Leadership

Blue Wolf Capital: Three New Partners And New Promotions

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2025

Blue Wolf Capital Partners - a middle market private equity firm specializing in the healthcare and industrial sectors - announced new Partner appointments and several other firmwide promotions.

Yellow Wood Partners: Kelly Downey Named As Operating Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 21, 2025

Yellow Wood Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm specializing in investments in consumer brands and companies, announced that Kelly Downey will be an Operating Partner at the firm. Downey brings decades of expertise in driving growth and transformation within the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry, having held executive leadership roles across prominent global organizations.

ThoughtFocus: Sanjib Banerjee Named As Head of Global Payments

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

ThoughtFocus - a leading provider of digital services and technology-enabled operations specializing in the financial services industry - announced the appointment of Sanjib Banerjee as Head of the Global Payments Practice.

Sidley: David Grubman And Adam Cromie Named As M&A Partners In New York

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Sidley announced that David Grubman and Adam Cromie have joined Sidley’s M&A practice as partners in the New York office. Grubman joins from Jones Day, where he was M&A Chair for the Americas for the firm’s corporate practice. He will be the global co-leader of Sidley’s M&A practice. Cromie joins from Simpson Thacher, where he was an M&A partner. He had worked with Grubman for seven years.

Kirkland & Ellis: Rodney Hill Named As Tax Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Kirkland & Ellis announced that Rodney Hill has joined the firm as a partner in the Tax Practice Group. Hill advises on the tax aspects of transactions, focusing on investment fund formation and mergers and acquisitions involving investment fund sponsors.

Baker McKenzie: Julia Ushakova-Stein And Niki Ford Named As Tax Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Baker McKenzie announced that the firm's Tax Practice has added partners Julia Ushakova-Stein in San Francisco and Niki Ford in New York.

Dentons: Van Durrer Named As Bankruptcy Partner In LA

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Dentons announced that Van Durrer joined the firm as a partner in its Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy (RIB) practice. And Durrer has decades of experience advising on some of the most complex and high-profile restructuring matters domestically and globally.

Sidley: Elisabetta Righini Named As Partner In Brussels

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Sidley announced that Elisabetta “Betta” Righini had joined the Brussels office as a partner in the firm’s Antitrust and Competition practice. She joined Latham & Watkins, where she was a partner, and before that, she held several senior positions at the European Commission.

Cetera Brings In Advisors With $255 Million In Combined AUA: Jennifer Read and Terri Steele

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

Financial advisor firm Cetera Financial Group recently announced that advisors Jennifer Read, Terri Steele, and their team have joined Cetera Advisors. Read, Steele and their team, who have a combined $255 million in assets under administration as of September 1, 2024, are joining Cetera from Osaic. Read and Steele decided to make the switch to Cetera to enjoy increased flexibility to work together.

DLA Piper: John Frantz Named As Partner In Telecom Practice

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 20, 2025

DLA Piper announced it has welcomed John Frantz as a partner in the Telecom Practice. Based in New York, Frantz brings to the firm substantial litigation and regulatory, combined with industry business knowledge based on over two decades of leadership roles at Verizon.

Kestra Financial: John Amore Promoted To President

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 17, 2025

Wealth management platform company Kestra Financial announced that John Amore, the current head of wealth management, will assume the role of Kestra Financial president effective the beginning of April 2025. And Stephen Langlois, the current president of Kestra Financial, will retire at the end of 2025. Langlois will remain on staff as a senior advisor through the end of the year while ensuring a smooth transition.

Centivo: Jim McNary Named As President And Chief Operating Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 17, 2025

Centivo, a healthcare company focused on making high-quality healthcare more affordable for employers and their employees, today appointed Jim McNary as President and Chief Operating Officer. And this new hire comes as Centivo looks to accelerate growth, becoming a challenger brand deeply committed to creating a healthcare solution that provides working Americans with radically affordable healthcare.

Janus Henderson: Kelly Cavagnaro Named As Head Of North America Institutional

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 17, 2025

Janus Henderson Investors announced the appointment of Kelly Cavagnaro as Head of North America Institutional within its North America Client Group, effective immediately. Cavagnaro will focus on expanding the firm’s institutional presence in North America by bringing the breadth and depth of Janus Henderson’s investment and solutions expertise to bear in helping its clients define and achieve superior financial outcomes. Based in Boston, Cavagnaro will report to Michael Schweitzer, the firm’s Head of North America Client Group.

Sidley Brings In M&A Partners David Grubman And Adam Cromie To New York Office

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2025

Sidley announced that David Grubman and Adam Cromie had joined Sidley’s M&A practice as partners in the New York office. Grubman joins from Jones Day, where he was M&A Chair for the Americas for the firm’s corporate practice. He will be the global co-leader of Sidley’s M&A practice. Cromie joins from Simpson Thacher, where he was an M&A partner. He worked with Grubman previously for seven years.

TPG: Kathy Elsesser Named As New Independent Director

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2025

Global alternative asset management firm TPG announced that Kathy Elsesser has joined its Board of Directors as an independent director, effective immediately.

Clifford Chance: Bruce Embley Named As Private Equity Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 16, 2025

Global law firm Clifford Chance announced the appointment of leading Private Equity Partner Bruce Embley, based in London, as part of the firm's ambitious global Private Capital growth strategy. And Embley brings extensive experience advising on high-profile and complex private capital transactions for market leading clients.

Waystone: Nigel Pasea Named As Country Head Of Middle East

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2025

Waystone, a provider of specialist services to the global asset management industry, announced the appointment of Nigel Pasea as Country Head of the Middle East. With over four decades of finance, governance, risk, and compliance experience, Pasea joined Waystone Group in 2021 as part of the acquisition of CCL Compliance. He has spearheaded the company’s compliance solutions business in the UAE, delivering significant growth.

Raymond James Brings In $525 Million Florida-Based Advisor Mary Lauritano

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2025

Raymond James announced it welcomed financial advisor Mary Lauritano, CFA, to Raymond James & Associates (RJA) – which is the firm's employee advisor channel, as revealed by Gregg Stupinski, Southeast division director for RJA. As managing director, Lauritano heads Lauritano Wealth Management of Raymond James and is joined by senior client service associates Natalia Morales and Melody Price.

Indivisible Partners Onboards $640 Million Team And Launches Advisory Firm

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 15, 2025

Indivisible Partners - a privately-owned independent advisory firm - announced the launch of its company while responding to the changing expectations and needs of financial advisors and clients. This firm was built around a common purpose — empowering advisors to help clients achieve their desired outcomes by focusing on quality decision-making and redefining the wealth advisory experience.

Blank Rome: Stephen Koval Named As Corporate Partner In NY

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2025

Blank Rome announced that Stephen “Steve” C. Koval has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Corporate, M&A, and Securities group. As a renowned dealmaker, Koval focuses his practice on structuring and negotiating complex business and private equity (PE) transactions, including public and private mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, carveouts, and recapitalizations. He joined Blank Rome from Arnold & Porter, where he served as a partner and co-head of the firm’s global private equity practice.

Summit Partners: Ricardo Gonzalez Named As Partner

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2025

Growth-focused investment firm Summit Partners announced the addition of Ricardo Gonzalez as a Partner on the firm’s Growth Products & Services team. Gonzalez brings over 15 years of investing and operating experience to the role and will draw on this experience to help support the growth of profitable, category-leading businesses and talented executives in the financial services, consumer, business services, and industrial technology sectors.

Norton Rose Fulbright: Jamal Tuhin Named As Partner In London

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2025

Law firm Norton Rose Fulbright announced the appointment of Jamal Tuhin as a partner in London. And Tuhin, a private equity lawyer who joins from Dechert, acts for private equity and financial sponsor clients across Europe and the US on every phase of international and domestic M&A transactions.

Procyon Partners Appoints Mark Sullivan As SVP And Senior Private Wealth Advisor

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 14, 2025

Procyon Partners announced the appointment of Mark Sullivan as Senior Vice President and Senior Private Wealth Advisor, a key move in the firm’s growth strategy. And Sullivan, an industry veteran with deep expertise in wealth management, will join the team at the firm’s Shelton, Connecticut headquarters, where he is expected to play a pivotal role in advancing Procyon’s success.

KeyBank: Robert Weiss To Head Family Wealth Business

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2025

KeyCorp announced that Robert Weiss has joined the company as Head of Key Family Wealth, where he will work across the enterprise to grow the ultra-high net worth client segment. And he is based in New York City and reports to Key Wealth President Joe Skarda.

Qure.ai: Jim Mercadante Named As Chief Commercial Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 13, 2025

Healthcare AI company Qure.ai has appointed a new Chief Commercial Officer to oversee and expand global sales and business development strategy. Based in New York, Jim Mercadante joins a growing commercial and operations team to consolidate growing momentum and further success.

Morrison Foerster Names 21 New Partners

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2025

Leading global law firm Morrison Foerster announced the election of 21 lawyers to the firm’s partnership, effective earlier this year. The class of 2025 includes lawyers from 16 practice groups.

H1 Acquires Ribbon Health And Adds Dr. Stephen Hahn To The Board

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2025

H1, a company on a mission to connect the world with the right doctors, announced several key milestones. H1 is strengthening its leadership team by appointing former FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn to its board, and the company announced the strategic acquisition of Ribbon Health and unveiled a series of innovative products.

Starburst: Lisa Luscap Named As Chief Marketing Officer

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2025

Starburst, a hybrid data lakehouse company for AI, announced the appointment of marketing veteran Lisa Luscap as Chief Marketing Officer. Luscap will lead the company’s next growth phase and accelerate awareness of Starburst’s data and AI platform powered by OS Trino.

SmartBear: Dan Faulkner Named As CEO

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2025

SmartBear, a provider of software quality and visibility solutions, announced it has appointed Dan Faulkner, the company’s Chief Product Officer, as Chief Executive Officer. Frank Roe, who led SmartBear to significant growth over the last five years, will transition from CEO to a strategic advisor role.

LPL Onboards $320 Million Advisory Firm Lewellyn Wealth

By Amit Chowdhry ● Jan 12, 2025

LPL Financial announced that father and son financial advisors Bart Lewellyn and Alex Lewellyn have joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, RIA and custodial platforms. They reported serving approximately $320 million in advisory, brokerage, and retirement plan assets* and joined LPL from Osaic.