- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe announced it named 3 new general partners: David Caluori, Ryan Harper, and Frances Higgins
Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (“WCAS”) — a leading private equity firm focused exclusively on the healthcare and technology industries — announced that it named three new General Partners: David Caluori, Ryan Harper, and Frances Higgins. Earlier this summer, WCAS XIII, L.P. — which was oversubscribed — had closed at a hard cap of $4.3 billion. This made it the largest partnership in the 40-year history of the firm.
Caluori was previously a General Partner in the Healthcare Group. And he is rejoining WCAS after having previously worked at the firm for 9 years. And most recently, he worked at General Atlantic as a Principal focusing on healthcare investments. And he also worked in healthcare investment banking at Piper Jaffray and Jefferies.
Harper is a General Partner in the Technology Group. And he rejoined WCAS in 2018, having worked at the firm for five years.
Before rejoining WCAS, Harper was a partner at Hudson Hill Capital. And in addition, he had served in executive roles at INTTRA and Prelude Fertility. Prior to that, Harper worked in investing roles at Summit Partners and Diamond Castle along with a stint at UBS Investment Bank.
And Higgens is a General Partner in the Fundraising and Investor Relations Group. Previously, she joined WCAS in 2007 and also worked at JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.
“It is an exciting time for our Firm, and we are thrilled to add to our talented team of General Partners. Dave, Ryan and Fran each bring extensive experience and professionalism to their respective positions. We are delighted that both Dave and Ryan re-joined WCAS. They are both seasoned investment professionals with outstanding skills, backgrounds and experiences, and we look forward to their contributions to our portfolio. We are equally thrilled to be promoting Fran, who has been a senior member of our Fundraising and Investor Relations team and has built many of our important and valued Limited Partner relationships,” said WCAS Managing Partners Anthony de Nicola and D. Scott Mackesy in a statement.
Recently, WCAS also revealed that Paul Taheri, MD, MBA and currently CEO of Yale Medicine and a Deputy Dean for Clinical Affairs at the Yale School of Medicine, has joined the healthcare team as an Operating Partner. And Taheri also served since 2018 as a member of the Board of Directors of the Health Management Academy, a strategic partner of WCAS. WCAS General Partner Brian Regan pointed out that Taheri’s “experience leading large physician practices and his clinical expertise will be a significant asset to our companies and their executives.”
Since being founded in 1979, WCAS has been partnering with outstanding management teams and has been building value for its investors through a combination of operational improvements, internal growth initiatives, and strategic acquisitions. And the firm raised and managed funds totaling over $27 billion of committed capital.
