Astara Capital Partners, a middle-market private equity firm, has hired Athos Zakou to the firm as chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Zakou will oversee all finance, accounting, tax, technology and operational areas of Astara. Previously, Zakou was chief financial officer at Gamut Capital Management where he established and managed that firm’s financial and operational functions. Prior to Gamut, he was the controller of the private equity business and the management company at Tiger Global Management.

Michael Ranson, managing partner of Astara, commented “Athos is a very experienced executive and helped create the infrastructure at his prior firms that positioned them for growth and success. As Astara grows its portfolio and develops its human and capital resources, Athos will play a significant role in building our infrastructure and processes to support our growth.”

“Joining Astara at this point in its evolution is an exciting opportunity for me,” said Zakou. “I’ve enjoyed helping build businesses at my prior firms. Astara is off to a strong start and I look forward contributing to its success.”