A&G Realty Partners LLC - The New York-based real estate advisory and investment group appointed Billy Weinstein as senior advisor. Reporting directly to co-presidents Andy Graiser and Emilio Amendola, Weinstein will be responsible for structuring creative real estate solutions for retailers in challenged situations. A 25-year veteran in the distressed marketplace, Weinstein was formerly chief executive of Comp USA, where he was accredited for the company’s successful reorganization and sale. Weinstein was previously a founding partner of the Ozer Group, a retail consulting and asset disposition firm, which was acquired by Gordon Brothers. Most recently he served as managing director of Tiger Group LLC, advising on European deals.
Altamont Capital Partners - The San Francisco private equity firm has promoted Steve Brownlie to managing director. Altamont also promoted Jonathan Altman and Alex Rolfe to principal, and Sam Gaynor and Kevin Mason to vice president. Melissa Kennedy has joined the firm as vice president. Before Altamont, Brownlie was a vice president at Lazard Alternative Investments and a senior associate at Golden Gate Capital, where he focused on investments in the consumer products and retail sectors. Altman, before Altamont, was president of software company ClearMechanic, and Rolfe, was previously a principal at Alpine Investors LP. Gaynor formerly worked as a consultant in the Boston Consulting Group’s Dallas office, with consumer and technology clients. Mason previously worked as the director of operations at Vizzia Technologies in Atlanta. Before joining Altamont, Kennedy focused on health care investments at Chicago PE firm GTCR LLC.
Alvarez & Marsal LLC - The New York professional services firm appointed Fernando de la Mora as a managing director in the financial industry advisory services practice. Based in Madrid, De la Mora also becomes region head for the firm in Spain and Portugal. Prior to joining A&M, De la Mora was a partner at PwC in New York, where he led a practice of 350 professionals providing consulting services in risk management and regulatory advice. In addition, De la Mora has helped implement U.S. CCAR stress test guidelines to 13 of the 19 banks involved in the capital planning process led by the U.S. Federal Reserve.
EisnerAmper LLP Lisa Knee, CPA, JD, LL.M (pictured, above), was admitted to the Melville, N.Y.-based firm as a tax group partner. Knee works with clients on tax-efficient ways to structure transactions, obtain financings and wealth transfers. In her role as an advisor to high net-worth individuals and closely-held businesses, she brings expertise in the hotel, real estate, private equity and restaurant industries.
Epstein Becker Green Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy Jr., a son of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass., 1962-2009), and nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-NY, 1965-68), will join the Washington, D.C.-based law firm’s Stamford, Conn. office. Kennedy will focus on health care and life sciences, counseling health care clients on legal and reimbursement policy issues and changes facing hospitals, post-acute providers, government and commercial insurance entities and life sciences companies. Previously, Kennedy co-founded and served as president of the Marwood Group, a health care-focused strategic advisory and financial services firm. Before that, Kennedy was a lawyer at a New Haven, Conn.-based Wiggin & Dana LLP and director of legal and regulatory affairs at the Connecticut Hospital Association. Kennedy is scheduled to moderate a panel discussion at ACG New York’s Sixth Annual Healthcare Conference on Feb. 12 at the Metropolitan Club.
Headwaters Inc. - Ian Cookson has joined the firm as a managing director in the aerospace, defense and government group. Mr. Cookson bring more than 20 years of investment banking experience, including advising on $5 billion of transactions including acquisitions, divestitures and refinancings. Cookson has represented clients from leading multinationals to privately held companies and has completed transactions with corporations such as General Electric (NYSE: GE), DuPont, Hewlett Packard (NYSE: HPQ), and Deutsche Post.
K&L Gates LLP - Siew Kam Boon joins as a partner in the Pittsburgh law firm’s M&A and private equity practices. Boon, who will work out of both K&L Gates’ Singapore and Shanghai offices, was previously with O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Boon focuses her practice on cross-border M&A, especially in Asia. She represents private equity and venture capital funds, special situations groups, sovereign wealth funds and corporate clients on transactions in sectors including natural resources, technology, media, and consumer goods.
Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy LLP The New York law firm added Mike Shah to its tax practice group. Shah will join as a partner specializing in benefits and executive compensation. Shah, previously a partner at Jones Day LLP, has worked on corporate transactions, corporate governance and SEC disclosure matters. He advises boards and compensation committees at companies in industries such as food service, consumer products, finance, telecom, insurance and others.
Monroe Capital LLC - Matthew Evans has joined the Chicago firm’s health care team as managing director. Evans will lead the firm’s health care lending efforts in addition to originating cash flow and enterprise-value based loans. Prior to Monroe, Evans was a principal at Beverly Capital, a health care focused private equity firm. He was formerly a vice president in the health care leveraged finance group at Madison Capital, where he originated, structured and underwrote debt financing for private equity-sponsored transactions. Prior to Madison Capital, Evans worked in Merrill Lynch Capital’s health care finance-leveraged lending group.
Perkins Coie LLP The Seattle-based law firm has added Jesse Kanach (pictured, left) to the Washington D.C. office as partner in the investment management group. Before the move, Kanach was counsel with Shearman & Sterling in Washington D.C. Kanach focuses on advising on exceptions from Investment Company Act registration, as well as monitoring and analyzing shifting legislative and regulatory landscapes. He also provides regulatory structuring and compliance counsel.
Porter Hedges LLP The Houston law firm has appointed three lawyers as partners: Susan Cates, Heather Hatfield and William Rasmussen. Cates focuses on employment litigation and consulting, business litigation and construction litigation. Hatfield’s practice includes complex commercial litigation, contract disputes, oil and gas litigation and white-collar crime defense disputes. Rasmussen focuses on wealth-preservation planning, including wills and trusts, estate, gift and income tax planning, probate and trust administration and related business planning.
RBZ LLP The Los Angeles accounting and business management firm has added 19 new members through the acquisition of Kaufman & Bernstein Inc., which specializes in providing business management services to the entertainment industry, including actors, writers, directors and producers. In addition to Kaufman & Bernstein co-founders Roy Kaufman and Howard Bernstein, RBZ adds: Alicia Carrera; Tricia Fatherree, Kuliema Ginyard; Hilda Hakim; Breanna Herron; Patti Lawhon; Jean Lee; Marco Luna; Nash Naidoo; Samantha Naidoo; Ferdinand Padilla; Janet Phuong; Glynis Robert; Miriam Salinas; Nadia Siddiki; Michael Thompson and Scott Wilson.
Searchlight Capital Partners LLC - Mitchell Ring has joined the firm as senior adviser for global consumer packaged goods. Prior to joining Searchlight, Ring was senior vice president, business development at H.J. Heinz Co. where he led the global expansion of the business in developed and emerging markets, while realigning the product portfolio along core competencies.
Summit Partners Private equity firm Summit Partners, headquartered in Boston, has hired Mark Crews as executive partner to focus on identifying oil and gas investment opportunities. He will focus on building technology-enabled oilfield products and services businesses. Crews was previously at Lufkin Industries as senior vice president and general manager of the oilfield division. Before that, he was with Cameron International Corp. (NYSE: CAM), moving up through various positions to vice president of subsea technology over the course of 30 years.
Thoma Bravo LLC The San Francisco private equity firm has promoted A.J. Rohde (pictured, right) to principal. Rohde joined Thoma Bravo in 2010 as a vice president, working on the firm’s deals for Deltek Inc., Digital Insight Inc., Roadnet Technologies and other clients. Before Thoma Bravo, Rohde held positions at Saban Capital Group, Jefferies & Co., and Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F).
TM Capital Corp. — The New York investment bank announced four staff promotions: Craig Gibson to managing director; Jarrad Zalkin to managing director; Phil Krieger to vice president and Kevin Atchue to associate. Gibson joined the firm’s Boston office in 2008, and leads the consumer products and marketing services practices, including oversight of TM's industry research publications. Zalkin joined the firm’s Boston office in 2008, covering the business services sector. Jarrad co-leads TM's mid-market technology practice. Krieger joined TM's Atlanta office in 2007 and advises on a broad range of M&A and financing transactions for public and private companies across the consumer, retail, industrial and health care industries. Atchue joined TM's Boston office in 2011 and is a part of the technology and business services teams, as well as consumer goods and retail.
Vestar Capital Partners The New York private equity firm has promoted Michael Gross and Winston Song from senior associates to vice presidents. Gross, who works on Vestar’s financial services and diversified industries groups, joined the firm in 2008. Previously, he was a member of the financial institutions group at Credit Suisse Securities. Song works on the firm’s consumer and health care groups after rejoining the firm in 2011. He initially joined in 2006 from Lehman Brothers’ global leveraged financed group, where he focused on M&A and private equity-related high-yield and leveraged loan financings. Before that, Song was at CSFB Strategic Partners, Credit Suisse’s private equity secondary fund.
Waud Capital Partners The firm announced three promotions to principal: Justin DuPere, Christopher Graber and Matthew London. DuPere joined WCP in 2013 and focuses on investments in the business services sector. Prior to joining WCP, he worked as a vice president for GTCR LLC, where he was responsible for sourcing deals in the technology and financial services industries. Graber joined Waud Capital in 2005 as an associate and rejoined the firm in 2010 as a vice president. He focuses on investments in the health care services sector and sits on the board of The Center for Vein Restoration, ProNerve and Sterling Healthcare Holdings. Prior to joining WCP, he worked in the investment banking group of Robert W. Baird & Co. London joined WCP in 2007 and focuses on investments in the government services and health care services sectors. Prior to joining Waud Capital, he worked in the investment banking groups of Deutsche Bank in Chicago and Morgan Keegan in Memphis.
