On the move, 7.10.2017 – First Reserve names new president and CEO

PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS

Antares Capital hired Greg Lawton as managing director for its asset management team. Lawton previously was a managing director at Crescent Capital.

Ares Management LP: Peter Higgins joined the firm as a partner and portfolio manager in the Ares Credit Group. Higgins will be based in London and will help lead the expansion of Ares’s European leveraged-finance product. Higgins was most recently a partner and senior portfolio manager for the global leveraged-finance group at BlueBay Asset Management.

Carlyle Group: Alex Popov is joining as a managing director leading the credit-opportunities business within the firm’s global credit platform. Popov was previously a managing director with HPS Investment Partners, formerly Highbridge Principal Strategies.

Castle Hill Capital Partners hired Tim McInerney as a managing director. McInerney is a co-founding investor and board member of Corino Therapeutics. He is also the sole managing member of Texas Oncology Investments LLC.

First Reserve, the energy-focused private equity firm, named Alex T. Krueger president and CEO. William Macaulay, a co-founder of First Reserve, remains executive chairman and chair of the private equity funds’ investment committee.

KKR named Go Yamashita head of KKR Capital Markets Japan. KKR has been investing in Japan through its pan-regional private equity funds since 2010.

NewQuest Capital Partners opened an office in Mumbai, its third office in Asia. Among the recent hires to the India team is Sachin Khandelwal as director and head of portfolio management. Khandelwal previously was a senior principal at Bain & Co.

PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

Ciox Health, a portfolio company of New Mountain Capital, named Paul Roma CEO. Roma previously was chief analytics officer at Deloitte LLP. Based in Alpharetta, Georgia, Ciox Health is a health services company.

Fishbowl, the Alexandria, Virginia, customer-engagement platform provider for the restaurant industry, appointed Jim Soss CEO. Soss is former senior vice president and general manager for Responsys, which was acquired by Oracle. Fishbowl is a portfolio company of Symphony Technology Group.

Grand Rapids Ophthalmology, a Sterling Partners portfolio company, appointed Roger J. Valine chairman. Valine is former president and CEO of Vision Service Plan. Grand Rapids Ophthalmology provides ophthalmology, optometry and retail optical services.

Infogain, backed by ChrysCapital, named Vinay Rawat chief revenue officer. Rawat most recently was senior vice president and global head of network equipment and consumer electronics at Wipro Technologies. Infogain provides technology solutions and services.

MedeAnalytics, a provider of healthcare analytics, named Paul Kaiser CEO. Kaiser previously worked at TriZetto Provider Solutions. MedeAnalytics is a portfolio company of Thoma Bravo.

United Vision Partners, backed by Waud Capital Partners, appointed Sami Abbasi president and CEO. He previously was CEO of PhyMed Healthcare Group. United Vision is a network of eye-care providers.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Baird’s global investment banking business appointed Ryan Daws managing director for the global healthcare team. Daws previously was chief financial officer at Concert Pharmaceuticals. Additionally, Baird hired Andrew M. Rippy as a managing director for its global investment banking business. Rippy, who will be based in the firm’s Portland, Oregon, office, will work on the global technology and services team. He was managing director and co-head of infrastructure and software investment banking at Pacific Crest Securities.

Financial Technology Partners opened a London office and hired Timm Schipporeit to join as managing director. Schipporeit is a former financial-tech investment banker at Morgan Stanley and fintech investor at Index Ventures.

Kirkland & Ellis added Sean Hill and Stephanie Berdik as partners at the law firm’s investment funds group. Hill and Berdik previously worked at Proskauer Rose. Hill was co-head of the private investment funds group.

Meketa Investment Group hired David Eisenberg as a principal and consultant. Eisenberg had been a partner and director of client consulting at Mercer.

ROTH Capital Partners appointed James Antonopoulos managing director and co-head of healthcare investment banking. Antonopoulos previously was a senior investment banker at Canaccord Genuity.

Willkie Farr & Gallagher hired Lior Ohayon, a fund formation lawyer, as a partner for its asset management group in the New York office. Ohayon previously was chair of the private funds group and co-chair of the corporate practice at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan.

PROMOTIONS

Capstone Partners promoted Michael Keaveney and Jeff Walters to managing director and James Eland to principal. Walters joined the placement agent in 2008, Eland came on board in 2013 and Keaveney arrived a year later.

Pharos Capital Group promoted Anna Kovalkova to partner from principal. The physician-focused healthcare private equity firm also promoted Lauren Gurley, Kevin Ryan and Jim Kerrigan to associate.