AE Industrial Partners LP, a private equity firm specializing in aerospace, defense and government services, space, power generation, and specialty industrial markets, have hired financial services executive Melissa Klafter has joined the firm as a partner and its chief financial officer.

“We are excited to welcome Melissa, who has an impressive background in private equity and financial services and who deeply understands our business,” said David Rowe, managing partner of AEI. “The addition of new products to leverage our large, specialized investment team demands that we continually look for talented professionals to achieve sustainable growth. Melissa’s guidance will be invaluable as we work together to chart the future of our firm.”

“Our growth demands investment in talented people. We are fortunate to not only have gained a tremendous new CFO, but also the luxury of having Wayne Garrett, our previous CFO, remain as a Partner responsible for a number of strategic initiatives key to our success ” said Michael Greene, managing partner of AEI. “With almost 15 years at AEI, Wayne will provide for a seamless transition and help Dave and me continue to build for the future.”

Klafter comes to AEI from Sun Capital, where she served as managing director and CFO.

“AEI is a preeminent private equity investor in aerospace, defense, and other industrial markets, and the timing couldn’t be better to join the firm,” said Klafter. “I look forward to working with Dave, Mike, Wayne and the entire AEI team as we continue to look for opportunities to strategically grow the firm.”