Värde Partners, a global alternative investment firm, has promoted Jon Fox to the role of President and Andy Lenk to the role of Deputy CEO, effective immediately. These appointments are the latest in a series of transition steps which previously included the appointment of Ilfryn Carstairs as Co-CEO and CIO and the promotions of Brad Bauer and Giuseppe Naglieri as Deputy CIOs.
“I’ve often said that transition is a process involving the entire firm and a number of leaders,” says George Hicks, Co-Founder and Co-CEO. “The appointments reflect the many contributions of Jon and Andy to the success and growth of the firm as well as the leadership experience and capabilities that they will bring to the years ahead.” Previously announced in July 2019, George intends to move to an Executive Chair role at the end of 2021.
Ilfryn Carstairs adds: “These promotions are an important step in ensuring that we have the right senior leadership team for the next chapter at Värde. I’ve worked very closely with Jon and Andy for many years and I’m excited to see this elevation in their roles.”
In addition to the President and Deputy CEO roles, Värde announced promotions and role changes within the areas of Financial Services, Insurance, and Capital Markets:
Elena Lieskovska, Partner, will head a new, dedicated Insurance business after leading this effort within the Financial Services team and previously leading specialty finance investing in Europe.
Aneek Mamik, Senior Managing Director, will be promoted to Global Co-Head of Financial Services from his current role leading those investments in North America and Asia. He will oversee the global team with Partner Rick Noel.
Craig Rydqvist, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Capital Markets based in London, will join the Financial Services team to lead investments outside of North America.
Missy Dolski, Managing Director, will be promoted to Global Head of Capital Markets from her current role as Head of Capital Markets for North America.
Commenting on these appointments, Deputy CIO Brad Bauer said, “We’re excited to announce these promotions which align proven leadership talent with significant areas of opportunity for our investors. These individuals represent the breadth and depth of talent we have in our investing teams and these promotions are well deserved in light of their contributions.”
Jon Fox is a Partner and the head of the New York office who joined the firm in 2013 in London. He has led the firm’s global Business Development and Investor Relations team, fund and product development, and also oversees Communications and Public Affairs. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee and Senior Leadership Committee and plays an important role in general management decisions. In 2018, Jon relocated from London to become the head of the firm’s New York office. He will maintain all existing leadership responsibilities as President and further develop Värde’s global industry relationships.
Jon holds a BA from the University of Colorado, an MBA from Columbia Business School and serves on the boards of trustees of the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Foundation and Oliver Scholars and on the Business Council of the Asia Society.
Andy Lenk joined the firm in 2001 and is a Partner in Minneapolis. As Global Head of Strategy and Portfolio Operations, he works closely with the Co-CEOs on all aspects of firm strategy, finance, talent and operations. He is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Senior Leadership Committee and the Enterprise Risk Management Committee. Andy has held many leadership roles for the firm including oversight and development of global Portfolio Operations, Capital Markets, Asset Management and the firm’s Finance and Operations functions. Earlier in his career at Värde, Andy worked in investing teams in both the U.S. and Europe.
Andy received a BBA in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a CPA (inactive).
