On the Move: September 2024 Hires and Promotions

Axos Bank: Stephen Prostor

Stephen Prostor has joined Axos Bank as head of portfolio management, fund finance, commercial banking. Axos Fund Finance offers traditional subscription lending, hybrid and NAV lending solutions, and management company and GP loan program financing solutions. Midsize and smaller funds, funds with concentrated investors and SMAs of large institutional investors are their specialty. Prostor brings over 25 years of sponsor coverage and fund finance lending experience with private equity firms and partners, including serving as director, senior credit officer and head of sponsor finance, North America, at Citibank. He is a longtime ACG member and volunteer, having served on the global board and as chairman and chapter president of ACG New York, among other posts.

Troutman Pepper: Nanette Heide

Law firm Troutman Pepper announced this month the hiring of Nanette Heide, who will join the firm’s Corporate practice in New York. Bringing her experience in private equity and cross-border M&A, Heide will lead Troutman’s private equity growth in New York. She comes to the firm from Duane Morris’ private equity division, where she served as global co-chair. Her experience includes representing private equity investors and corporations in a wide variety of M&A and corporate finance transactions. Her experience also spans forming and structuring private equity funds, a press release noted.

Nixon Peabody: Lisa Perri

Lisa Perri, who focuses her practice on middle-market M&A and private equity transactions, has joined law firm Nixon Peabody to broaden its Corporate practice in New York, according to a press release from the firm. Nixon Peabody noted that Perri also brings her experience in carve-out transactions, growth and structured equity investments, joint ventures and other transactions across a range of industries. Prior to joining Nixon Peabody, Perri worked at another international law firm managing complex transactions for clients.

Centri Business Consulting: Brian Kaiser

Centri Business Consulting, an accounting and advisory firm, said this month that it hired Brian Kaiser as Managing Director and Financial Services Industry Practice Leader. His addition will support Centri’s expansion of its financial services industry practice to support banks, credit unions and other financial services clients in areas including accounting, M&A transaction advisory and more. Kaiser brings more than a decade of experience in financial services accounting and advisory to the firm.

FalconPoint Partners: Adam Gross

Middle-market private equity firm FalconPoint Partners, which focuses on the business services and industrial sectors, announced the appointment of Adam Gross as Partner and Head of Business Development and Capital Markets. In a press release issued this month, the firm said Gross will lead sourcing and new investment initiatives, as well as oversee financial strategy for the firm and its portfolio companies. He brings more than 25 years of experience to the firm in corporate finance and business development, coming to FalconPoint from Intermedia Capital Group where he was a managing director.

Winston & Strawn: Banee Pachuca

Law firm Winston & Strawn has announced the hiring of Banee Pachuca as a partner in its Houston office. Pachuca joins the firm’s Transactions Department and will focus on healthcare. She brings her experience practicing healthcare law in a variety of transactional, regulatory and compliance matters, according to a press release. Her practice has largely focused on M&A representing private equity and financial investors in healthcare transactions, as well as representing hospitals, health systems and other industry players in M&A, divestitures, joint ventures and beyond.

HGGC: Victor Rudo

Middle-market private equity firm HGGC promoted Victor Rudo to principal this month, according to an announcement. Rudo has been with the firm since 2020 and played a key role in HGGC’s investments in several portfolio companies made from its Fund IV. He was also involved in two of the firm’s exits from its Fund II. Before joining HGGC, Rudo served as Director of Strategy at Ascentis Corporation.

Prairie Capital Advisors: John Lavin

Corporate advisory and investment banking firm Prairie Capital Advisors announced this month the hiring of John Lavin as a managing director in its investment banking group. He brings more than 15 years of experience to the firm managing M&A transactions. With a background in business development, Lavin also brings experience identifying growth opportunities for previous firms. He most recently worked at William Gabriel Capital, the announcement noted.

MPowered Capital: Madeline Rodriguez

Investment firm MPowered Capital announced the addition of Madeline Rodriguez, who joins the firm as Head of Capital Formation, a newly created role, at its New York office. Rodriguez will focus on expanding the firm’s relationships with institutional investors and consultants and support investment opportunity sourcing for MPowered’s GP Structured Partnerships strategy. In a statement, Rodriguez said she is “thrilled to join MPowered and support its mission to accelerate equity in the industry while seeking to provide investors with diversified investment opportunities to generate alpha.”

Piper Sandler: Steve Tipler

Steve Tipler has joined investment bank Piper Sandler as a managing director in its financial sponsors group, based in Minneapolis, according to a recent press release. Piper Sandler pointed to Tipler’s experience in middle-market private equity, noting he brings more than two decades of experience to the firm. He most recently led North American private equity at Lazard Frères & Co.

HCI Equity Partners: Whit Rudder

HCI Equity Partners, a lower middle-market private equity firm, announced this month that Whit Rudder joined the firm as an Associate. In the position Rudder will support evaluation, analysis and monitoring of investments made by the firm. He joins HCI from VRA Partners, where he focused on sell-side M&A transactions as a senior analyst. “His experience in M&A across complementary industries will be a valuable asset as we continue to identify new consolidation theses and execute transactions that support our existing portfolio companies,” stated HCI Managing Partner Doug McCormick.

Kainos Capital: David Gassko and Jeff Moredock

Private equity firm Kainos Capital, which focuses on the food and consumer sectors, announced two promotions this month. David Gassko and Jeff Moredock have both been from promoted from principals to partners. Each holds more than a decade of investment banking and investing experience in the food and consumer spaces. In a statement, Kainos Managing Partner Andrew Rosen said the two “have played a significant role in our deal sourcing, execution and portfolio overside, while enhancing our executive recruitment and broadening our industry network.” Gassko joined the firm in 20133, while Moredock joined in 2017.

Middle Market Growth is produced by the Association for Corporate Growth. To learn more about the organization and how to become a member, visit www.acg.org.