Emerald Lake Capital Management announced three recent additions to the firm’s investment team: Stephen Burhenn has joined from Ares Management, Derrick Lee has joined from Cinven, and Katie Slodzinski has joined from Goldman Sachs.
Launched in 2018, Emerald Lake is led by an experienced team of professionals, many of whom have worked together previously. And this continuity – combined with a differentiated sourcing model and a collaboration-oriented value creation framework – has led to the successful completion of eight platform transactions and a track record of value creation.
1.) Stephen Burhenn, Principal – Stephen brings over a decade of experience investing in middle market business and was previously a Principal at Ares Management. And he brings expertise in deal sourcing, management, and execution across multiple sectors and transaction types. While at Ares, Stephen played a key role in a number of leveraged buyout and distressed transactions in the business services, healthcare and consumer/retail sectors. Stephen began his career in investment banking at Citi and holds a B.A in Economics from Stanford University.
2.) Derrick Lee, Vice President – Derrick was previously a member of the North American investment team at Cinven. He was involved in numerous investments across multiple sectors, including software, media, telecom, and tech-enabled services. Prior to Cinven, Derrick was a Private Equity Analyst at Bregal Investments. Derrick holds a B.S. in Journalism and Economics from Northwestern University.
3.) Katie Slodzinski, Associate – Before joining Emerald Lake, Katie worked in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. Previously, she was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Deutsche Bank. She holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
KEY QUOTES:
“The additions of Stephen, Derrick, and Katie represent an exciting expansion of Emerald Lake’s investment team as we look to build on our strong momentum and continue growing the firm as a differentiated player in middle market investing. Stephen, Derrick, and Katie each bring highly relevant experience, which will help us accelerate our portfolio expansion and enhance how we partner with companies and management teams. I had the privilege of working closely with Stephen for over six years on numerous transactions earlier in our careers and am confident that his approach to investing – along with those of Derrick and Katie – aligns with the principles of integrity, rigor, and partnership that underpin every aspect of what we do.”
-Dan Lukas, Managing Partner of Emerald Lake
“I’m delighted to join the growing Emerald Lake team. The firm’s values, impressive network, and disciplined approach across investment cycles have created a high-quality portfolio with an exciting runway. Along with Derrick, Katie, and the rest of the team I look forward to contributing to the success of the firm as we continue to support the growth of exceptional businesses.”
-Stephen Burhenn
