Zeist, The Netherlands – September 23, 2025 – Julius Clinical, a leading clinical Contract Research Organization (CRO) with deep therapeutic expertise in CNS and Cardiometabolic diseases, is pleased to announce the appointment of Bassem Saleh as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Mr. Saleh brings extensive leadership experience from both large and mid-sized clinical CROs, most recently serving as CEO of TFS HealthScience. Throughout his career, he has successfully led organizations through expansive international growth, mergers and acquisitions and the development of specialized therapeutic business units in CNS, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Oncology. His expertise in structuring operations around specific therapeutic areas aligns closely with Julius Clinical’s ambitious growth strategy in CNS, Cardiometabolic and rare diseases.

“I am excited to join Julius Clinical. With its strong scientific heritage and operational agility, the company has earned a reputation for delivering high-quality, flexible clinical trials for both biotech and pharma across Europe and North America. As treatments become increasingly personalized, the industry is in greater need of mid-sized, therapeutically focused global CROs. Julius Clinical’s operating model, combining deep scientific expertise, effective site networks, strong customer partnerships, and global reach, positions us well to lead in this space. Supported by our talented team, I see tremendous opportunity to expand our global presence, deepen therapeutic expertise, and leverage advanced technologies to help our customers bring better treatments to patients worldwide,” said Bassem Saleh.

Daniel Spasic, Chairman of the Board, Julius Clinical, commented, “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Bassem over the years. His extensive experience leading and scaling global clinical CROs, combined with his deep understanding of industry dynamics and the needs of our biotech and pharma partners, positions him to contribute meaningfully to Julius Clinical’s long-term growth. In addition, his medical background aligns perfectly with our deep scientific roots, further strengthening our commitment to advancing clinical research worldwide with our clients.”

Julius Clinical operates across Europe and North America, managing global Phase I–III and real-world evidence (RWE) clinical trials with a focus on CNS, Cardiometabolic, and rare diseases. The company is recognized for its scientific expertise, quality-driven delivery model, and world-leading site networks with key opinion leaders. With the support of private equity firm Ampersand Capital Partners, Julius Clinical is actively expanding its global footprint and strengthening partnerships with biotech and pharmaceutical clients worldwide.

Martijn Wallert, who has led Julius Clinical as CEO since June 2021, will continue supporting the company in his new role as Board Advisor.

About Julius Clinical

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Zeist, The Netherlands, Julius Clinical is a leading clinical CRO specializing in central nervous system, cardio-metabolic, renal, and rare diseases. With over 400 clinical trials recruiting more than 300,000 subjects globally, Julius Clinical combines scientific leadership, operational excellence, and a global network of research sites to deliver tailored solutions for biotech- and midsized pharma customers. For more information, visit https://www.juliusclinical.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

About Ampersand Capital Partners

Ampersand Capital Partners, founded in 1988, is a middle-market private equity firm with $3 billion of assets under management, dedicated to growth-oriented investments in the healthcare sector. With hubs in Boston, Amsterdam, and London, Ampersand leverages a unique blend of private equity and operating experience to build value and drive long-term performance alongside its portfolio company management teams. Ampersand has helped build numerous market-leading companies across each of the firm’s core healthcare sectors. For additional information, visit www.ampersandcapital.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Frankfurt, Germany – September 22, 2025 – KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced the appointment of Prof. Dr. hc mult. Roland Koch as Senior Advisor. In this role, Professor Koch will advise KKR’s investment teams and portfolio companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with a particular focus on regulation and governance-related matters.

Mr. Koch has about 30 years’ experience in senior roles spanning government, business, and the non-profit sector. He has held leadership positions in public policy, corporate management, and academia, making him uniquely positioned to support KKR’s continued growth and investment strategy in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Roland Koch has been serving as Chairman of Ludwig Erhard Stiftung e.V., Professor of Management Practice in Regulated Environments and Director of the Frankfurt Competence Center for German and Global Regulation (FCCR) at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management for several years. In addition, he is a member of the Supervisory Board of Vodafone Germany, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Peter Dussmann Foundation, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Dussmann Stiftung & Co. KGaA.

“We are pleased to welcome Roland Koch as a senior advisor,” said Christian Ollig, Partner and Head of the DACH region at KKR. “His extensive experience in both the public and private sectors, coupled with his deep understanding of regulatory and governance issues, will be invaluable as we support ambitious companies and entrepreneurs throughout the DACH region.”

Commenting on his appointment, Roland Koch said: “KKR plays a pivotal role in providing capital solutions to scale key technologies including, for example, space technology, life sciences, cloud and IT services, as well as financing digital and energy infrastructure projects that provide the backbone for future economic growth in the region. Drawing on my experience in both public policy and corporate governance, I look forward to helping KKR and its portfolio companies navigate an evolving regulatory landscape and seize new opportunities for innovation and growth.”

Prior to his current roles, Koch held prominent positions in both the public and private sectors. He served as Chairman of the Executive Board of Bilfinger SE, overseeing significant organizational transformation and driving operational excellence, and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of UBS Europe SE. Earlier in his career, he was Minister President of the State of Hesse for eleven years, as well as Chairman of the Hessian CDU, and Deputy Federal Chairman of the CDU in Germany.

The appointment of Roland Koch underscores Germany’s key role for KKR in Europe and further strengthens the firm’s commitment to partnering with local leaders in the region. He joins a growing network of Senior Advisors at KKR in Germany, including Philip Oetker, Philipp Pausder, Dr. Johannes Teyssen, and most recently Theodor Weimer.

With over 25 years of investment activity in the EMEA region, KKR today manages approximately €137 billion in assets in Europe across its various asset classes. In the DACH region, KKR has invested approximately €20 billion in equity in more than 40 companies since 1999, with over two thirds of these investments in partnership with founders, family-owned businesses and corporates.

About KKR 

KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR’s insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com. For additional information about Global Atlantic Financial Group, please visit Global Atlantic Financial Group’s website at www.globalatlantic.com.

Media contact

Katie Keenan appointed CEO of BREIT and Global Head of Core+ Real Estate

Tim Johnson appointed CEO of BXMT

New York – September 19, 2025 – Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced several senior leadership updates within its Real Estate business.

BREIT and Core+ Leadership
Katie Keenan has been appointed Chief Executive Officer and a Director of Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“BREIT”) and Global Head of the Core+ Real Estate business.  She succeeds Wesley M. LePatner, who served in both roles until her tragic passing on July 28, 2025.

Ms. Keenan is a long-tenured Blackstone executive and has held numerous leadership positions since joining the firm in 2012.  She currently serves as Global Co-Chief Investment Officer of Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (“BREDS”) and Chief Executive Officer of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE: BXMT), a publicly-traded commercial mortgage REIT managed by a subsidiary of Blackstone.  Ms. Keenan has been integral to the success of BXMT and the broader BREDS business, helping grow the BREDS platform to $77 billion today.

Zaneta Koplewicz, currently BREIT Head of Shareholder Relations, has been named Co-President and Director of BREIT with current Co-President, Blackstone veteran A.J. Agarwal.  BREIT Interim CEO Rob Harper will resume his long-time role as BREIT Head of Asset Management.

Ms. Keenan said: “Thanks to the dedication of Wesley and many others, BREIT represents some of Blackstone’s finest work.  Its strong performance is driven by a portfolio that is ~90% concentrated in sectors that are benefitting from long-term, secular megatrends, particularly data centers.  BREIT is incredibly well-positioned and I am looking forward to working with the team to capitalize on the ongoing real estate recovery, with new supply falling sharply, the cost of debt capital coming down, and transaction activity picking up.”

BREIT’s highly differentiated portfolio positioning has led to a 9.2% annualized net return on Class I since inception over 8 and a half years ago, over 60% higher than the public REIT index on a cumulative basis.

BXMT Leadership
Tim Johnson has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of BXMT, succeeding Ms. Keenan.  As the Global Head of BREDS and Chair of BXMT’s Board, Mr. Johnson has played an active role in overseeing BXMT for over a decade and has deep expertise across Blackstone’s commercial real estate credit investment strategies.  Mr. Johnson is a seasoned investor and has been with Blackstone since 2011.  He will continue as the Global Head of BREDS and Chair of BXMT’s Board.

Austin Peña, currently Executive Vice President, Investments of BXMT, has been named President and Director, and will continue leading the company’s investment, capital allocation, and balance sheet strategy.

Mr. Johnson said: “I’ve had the honor of serving as BXMT’s Chair and I am looking forward to building on BXMT’s momentum, including $2.6 billion in new investments last quarter and a nearly 20% YTD total return.  The team’s breadth and creativity enable us to source investments across channels and markets, unlocking value during a particularly compelling period.  The entire BREDS platform, which includes BXMT, has been incredibly active capturing this real estate credit environment, having deployed $38 billion since the beginning of 2024, and we expect that activity to continue across the business.”

Nadeem Meghji and Kathleen McCarthy, Global Co-Heads of Blackstone Real Estate, said: “The resilience demonstrated by our team in recent weeks has been nothing short of extraordinary.  We are fortunate to have a deep bench of talented colleagues with a relentless focus on delivering for our investors.  Katie and Tim both have invaluable leadership and investing experience that we believe will continue to drive strong performance across both businesses.”

All changes are effective November 10, 2025, with the exception of Ms. Keenan’s appointment as Global Head of Core+ Real Estate, which is effective immediately.

About Blackstone Real Estate
Blackstone is a global leader in real estate investing. Blackstone’s real estate business was founded in 1991 and has US $325 billion of investor capital under management. Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial real estate globally, owning and operating assets across every major geography and sector, including logistics, data centers, residential, office and hospitality. Our opportunistic funds seek to acquire undermanaged, well-located assets across the world. Blackstone’s Core+ business invests in substantially stabilized real estate assets globally, through both institutional strategies and strategies tailored for income-focused individual investors including Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (BREIT). Blackstone Real Estate also operates one of the leading global real estate debt businesses, providing comprehensive financing solutions across the capital structure and risk spectrum, including management of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (NYSE: BXMT).

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “outlook,” “objective,” “indicator,” “believes,” “expects,” “potential,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “seeks,” “predicts,” “intends,” “plans,” “estimates,” “anticipates” or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. These may include financial estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements about plans, objectives, intentions, and expectations with respect to positioning, including the impact of macroeconomic trends and market forces, future operations, and future performance and statements regarding identified but not yet closed acquisitions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Annual Reports on Form 10-K of Blackstone Inc., BREIT and BXMT for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as such factors may be updated from time to time in their respective periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this release and in the filings. Except as otherwise required by federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Contacts
Jeffrey Kauth
Jeffrey.Kauth@Blackstone.com
(212) 583-5395

Wrike, the intelligent work management platform, today announced the appointment of George Saadeh as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). This announcement comes as Wrike accelerates its mission to deliver measurable ROI for enterprises by driving scalable growth and lasting customer value.

“Enterprises today don’t just want software. They want measurable outcomes that transform how they work,” said Thomas Scott, CEO of Wrike. “George is a proven leader who knows how to scale revenue engines while keeping customer success at the center. With his leadership, Wrike will deliver even greater value from the first idea to enterprise-wide execution.”

“My teams are with customers every day, hearing what challenges they face and understanding what is needed to realize true business transformation,” said Saadeh. “They’re asking for solutions that eliminate bottlenecks, reduce project delays, and help their teams deliver faster. My role is to empower our sales and customer success teams to deliver solutions while guiding customers to realize value faster — through smooth implementation, confident adoption, and ongoing growth. We’re building a revenue engine that’s as focused on customer outcomes as it is on growth.”

Former Chairman and Managing Partner, UK&I, EY, Joins to Support European Industrials and Business Services Group

London, 17 September 2025 – Warburg Pincus, the pioneer of private equity global growth investing, today announced the appointment of Steve Varley as Senior Advisor. Mr. Varley will support the firm’s Industrials and Business Services group, with a focus on professional services opportunities, and companies at the intersection of services and technology. He will also engage across the broader Warburg Pincus platform globally, contributing to the firm’s value creation and deal origination capabilities.

Mr. Varley brings over three decades of experience in professional services, with a proven track record of leading and transforming multi-billion-dollar businesses. He currently serves as Chairman of Unity Advisory, a next-generation CFO advisory firm and Warburg Pincus portfolio company. Most recently, he served as Global Vice Chair, Sustainability at EY, advising some of the world’s largest companies on long-term value creation through sustainability initiatives. Prior to that, he was Chairman and Managing Partner, UK&I at EY, leading over 20,000 professionals and driving the firm’s growth and innovation. He also held several other senior leadership roles across EY, including Managing Partner for Consulting in Northern Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa, and served on both the EMEIA Executive Board and the Global Practice Group, helping to shape the firm’s global strategy.

“I have long admired Warburg Pincus’s thesis-led approach, global and growth-oriented mindset, and long-term investment philosophy,” said Steve Varley. “Having worked with the team first-hand through my role in Unity Advisory, I’m excited to continue working with Warburg Pincus to identify and grow exceptional businesses in the services space, particularly as technology and innovation continue to reshape the industry.”

“Steve’s deep sector expertise, global leadership experience, and strong relationships across the services ecosystem make him an invaluable addition to Warburg Pincus,” said David Reis, Managing Director, Industrials and Business Services, Warburg Pincus. “He has been a trusted advisor to CEOs, Boards and government, and his insights will help shape our investment theses and deepen our reach in high-growth segments of the services ecosystem.”

Mr. Varley has held numerous advisory and non-executive positions throughout his career, including as a business advisor to two Prime Ministers and a Special Advisor to the United Nations. In addition to serving as Chairman of Unity Advisory, he also chairs the boards of DWF Group and Liverpool Football Club Foundation.

Media contact:

Alice Gibb
Director, Europe Communications
Alice.gibb@warburgpincus.com
+44 207 306 3090

About Warburg Pincus

Warburg Pincus LLC is the pioneer of global growth investing. A private partnership since 1966, the firm has the flexibility and experience to focus on helping investors and management teams achieve enduring success across market cycles. Today, the firm has more than $86 billion in assets under management, and more than 220 companies in their active portfolio, diversified across stages, sectors, and geographies. Warburg Pincus has invested in more than 1,000 companies across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies

The firm is headquartered in New York with offices in Amsterdam, Beijing, Berlin, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Mauritius, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.warburgpincus.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Wrike, the intelligent work management platform, today announced the appointment of George Saadeh as Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). This announcement comes as Wrike accelerates its mission to deliver measurable ROI for enterprises by driving scalable growth and lasting customer value.

“Enterprises today don’t just want software. They want measurable outcomes that transform how they work,” said Thomas Scott, CEO of Wrike. “George is a proven leader who knows how to scale revenue engines while keeping customer success at the center. With his leadership, Wrike will deliver even greater value from the first idea to enterprise-wide execution.”

“My teams are with customers every day, hearing what challenges they face and understanding what is needed to realize true business transformation,” said Saadeh. “They’re asking for solutions that eliminate bottlenecks, reduce project delays, and help their teams deliver faster. My role is to empower our sales and customer success teams to deliver solutions while guiding customers to realize value faster — through smooth implementation, confident adoption, and ongoing growth. We’re building a revenue engine that’s as focused on customer outcomes as it is on growth.”