Goldfinch Partners, a private equity firm with approximately USD1 billion of equity invested in digital transformation transactions across industry verticals, has appointed William Abbott as Principal.
Abbott was most recently Director, Corporate Development, with Starbucks since 2016 working on over USD10 billion worth of closed investment transactions and forming a number of strategic partnerships. Prior to joining Starbucks, Abbott spent nearly four years as a Vice President in the Investment Banking division of JP Morgan, in New York. He holds a BA from Amherst College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
Abbott will be based at Goldfinch’s Seattle headquarters. His appointment follows the hiring of Matthew F. Herman as Partner and General Counsel earlier this month.
Goldfinch invests in sectors and spaces about which it has deep knowledge, including marketing, commerce, payments, fintech, supply chain and human capital. Recent investments include the announced USD910 million acquisition of Western Union Business Solutions, one of the world’s largest non-bank providers of business-to-business (B2B) cross-border payment and foreign exchange solutions, which is to be renamed Convera upon the deal’s closing.
Bill McNichols, Goldfinch’s Co-Managing Partner and Co-Founder, adds: “Will and I worked very closely together at Starbucks for several years on strategy, execution and integration, as well as ensuring stakeholder engagement throughout all touchpoints of corporate development. Will played a lead role in Starbucks’ USD7.25 billion sale and go-forward licensing of Starbucks’ CPG and Foodservice business division to Nestle in 2018, and I cannot think of a better cultural and strategic fit for Goldfinch as we continue to grow and deliver exceptional investment opportunities to our investors.”
Abbott adds: “I am excited to join Bill, Sean and the entire growing Goldfinch team as we create what will be the most successful buyout platform in Seattle, focused on digital transformation across enterprises. This is an important time in Goldfinch’s history, and I am eager to learn and contribute. After nearly six rewarding years at Starbucks, I wish my colleagues all the best.”
