On the Move: April 2024 Hires and Promotions

Stout: Marco Basu, Cameron Soelberg and Tom Concklin

Advisory firm Stout announced this month several new hires, according to an announcement sent to Middle Market Growth. Marco Basu joins the firm as a director in the Investment Banking group’s Healthcare practice; he brings more than a decade of experience in investment banking and leveraged finance. Cameron Soelberg is joining as a managing director in Sout’s Investment Banking group; in his new role Soelberg will focus on deepening Stout’s existing relationships with middle-market private equity firms across the Midwest, Central South and Texas. Finally, Tom Concklin, comes to Stout as a senior vice president in the Investment Banking group with more than eight years of experience in M&A and capital-raising transacting.

Waud Capital Partners: Jessica Schmitt

Jessica Schmitt has joined middle-market private equity firm Waud Capital Partners as its head of investor relations, a press release said this month. Schmitt brings more than 12 years of experience in fundraising and investor relations across private equity, growth equity, structured capital and private credit. Prior to Waud, Schmitt was head of investor relations at growth equity firm Arrowroot Capital, where she led fundraising, investor relations and communication initiatives.

HKW: Laurence Lederer and Devraj Roy

Middle-market private equity firm HKW announced two new partners are joining the firm, Laurence Lederer and Devraj Roy. Both will work out of the firm’s New York City office and drive HKW’s investment focus on basic industrial manufacturing, distribution and business services companies. Lederer joins the firm with more than 20 years of investment experience, most recently with Branford Castle Partners, while Roy joins with 25 years of experience, joining from Radial Equity Partners.

Houlihan Lokey: Abhishek Jain

Global investment bank Houlihan Lokey has announced Abhishek Jain joined the firm as managing director on its Transaction Advisory Services team. Based in Chicago, Jain will focus on due diligence in the industrials sector. He joins the firm from KPMG, where he served as managing director within the Deal Advisory and Strategy Group. He holds nearly 20 years of experience in financial due diligence with advisory experience across a range of transactions.

Freshfields: Andrew Gladstein and Denny Kwon

Law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer announced two new hires this month. The firm added Andrew Gladstein as a new litigation partner in New York to represent investment managers and alternative investment funds, including private equity funds. Soon after, Freshfields announced Denny Kwon has joined the firm’s corporate and M&A practice in Silicon Valley. Kwon brings 25 years of experience representing companies in M&A and other strategic transactions.

Alvarez & Marsal: Paul Licursi, Kate Lowry and Vivian Leeman

Global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal has announced new appointments and promotions in its Global Transaction Advisory Group (Global TAG) to establish an executive office, “marking a significant period along its historically remarkable growth trajectory,” the firm said in a press release. The firm announced Paul Licursi has been appointed managing director and chief operating officer, while Kate Lowry has been appointed chief of staff. Vivian Leemans has been promoted to senior director global operations. All three positions are newly-created roles for Global TAG.

Leonid Capital Partners: Ian L. Holroyd

Investment firm Leonid Capital Partners, which focuses on the national security industry, has named a new CFO, Ian L. Holroyd, who took up the position in March. He holds nearly three decades of experience in accounting, finance and operations. Previously, Holroyd served as CFO at a consulting firm, servicing investment managers including private equity funds and family offices.

WM Partners: Eli Minski, Jonathan Tarich and Leon Lacs

Private equity firm WM Partners, which focuses on the lower-middle market health and wellness sector, announced the promotions of three of its team members. Eli Minski has been promoted to principal; he joined the firm in 2015 as a member of its investment team. Jonathan Tarich has been promoted to senior vice president; he joined WM Partners in 2016, also on its investment team. Finally, Leon Lacs has been promoted to senior associate; he joined the firm in 2020 as a member of the investment team.

Windancer Holdings: David Shepley

Investment firm Windancer Holdings announced the promotion of David Shepley to partner, marking the first partner in the firm’s history, according to an announcement. Shepley has been with Windancer since July 2021 when he joined as vice president of investments; he was later promoted to director of investments in early 2023. In a statement, managing partner Shane Connor said Shepley “embodies our belief to ‘Be Exceptional.’”

Palm Tree: Britton Woolf

Middle-market M&A advisory and investment banking firm Palm Tree announced that Britton Woolf has been appointed to managing director to lead its Transaction Advisory Services unit. In a press release, Palm Tree said Woolf will apply his financial due diligence expertise to lead teams that advise private equity and corporate clients. He holds more than 20 years of experience advising on both buy- and sell-side of M&A transactions across a range of situations including carve-outs, take-privates and more.

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