute on their visions.”

Prior to Snowflake, Mr. Slootman spent six years as CEO and President of ServiceNow, a cloud computing platform for digital workflows. At ServiceNow, he helped grow the business, advancing the company through an IPO and increasing its annual revenue to $1.4 billion. His experience also includes time as President of the Backup Recovery Systems Division at EMC and as CEO and President of Data Domain Corporation, where he led the company through its IPO process. Mr. Slootman was born in Holland and has undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

BXG, Blackstone’s global growth equity platform, is focused on providing capital to companies seeking to minimize the execution risks associated with high-growth environments. BXG’s recent investments include Bumble, Oatly, and ISN.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $584 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Contacts
Blackstone
Matt Anderson
212-390-2472
matthew.anderson@blackstone.com

Categories: People

Johan Menckel strengthens Latour’s management

Latour logo

2021-01-13 11:05

It is with great joy we can announce that Johan Menckel has accepted the offer to become Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of Latour. Latour has had a strong growth for a long time. Given this, a natural next step is to adapt and strengthen the organisation to enable continued growth in combination with active ownership and delegated organisation, which is close to Latour’s heart.

Johan Menckel has a long industrial and international experience from, among others, Asia and the US, which means that he has a good match with Latour as a long-term principal owner in large and leading international industrial companies. Johan most recently comes from the position as President and CEO of Gränges, and has previously held several senior positions within the Sapa Group and also been a consultant at Accenture.

“I look forward with joy to continue developing Latour together with Johan Menckel in our group management”, says Johan Hjertonsson, CEO of Investment AB Latour.

Johan Menckel will assume the position by 1 August, 2021, at the latest.

Göteborg, 13 January, 2021

INVESTMENT AB LATOUR (PUBL)
Johan Hjertonsson, President and CEO

For further information, please contact:
Johan Hjertonsson, CEO Investment AB Latour AB, +46 702 29 77 93
Johan Menckel, incoming Chief Investment Officer, +46 733 99 34 19

Investment AB Latour is a mixed investment company consisting primarily of a wholly-owned industrial operations and an investment portfolio of listed holdings in which Latour is the principal owner or one of the principal owners. The investment portfolio consists of nine substantial holdings with a market value of about SEK 69 billion. The wholly-owned industrial operations has an annual turnover of SEK 15 billion.

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Categories: People

ECI Partners appoints three new Partners

ECI

We’re delighted to announce the appointment of three new Partners, among other senior promotions. This news comes following a strong 2020 performance. Despite market uncertainty, ECI’s portfolio has remained resilient, and we delivered on five new investments and five exits over the course of the year.

Michael Butler, Duncan Ramsay and Stephen Roberts have all been promoted to Partner. Together, they have a wealth of experience at ECI and have played a key role in delivering growth for investments across all sectors in ECI’s portfolio.

Prior to joining ECI, Michael held roles at Canaccord Genuity and Deloitte. Michael led the recent investment in KB Associates, and has been heavily involved in ECI’s investments in The Clear Group, MiQ and Edenhouse. Duncan is a member of ECI’s Commercial Team, with a focus on technology and data. He has been heavily involved in ECI’s investments in Mobysoft, CPOMS, Bionic, Peoplesafe, 4Ways, ATG and Arkessa. Prior to joining ECI, he gained over a decade of experience between consulting at PwC Strategy &, and in a corporate at Telecom New Zealand Group. Stephen is based in ECI’s Manchester office, and was recently responsible for leading the investment in Mobysoft, and was involved in ECI’s investments in Bionic, Imagesound and CPOMS. Before joining ECI he spent nine years at PwC.

In addition to the three Partner promotions, Daniel Bailey, Laura Morrill and Toby Fitzherbert have all been appointed to Investment Director. Daniel joined ECI from BGF, and prior to that held positions at Canaccord Genuity and Deloitte. His current investments include Content+Cloud, Peoplesafe and CSL. Laura’s current investments include Mobysoft, Travel Chapter and 4Ways, and prior to joining ECI she spent five years working within PwC’s Corporate Finance division. Before ECI, Toby held positions at Hattington Capital, FPE Capital and the Financial Markets division at Standard Chartered. Toby’s current investments include Auction Technology Group, Bionic and MiQ.

Sean Whelan, Managing Partner at ECI, said: “At ECI we place great importance on investing in our people, and ensuring we create a culture that allows people to develop and progress in their career whilst at ECI, and this announcement is proof of this. By taking this approach we can retain our best talent, and ensure that we meet our goal of helping our investments’ management teams do more, and deliver strong year on year growth.”

“Resilient businesses will be fundamental to shaping future growth”

Categories: People

Blackstone Hires Joe Dowling as Global Co-Head of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM)

Blackstone

New York, January 11, 2021 – Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that Joe Dowling, the former Chief Executive Officer of Brown University’s Investment Office, has joined the firm as Global Co-Head of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM) alongside John McCormick. Joe will oversee BAAM’s investment activities going forward, while John will oversee BAAM’s business and investor functions.

BAAM invests in primarily liquid and semi-liquid investment strategies for institutional and retail investors seeking attractive risk-adjusted returns. BAAM manages $78 billion of AUM and is the global market leader in allocating to hedge funds. It has also diversified into newer businesses including special situations, GP stakes, liquid alternatives, and equity capital markets.

Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, said: “Joe’s experience in investing in hedge funds, public equity (particularly in faster growing sectors), commodities and currencies make him an excellent addition to our team. Our ability to attract a world-class investor to co-head BAAM is a testament to the strength of the platform and is wonderful news for our investors.”

Jon Gray, Blackstone President & COO, said: “We are quite excited to have attracted such a phenomenal investor to Blackstone. Joe has a leading track record in allocating capital, investing directly, and building tremendous teams. John has done an exceptional job of growing the BAAM business with new platforms and strong results. We believe that the combination of Joe and John will enable us to expand into new areas and deliver even better returns for our investors, while maintaining our focus on downside risk, a hallmark of BAAM’s business.”

John McCormick, Blackstone Global Co-Head of BAAM, said: “I am delighted to welcome Joe to BAAM. His knowledge of hedge funds, experience managing multi-asset allocations, and background in direct investing make him a perfect fit as my partner.  I am proud of the momentum in BAAM’s business and am excited to see how Joe and I can deliver more for our clients.”

Joe Dowling, Blackstone Global Co-Head of BAAM, said: “Blackstone is the leader in the hedge fund allocation space. The firm has a reputation for being innovative and at the forefront of new investing opportunities. I look forward to working alongside John and the talented team at BAAM.”

Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer overseeing Brown University’s endowment in 2018, Mr. Dowling served as the University’s Chief Investment Officer since June 2013. Under his leadership, Brown led the Ivy League’s and other peer institutions in performance over 1,3, 5 and 7 years. Mr. Dowling also served as interim Chief Financial Officer of the University from May 2019 until January 27, 2020, leading all finance and treasury functions and cash and debt management. Before joining Brown, he was the founder and chief executive officer of Narragansett Asset Management, where he managed funds for institutions, pension funds and endowments. Mr. Dowling has also worked for First Boston, Tudor Investments and Oracle Partners. He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s in business administration from Harvard University.

About Blackstone
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $584 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.

Media Contact
Paula Chirhart
+1-347-463-5453
paula.chirhart@blackstone.com

Categories: People

Thoma Bravo announces Senior Appointments

Thomas Bravo

Gerald “Jerry” Nowak Joins as General Counsel and Chief Administrative Officer

Jennifer James Promoted to Chief Operating Officer

SAN FRANCISCO—Thoma Bravo, a leading private equity investment firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sector, today announced appointments within its senior leadership team in operations.

Gerald “Jerry” Nowak joins Thoma Bravo as a Managing Director and General Counsel, Chief Administrative Officer. Previously, Nowak served as a Partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, where he was a leader in the firm’s Private Equity, M&A and Capital Markets practices, working closely with Thoma Bravo for almost 20 years on a variety of transactions and mandates. In this new role, Nowak will lead Thoma Bravo’s Legal & Compliance, IT and other Administrative functions.

Jennifer James will assume an expanded role as Chief Operating Officer, in addition to her role as Managing Director, Head of Investor Relations and Marketing. During her five-year tenure at Thoma Bravo, James has fostered deep relationships with investors on the firm’s behalf and was instrumental in executing the firm’s recent $22.8 billion fundraise. Thoma Bravo’s Investor Relations, Marketing & Communications, Human Resources and other Operational functions will report to James, who will work closely with Nowak to continue building a best-in-class operations team.

“This was a successful year for Thoma Bravo as we closed our biggest fundraise to date and continued to see growth across our portfolio of leading software and technology companies,” said Orlando Bravo, a founder and Managing Partner at Thoma Bravo. “We begin 2021 in a prime position to take advantage of the many opportunities in the market, supported by a phenomenal team which we are excited to continue to grow. Over the years, Jerry has been a tremendous partner to Thoma Bravo, and I am thrilled to welcome him to our team and continue to work together. His appointment, in addition to Jennifer’s expanded role as COO, reflects the deep bench of talent we have developed. I couldn’t be more excited to work with our growing leadership team as we position the firm for the long-term.”

About Thoma Bravo
Thoma Bravo is a leading private equity firm focused on the software and technology-enabled services sectors. With more than $73 billion in assets under management as of September 30, 2020, Thoma Bravo partners with a company’s management team to implement operating best practices, invest in growth initiatives and make accretive acquisitions intended to accelerate revenue and earnings, with the goal of increasing the value of the business. The firm has offices in San Francisco and Chicago. For more information, visit thomabravo.com.

Read the release on the PR Newswire website here.

Categories: People