Ardian — The Paris private equity firm, formerly known as Axa Private Equity, appointed Tobias Gewolker as a director. Gewolker, who has more than 13 years of investment banking experience, joins Ardian's infrastructure team at the firm's headquarters. Prior to joining Ardian, Gewolker worked at DC Advisory, preceded by 4 years at Barclays Capital. He most recently advised ICON Infrastructure LLP on the $262.7 million acquisition of Firmus Energy Ltd, a provider of natural gas distribution services. Founded by Dominique Senequier, Ardian recently closed a $690 million private equity fund. Earlier in April, Ardian-backed Trescal purchased Instrument Calibration Services and Test Equipment Repair Corp., two Atlanta repair services for measurement and test equipment.
The Carlyle Group LP (Nasdaq: CG) — Jeffrey Holland joined the Washington, D.C., firm in New York as a managing director, heading up the private client group. Holland made the jump to Carlyle from Cole Real Estate Investments Inc., where he was overseeing the private capital and real estate groups as president. Holland was previously chief operating officer for U.S. retail at BlackRock Inc. (NYSE: BLK) Among the other firms he served at include Raymond James & Associates Inc., Capital Resource Advisors and McKinsey & Co.
Hilco Global— The Northbrook, Ill.-based financial services company hired Joseph Miller as executive vice president of business development. Miller was most recently at Lazard, which he joined in 2003. There, he served as a director in the financial restructuring group. Prior to joining Lazard, Miller was an associate in the corporate restructuring practice group at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP where he focused on Chapter 11 bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings, mergers and acquisitions. Miller is the second senior management executive that Hilco Global has hired recently weeks. In February, the firm added bankruptcy attorney Jack Butler as executive vice president. Butler previously worked with Miller at Skadden as a partner.
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (NYSE: KKR) — Bruce Karpati, a former official with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, has joined the giant private equity firm as chief compliance officer. Karpati, who left the SEC in 2013, served briefly with Prudential Investments as chief compliance officer. He is slated to begin working for KKR in late April. H succeeds H.J. Willcox, who left the firm in 2013 for AQR Capital Management.
Reznick Capital Markets Securities LLC (RCMS) — The New York advisory firm appointed financial structuring veteran David Fennema to lead Reznick Capital's M&A and equity raising activities in the renewable energy and environmental sectors. Fennema will be based in the Chicago office of CohnReznick LLP.
William Blair & Co. LLC — The Chicago investment bank has opened a new office in Los Angeles. William Blair hired Christopher Tota (pictured) to head the firm’s municipal bond trading. Tota arrives from De La Rosa & Co. with more than 20 years of experience trading municipal bonds, with a special focus on California. Joining him are Nils Barrett, Joe Crowley, Matt Dowley and Neal Mathisen, who were also previously with De La Rosa & Co. Dowley will be based in the firm’s San Francisco office, while Tota, Mathisen, Barrett and Crowley will set up shop in Los Angeles. Ken Gillespie, who joined William Blair in 2012 as a director of public finance investment banking, will head to L.A. from San Francisco. Separately, Debra Schalk joins the firm’s headquarters as head retail trader from Citi Smith Barney.
For last week's column...
