Private equity firm Atlantic Street Capital has appointed Whit Williams as Chief Operating Officer (COO). In this newly created role, Williams is responsible for helping to manage and grow the firm, and sourcing and executing new portfolio investments. He is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.
Peter Shabecoff, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Street Capital, says: “Whit is a proven leader and investor. We are very excited to welcome him to Atlantic Street Capital as we continue the growth and development of our firm. Given his extensive background, he further strengthens our senior team of investment professionals and will help to source new investment opportunities. Importantly, he will also be instrumental in helping us to enhance our best practices and build Atlantic Street Capital for our next generation of leaders.”
Andy Wilkins, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Street Capital, adds: “Whit is an extremely experienced and talented professional whom we know very well and he is a strong addition to our firm. He will transition seamlessly into this new role and our senior management team looks forward to benefiting from his strategic advice as we continue partnering with business owners and management teams to help grow their companies into category leaders.”
“Atlantic Street Capital has an extraordinary track record as an operationally focused investor. I am thrilled to join the team at this exciting juncture in the firm’s development to help build on its success,” says Williams. “I have known the Atlantic Street Capital team for many years, supported their investments with debt capital, and have come to admire first-hand the strong, operationally focused partnerships they develop with leading entrepreneurs and management teams as they scale their businesses.”
Williams is former Partner of PennantPark Investment Advisers, a leading provider of credit in companies primarily backed by middle market private equity sponsors. He helped grow the platform from inception in 2007 to $4 billion in assets across a range of domestic and international vehicles spanning publicly traded companies (BDCs) to private capital vehicles and managed accounts. He was responsible for and oversaw originating, underwriting, structuring, negotiating, executing, managing, and monitoring investments across the capital structure from first lien senior secured debt to mezzanine, to preferred and equity. He also oversaw significant strategic and management initiatives at the firm. He served as a Portfolio Manager and sat on the Investment Committee through his entire tenure, investing over USD10 billion in more than 550 deals over that time. Prior to PennantPark, Williams was a Managing Director in the Financial Sponsors and Leveraged Finance Group at UBS Securities LLC. He worked at UBS and predecessor firms, including Dillon Read & Co. Inc from 1995 to 2007. During his tenure at UBS, he spent four years as a senior member of the Telecom, Media and Technology Group.
Williams holds a BA degree with distinction from the University of Virginia, a CEP with honours from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences-Po), and an MBA/JD from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and School of Law.
