ECI Partners, a UK growth-focused mid-market private equity firm, has opened an office in New York to support the international growth of its investment portfolio.
As part of its expansion, ECI has appointed Brett Pentz as Vice President in their Commercial Team, to lead a newly opened office on Madison Avenue.
Brett brings more than a decade of hands-on experience leading and executing growth strategies for corporates in the US across a range of sectors, particularly in tech and business services. Prior to joining ECI, he held consulting roles at Bain and Teneo, having started his career in industry, at leading health software vendor Epic.
The US market is the single most important international market for ECI’s portfolio. Over a third of current ECI investments already have a presence in the US, and more than half plan to accelerate growth there. In his new role, Brett will be tasked with supporting portfolio companies with sourcing and executing M&A opportunities, as well as helping to execute organic entry and growth strategies.
Lewis Bantin, Partner and Head of Commercial Team at ECI, says: “Despite the pandemic, 2020 was a very strong year for ECI, and it’s great to build on this momentum by launching our New York office and appointing Brett to our Commercial Team. The successful 2020 realisations of Mthree to Wiley, the sale and reinvestment into ATG with TA Associates and the sale of MPM to 3i, all of which had strong US growth, underscores the importance of the US market to the companies we back.
“Brett brings many years of experience working with leading companies across North America. By now having him on the ground, we are confident that we will be able to do even more to support our investments as they expand and grow in North America.”
Brett Pentz, Vice President at ECI, says: “I have been very impressed with the ECI team and am delighted to be joining to help support the growth of the portfolio. Having worked in industry and consulting on both sides of the Atlantic, I am excited to help support ECI’s portfolio as they expand further and faster in North America.”
