J.W. Childs hires Grove Street Advisors executive to lead investor relations

J.W. Childs Associates hired Philippe Schenk, a former executive at Grove Street Advisors, as managing director. Schenk will lead investor relations. The firm also hired Kyle Casella, who formerly worked at Weston Presidio where he focused on consumer/retail and business services, as a vice president. J.W. Childs also hired Jess Yuan, former investment banking analyst at Deloitte Corporate Finance, as an analyst.

Press Release

J.W. Childs Associates, L.P., a private equity firm specializing in buyouts and recapitalizations of middle-market growth companies, today announced the recent hiring of Philippe Schenk as Managing Director, Kyle Casella as Vice President, and Jess Yuan as Associate. Mr. Schenk will lead investor relations activities for J.W. Childs. Mr. Casella and Ms. Yuan are primarily responsible for due diligence and analysis of new investment opportunities and monitoring of portfolio companies.

Mr. Schenk was previously a Principal at Grove Street Advisors, a private equity investment firm focused on lower middle market buyout, growth equity and venture capital funds, and a Director at Credit Suisse with various roles in Zurich and New York, most recently in the Alternative Capital Division. Mr. Schenk received a B.A. from the Commercial College of Zurich, an MBA from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Mr. Casella previously worked in the Boston office of Weston Presidio, where he focused on investments in the consumer/retail and business services sectors, and at Wells Fargo Securities, where he advised middle market companies on M&A and leveraged finance transactions. Mr. Casella received a B.A. in Economics from Claremont McKenna College, where he was a Robert Day Scholar, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Ms. Yuan previously was an Investment Banking Analyst at Deloitte Corporate Finance (formerly McColl Partners). Ms. Yuan graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia, where she received a B.S. in Commerce with concentrations in Finance and Accounting.

“We are very pleased to welcome Philippe, Kyle, and Jess to the J.W. Childs team,” said Jeff Teschke, Partner, J.W. Childs Associates. “Philippe has extensive experience in investor relations and will be instrumental as we continue to grow our business. Kyle and Jess both have strong experience in our sectors of focus: consumer, retail, and healthcare. Their expertise will prove valuable as we seek new investment opportunities and continue to implement our operationally-focused value creation strategy.”

About J.W. Childs Associates, L.P.

J.W. Childs is a Boston-based private equity firm focused on investing in middle-market growth companies. Since inception in 1995, J.W. Childs has invested in excess of $3 billion of equity capital in more than 40 best-in-class companies across the consumer, specialty retail and healthcare industries. The firm’s success has been built on its industry focus and the extensive operating expertise of its partners. For more information, visit www.jwchilds.com.