American Capital Ltd. (Nasdaq: ACAS) — The private equity firm increased the size of its board of directors to nine by electing Susan Nestegard to a newly created position. Since 2009, she has been a director at Hormel Foods Corp. (NYSE: HRL). Before that, Nestegard was a president at Ecolab Inc., a provider of water, hygiene and energy technologies and services. She led Ecolab’s health care unit from 2008 to 2012 and was senior vice president and chief technical officer of the company from 2003 to 2008.
Ampersand Capital Partners — The Wellesley, Pa.-based private equity firm named Cecil Kost an operating partner to assist in sourcing new deals opportunities in health care. Most recently, Kost served as president of Precision Dynamics Corp., the San Fernando, Calif. company known for making wristbands and identification tags for hospital patients. Kost began his career at Curtin Matheson Scientific, an Eden Prairie, Minn.-based distributor of lab products, where he spent nearly 20 years serving in senior-management roles. From there, he went on to serve as CEO of MedManage Systems Inc., a Marlbrough, Mass.-based drug sampling company.
Auxano Funding — Damon Kirchmeier (pictured) has joined the Salt Lake City-based lender as a managing director. Auxano provides revenue-based loans to early-stage companies. Kirchmeier began his investing career in 1997 with InnoVentures Capital, where he specialized in early-stage ventures. So far, he has invested in more than 80 companies including ProPay Inc., Listen Technologies Corp., and Zeal Optics.
BNY Mellon-Alcentra Mezzanine Partners — Karin Kovacic (pictured) has joined the lending firm as a vice president. In this role, she will focus on business development and origination initiatives across the North East and Mid- Atlantic region. Before BNY Mellon- Alcentra Mezzanine Partners, Kovacic developed and implemented CBIZ MHM LLC’s growth, marketing and business development strategies in New York. Prior to that, she spent four years as vice president at Fifth Street Capital, where she was responsible for North East deal origination, as well as coordinating their marketing and business development efforts. Kovacic serves as the president of the Association for Corporate Growth's Connecticut chapter.
BTIG LLC — The New York-based brokerage firm announced five new hires: Howard Finkel, Christopher Parra, Martin Schepsman, Gregg Schreiber and Glen Sulam. Finkel was a former portfolio manager at Millennium Management LLC until 2011. Schepsman and Parra were both previously at CCM Securities LLC. Schreiber was formerly of the defunct Bear Stearns Cos., while Sulam jumps over from UBS AG where he was a managing director of equities.
Dechert LLP — The New York law firm expanded its corporate practice in Europe by hiring Matthieu Grollemund as a partner. Grollemund, based in Paris, specializes in representing private equity firms in leveraged buyouts. He was most recently a partner at Orrick Herrington & Suttcliffe LLP. Associate Hélène Parent joins with Grollemund from Orrick.
Founders Investment Banking LLC — J. Wesley Legg has joined the Birmingham, Ala. firm as chief operating officer. Prior to joining Founders, Legg was a partner at Ergon Capital, a Nashville, Tenn.-based hedge fund, where he served as a senior investment analyst. He also founded Harbinger Media Partners, a faith-based media company, also based in Nashville. Legg began his career serving as a U.S. Navy judge advocate general prosecutor, handling more than 100 cases during his term of service.
Harris Williams & Co. — The investment bank has opened a new office in Germany as part of the firm’s continued international expansion. The Frankfurt office, led by managing director Jeffery Perkins (pictured), is expected to increase cross-border deal flow and access to buyers across continental Europe. Perkins, who has about 19 years of investment banking experience in Germany, joins Harris Williams from Daiwa Corporate Advisory GmbH, formerly Close Brothers, where he was responsible for cross-border dealmaking. His most recent transactions include advising the sale of Star Capital-backed Blohm + Voss Industries to SKF Group in February, as well as the $108 million sale of AXA Private Equity-backed Phönix-Strack Valve Group to Curtiss Wright Corp. of Parsippany, N.J. in March. The Frankfurt office is Harris Williams' second European office opened in three years, and vice president Lars Frieman will co-lead with Perkins. Previously, in December 2009, Harris Williams opened its London office, led by Thierry Monjauze.
Riverstone Holdings LLC — James Hackett has joined Riverstone as a partner and co-head of the private equity firm’s Houston office. Prior to joining Riverstone, Hackett was chief executive of Anadarko Petroleum Co. (NYSE: APC), where he served as chairman of the board of directors from 2006 to 2013. Riverstone is based in New York.
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