A round-up of the latest private markets people moves globally

General partners
  • Abry Partners has named Yusef Kassim as Head of Capital Strategy and Investor Relations. He joins from Advent International, where he was a Managing Director focused on institutional relationships and capital formation across North America and Latin America.

  • Adams Street Partners has hired Justine Huang Burns as Partner in its Secondary Investments team. Based in Menlo Park, Huang Burns joins from Industry Ventures and will focus on venture secondaries.

  • AllianceBernstein has named Onur Erzan as CEO from April 2027. He will succeed Seth Bernstein, who will retire after nearly a decade leading the firm. Erzan joined in 2021 after 20 years at McKinsey & Company.

  • Ara Partners has named Masumi Waida as CFO. He joins from ACON Investments, where he held the same role, and previously served as Managing Director and CFO of the Mount Kellett Funds at Fortress Investment Group.

  • Infrastructure manager CVC DIF has appointed Chris Koski as Chair of North America, based in Toronto. He previously served as Global Head of Investment Strategy at Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners and held senior infrastructure roles at ADIA and CPPIB.

  • UK-based private equity firm Charterhouse Capital Partners has named Neil Lawrence and Mehdi Ghissassi as Senior Advisers focused on AI-led portfolio value creation. Lawrence is Professor of Machine Learning at the University of Cambridge; Ghissassi is Chief Product & Technology Officer at AI71 and previously held roles at DeepMind and Google Brain.

  • Montreal-based climate technology investor Cycle Capital has hired Rémi Fournier as Managing Partner. He joins from BDC Capital, where he invested through its sustainability venture and climate technology funds, and has been an Entrepreneur in Residence at Cycle Momentum since 2022.

  • Boston-based infrastructure investor Denham Capital has appointed Arturo Prieto as Managing Director in its sustainable infrastructure credit platform. He joins from Santander Corporate & Investment Banking, where he was Head of Private Debt Mobilization for the Americas.

  • Evolution Equity Partners has named John Cordo a Partner in New York. He has nearly 15 years of cybersecurity investment experience and joined the firm in 2024 after roles at Brighton Park Capital and Blackstone.

  • New York-based hybrid capital firm Ferghana Investment Partners has added Katie Marshall as Managing Director and Will Callahan as Senior Managing Director. Both focus on investment origination and execution across credit and structured equity.

  • Healthcare investor Hatteras Venture Partners has named Andrew Witty as Chairman and Ned Sharpless as Managing Director of Hatteras Discovery Innovation. Witty previously led GSK and UnitedHealth Group; Sharpless is a former Director of the National Cancer Institute.

  • European private credit manager Hayfin Capital Management has appointed Sijin Choi as Head of Korea to lead its new Seoul office.

  • West Palm Beach-based private equity firm HighPost Capital has hired David Walsh to lead aerospace, defense, and cybersecurity investing.

  • Sofia-based venture capital firm LAUNCHub Ventures has promoted Raya Yunakova and Petar Tsachev to General Partners.

  • LDC has named Nicola Gray and Chris Coulton as Partners on its portfolio team. Gray joins from Epiris, where she was an Investment Partner, while Coulton returns to LDC after serving as a Director at Gresham House.

  • New York-based alternative asset manager MidOcean Partners has hired Kit Soo and Bob McLaughlin as Principals and Matthew Lal as Vice President. They join from Macquarie, CIFC Asset Management, and Sculptor Capital Management, respectively

  • US-based impact investment manager Monarch Private Capital has appointed Tim Swiat as Director of Placement, Colorado. He joins from KeyState and will work on tax-credit investments across Colorado, the Rocky Mountain region, and the Upper Midwest.

  • US-based private credit firm Monroe Capital has hired Simon Wein as a Director on its direct originations team in New York.

  • New Mountain Capital has added Alex Yu and Andrew Koval as Managing Directors. Yu joins the private equity team with a healthcare and life sciences focus, while Koval joins GP Solutions with experience in private credit, special situations, and structured capital.

  • Pantheon has appointed Firas Mallah as Managing Director and Head of the Middle East, based in Abu Dhabi.

    London-based private credit manager Pemberton Asset Management has named Dominic Courtman as Managing Director and Head of its CLO group, starting in January.

  • Los Angeles-based asset-based private credit firm Raven Capital has hired Thad Sharrett as Senior Managing Director. He joins from Wells Fargo, where he was Head of Credit Sales and Trading.

  • Sole Source Capital has named Claire Bissot as Chief Human Resources Officer, a newly created role. She joins from Kainos Capital, where she was a Managing Director, and has more than 20 years of human capital experience.

  • UK-based private equity firm Sovereign Capital Partners has hired Sam Pattison and Zoe Letros as Investment Executives. Pattison joins from Houlihan Lokey, while Letros comes from Kearney and will focus on technology services.

  • StepStone Group has named Yoshitaka Todoroki as Vice Chairman, Japan, based in Tokyo. He joins after a decade at Japan’s Government Pension Investment Fund, where he led its private markets investment program.

  • As Geneva-based Syz Capital refocuses exclusively on private equity, it has appointed David Weintraub as CEO, subject to regulatory approval. Weintraub joins from KIRKBI, where he was an Investment Director focused on technology-enabled businesses across Europe.

  • New York-based private equity firm VSS Capital Partners has hired Otilia Ciotau as Managing Director, AI and Value Creation. She joins from the World Bank Group, where she was a Senior Advisor to the Managing Director and CFO.


Service providers

Legal
  • Buchalter has hired Bill Smelko as a Partner in its insolvency and financial law practice, focused on bankruptcy and restructuring.

  • Gibson Dunn has added Gianluca Bacchiocchi as a Partner and Co-Chair of its structured finance practice. His work includes energy and infrastructure financings.

  • Jones Day has hired five Partners in Australia. Dylan McKimmie, Leigh De Jong, Christopher Flynn, Lance Sacks, and Ken Saurajen work across a range of practices, including financial markets, real estate energy, and corporate matters. In Milan, Luigi Verga and Giulio Politi have joined the corporate practice.

  • Linklaters has appointed Mohammed Almarzouki as a Partner in its corporate practice. His work includes M&A, joint ventures, energy, infrastructure, and real estate.

  • Lowenstein Sandler has hired Hila Cohen as a Partner in its venture funds launch group. She advises investment managers on private fund formation and fundraising, with a focus on venture capital and emerging managers.

  • Mayer Brown has added John Grothaus as a Partner in its corporate and insurance practices. He joins from Sidley Austin.

  • Proskauer has hired Edouard de Rancher as a Tax Partner focused on French and cross-border M&A and financing transactions.

  • Sidley Austin has named James Sherlock as a Partner in its M&A and private equity practice.

  • Trowers & Hamlins has hired Paul Batchelor as a Corporate Partner in Birmingham. He joins from Knights and has more than 20 years of experience in M&A, private equity investments, joint ventures, and restructurings.

  • Weil has rehired Peter Feist as a Partner and US Co-Head of Private Equity. He returns from Cravath, where he led the private equity practice.


Advisory
  • Alvarez & Marsal has hired Luka Mimica as a Managing Director in its transaction advisory group in New York. He joins from KPMG, where he advised private equity and corporate clients on transactions across North America and EMEA.

  • Centerview Partners has appointed Bennett Schachter as a Partner to lead its capital advisory business.

  • FTI Consulting has made appointments in Milan and Miami. In Milan, Jacopo Barontini joins as Senior Managing Director and Head of Turnaround & Restructuring in the Corporate Finance segment, alongside Managing Director Fulvio Taglialatela – both come from Alvarez & Marsal. Jeffrey Hecht joins as a Senior Managing Director and will lead private equity tax and advisory services in Miami.

  • Houlihan Lokey has hired Chris McMillan as a Managing Director in Charlotte focused on digital assets. He founded 3V Capital Partners after leading blockchain investment banking at Credit Suisse.

  • London-based service provider Investor Pointe has named Juan Manrique as Chief Innovation Officer.

  • Lazard has hired Mark Hoban as a Managing Director in its financial sponsors group.

  • Raymond James has appointed Dan Connolly as Senior Managing Director to lead technology and services investment banking in Chicago. He joins from William Blair, where he spent 27 years and held roles including Co-Head of Global M&A and Global Head of Technology M&A.


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