First Avenue hires new partner

Global private placement agent and investment firm First Avenue said Wednesday that it has hired Chris Leach as a partner. Leach, who will be based in the company’s London office, will serve with David Hunter as co-head of international sales. Previously, Leach worked at Park Hill Group, where he served as a managing principal.

PRESS RELEASE

LONDON/NEW YORK – First Avenue, a leading global private placement agent and investment advisory firm, announced today the addition of Chris Leach who is joining the firm as a Partner based in the London office. Mr. Leach will serve along with David Hunter as Co-Head of International Sales including coverage of Europe, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
Mr. Leach has over 20 years of advisory and sales experience in alternative assets and capital markets, with over 15 years focused on private equity. Prior to joining First Avenue, he was with Park Hill Group, where he was a Managing Principal and senior coverage officer for Europe and Asia. Before Park Hill, he was an Executive Director at UBS in its Private Funds Group. Mr. Leach has worked on mandates for a number of leading private fund managers including various Blackstone funds, Centerbridge Partners, Energy Capital Partners, Platinum Equity, CarVal, GSO Capital, Lexington Partners, Lion Capital, Astorg Partners and others.
“I am very excited about joining First Avenue. The firm has become a leading global alternative asset fundraising platform in recent years and is currently completing a number of highly successful fundraisings, most notably in the areas of real assets, real estate and credit. I hope to add to First Avenue’s continued growth, using my experience to help drive the build-out of its private fund activities globally,” commented Mr. Leach.
Paul Buckley, First Avenue’s London based Co-Managing Partner, commented, “We expect Chris to have a material impact on both our global origination and international distribution capabilities across all products.” Jim McCarvill, New York based Co-Managing Partner, added, “The private equity fundraising market has undergone an extended cyclical dip but remains critical to our business. Hires of Chris’ calibre remain key to the further development of our already strong GP and LP relationships.”
About First Avenue
Founded in 2006, First Avenue is a leading, independent global placement and advisory firm dedicated to raising capital for a distinguished group of alternative asset managers across private equity, real assets, real estate and private credit in developed and emerging markets. With an experienced team of over 45 professionals located in London, New York, San Francisco and Cleveland, First Avenue provides global distribution and accessibility to an extensive network of institutional investors. For more information on First Avenue, please visit www.firstavenue.com.