O2 Investment Partners has appointed William Laffrey as the firm’s newest Associate.

VG, one of Jersey’s largest independent providers of trust, corporate and fund solutions, has reshaped its senior funds team with Trevor Norman announcing his retirement from his role as director of VG, with effect from 30 April 2022, after 33 years with the company. Norman joined VG in 1988 and most recently headed up the company’s funds and Islamic finance team, as well as overseeing both client-facing and internal matters. During his tenure Norman has been involved in several innovative transactions, including the first Jersey domiciled Shariah-compliant fund in 1996 and an award winning Islamic financial leasing (Sukuk) transaction in

Alantra, an independent global mid-market investment banking and asset management firm, has added to its Private Debt team with the appointments of Alberto Pierotti (managing director), Jean-Philippe Lantrade (managing director), Alfonso Sousa (director), and Carlos Pulido (associate). The new appointments will support the growth plans of the private debt team and its internationalisation.  Alberto Pierotti joins to develop the private debt business in Italy. His most recent experience includes stints at Seaport Global and Avenue Capital. Jean-Philippe Lantrade joins from Be-Spoke Capital, a Madrid-based direct lending platform where he helped originate and fund more than 50 family-owned middle-market companies across

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, has appointed Jason Breen as a partner in the firm’s mergers and acquisitions practice in Los Angeles.

HPE Growth, a pan-European growth equity firm has appointed two new members to its investment team as it continues its development – Wijnand Bekker, Associate, and Laura Kone, Analyst. As an Associate with a focus on Venture Capital, Bekker will bring expertise in venture investing to HPE Growth’s strategy. Bekker joins after a period at Rabo Frontier Ventures where he focused on FinTech and AgriTech investments. Bekker holds a BSc from the University of Groningen in Econometrics and Operations Research, as well as a MSc from the Erasmus School of Economics in Econometrics and Management Science with a focus in

Ara Partners (Ara), a private equity firm that specializes in industrial decarbonisation investments, has promoted Katy Boettcher to Principal and hired Ken Nguyen as a Senior Associate. Boettcher joined Ara as a Vice President in September 2020 and has been instrumental in investment underwriting, transaction execution, and portfolio management. She has played a critical role within the firm’s investments in Aloxe, Repeats, Circulus and BioVeritas (formerly Earth Energy Renewables).    Prior to joining Ara, Nguyen worked at Altos Partners, a private equity firm focused on investments in the industrials and business services sectors, and at Intervale Capital, a private equity

Oxford Science Enterprises, the Science Business Builder which transforms science from the University of Oxford into businesses, has appointed Richard Laxer to its Board of Directors, as an independent non-executive director. Laxer is a veteran of GE Capital, serving the company for 34 years before retiring in 2018 as CEO and Chairman. He held a number of senior executive roles at GE Capital across the US, Asia and Europe, leading global teams to develop and execute financing strategies that were critical to the success of a broad range of multi-billion-dollar world-leading businesses.   Since leaving GE Capital, Laxer has used

AXA IM Alts, a specialist in alternative investments with c €183 billion ($202 billion) of assets under management, has appointed Stephan Ackermann to the newly created role of head of client group, North America. This strategic appointment forms part of AXA IM Alts’ ongoing expansion of its international platform, allowing it to better serve its global client base and achieve its significant growth ambitions in the Americas region and in the US in particular.   Ackermann, who was most recently head of client capital group Asia Pacific & US at AXA IM Alts, has relocated to New York to lead

Womble Bond Dickinson has appointed Damian C Georgino as a partner in the firm’s Corporate and Securities Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. Georgino advises US and international corporations, including Fortune 50 companies, financial institutions, private equity funds, and other investors in complex transactions involving water and wastewater, energy, industrial/manufacturing, infrastructure, technology, and natural resource projects.   In his more than 25 years of experience, Georgino has advised clients on transactional – including investments, financings and structures, risk management, and compliance – and operational matters across a variety of industries. He has extensive experience in buy-and-build and hyper-growth strategies, structures, financings,

Israeli deep tech fund VentureIsrael has appointed Olga Fler as Chief Impact Officer.