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IQ-EQ, a global fund administrator with over $400 billion in AUA, has appointed Matt Okolita as the firm’s new regional CEO, Americas. Okolita previously held the role of Global Head of Outsourced Business Services, working closely with his predecessor Mark Fordyce for a number of years.
As part of this planned leadership transition, Fordyce will remain as non-executive chairman of IQ-EQ Americas.
Okolita previously led Greyline Partners LLC, a regulatory, compliance and governance consultancy that was acquired by IQ-EQ in November 2021.
Fordyce, joined IQ-EQ in 2020 with the acquisition of Blue River Partners and has steered the business
Mayer Brown has appointed Jason Friedman as a partner in the firm’s Banking & Finance practice, where he will represent borrowers, private equity sponsors, banks, hedge funds, alternative asset managers and other institutional investors on leveraged finance and private credit transactions.
Squire Patton Boggs has expanded its funds practice in London with the appointment of Rob Eke as partner in its Financial Services Practice Group. Eke, who joins from MJ Hudson where he had been a partner in its London office, specialises in private equity fund formation and investor representation. He works across several asset classes and his practice is split between GP and LP advisory work.
He advises GPs on the structuring, promotion and operation of private funds, with a focus on small to mid-market, as well as on ESG-related regulation, including SFDR and Taxonomy Regulations.
Eke’s particular focus on the fund formation side
Luxembourg-based global venture capital firm Runa Capita has opened a Paris office. Max Corbani, who recently joined Runa Capital as a Senior Associate, will lead the growth of its investment focus in the French startup ecosystem.
Global alternatives manager ICG, which manages $74.5 billion of assets across private equity, private debt, real assets, and credit, has hired Ryan Croteau as managing director, consultant relations, in its New York office.
Croteau joins ICG from Sun Life Capital Management, where he served as head of consultant relations, leading the design and implementation of the firm’s Consultant Relations Programme across the US and Canada.
Before joining SLC Management in 2017, Croteau spent more than a decade at Standish Mellon Asset Management, most latterly as Senior Consultant Relations Manager.
In his new role at ICG, he will work as part
Global investment bank Houlihan Lokey has hired David Kelnar as a managing director in its Capital Markets Group to spearhead its equity private placement capability in Europe. He is based in the firm’s London office.
Based in London, Kelnar will focus on providing equity solutions, including growth capital and structured equity, for the firm’s corporate and financial-sponsor-backed clients in the region, working closely with the US Equity Private Placements team, led by Sean Fitzgerald in New York.
Kelnar joins from Numis, where he spent three years as a Managing Director and Head of Growth Capital Solutions. Prior to this, Mr. Kelnar
Nadim El Gabbani, a senior managing director and private equity dealmaker at Blackstone, has left the alternative asset management firm. El Gabbani, who was based in the firm’s London office, focused on financial services, business services and technology deals on both sides of the Atlantic.
According to his LinkedIn profile, El Gabbani’s notable deals at Blackstone include investments in BankUnited Inc, Michaels Stores, TeamHealth, Sithe Global Power and Service King.
Blackstone’s Q4 earning disclosures reveal that the firm’s private equity arm had $288.9 billion in assets under management as of 31 December, including $86.7 billion of ‘dry powder’.
LDC, a UK private equity firm focused on investments in mid-sized businesses, has made two senior promotions with the appointment of Jacob Leone and Grant Goodwin as investment directors, effective 1 April, 2023.
Leone joined LDC’s Manchester-based team as an investment manager in 2019 and has been involved in many of the firm’s most significant tech investments, including partnerships with Manchester-headquartered digital transformation business CTI Group, games developer Marmalade, Cheshire-headquartered manufacturer Rhino Products and Alderley Edge-based software company IEG4. Most recently, he led LDC’s investment in Merseyside-headquartered Horsefly, an artificial intelligence-based talent analytics platform, and is now helping the management
Drawbridge, a provider of cybersecurity software and solutions to private equity, hedge fund, and venture capital firms, has appointed Chris Aronis as chief revenue officer. Aronis will lead the Drawbridge sales, account management and business development teams.Â
Syncona Ltd, a healthcare investment company focused on the life sciences sector, has appointed Roel Bulthuis as managing partner and head of investments. Bulthuis has over 20 years of life science venture capital, business development and investment banking experience.
Bulthuis joins from Inkef Capital, an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm, where he held the position of managing partner and head of healthcare. Before this, he served as senior vice president and managing director of Merck Group’s M-Ventures for almost 10 years.
Prior to his time at M-Ventures, Bulthuis held senior positions in global business development at Merck Serono and was in
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12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
