Leeds-based private equity search specialist Raw Selection has promoted Jack Burns to Executive Search Manager.

Flexpoint Ford (Flexpoint), a private equity investment firm specialising in the financial services and healthcare industries, has appointed Chris Ackerman as Managing Partner, effective immediately. Ackerman joined Flexpoint in 2005 as a Vice President and was named Managing Director in 2014. In addition to his role as Managing Partner, he will continue to focus on investment opportunities in the financial services sector. He currently serves on the Boards of several Flexpoint portfolio companies, including Alera Group, GeoVera Insurance, Purchasing Power, TigerRisk Partners and Vale Insurance.

International law firm CMS is strengthening its Corporate practice with the addition of two new partners. Financial Services M&A partner Emma Clark and Private Equity partner Edward Holmes join the firm in London, bringing the Group’s partner count to 79 in the UK.  They are supported by a team of over 1,000 corporate lawyers globally. Clark and Holmes join from Linklaters and Clifford Chance, respectively.

Highvern has made three senior hires as it opens a new Irish office in Dublin. The Dublin business will be headed up by Philip Dempsey as Country Head – Ireland, who is joined by Adrian Bailie and Emma Keane as Directors.   The Irish offering will include, subject to the applicable regulatory approvals, corporate and fund administration services to unregulated and regulated structures across Debt, Capital Markets, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Private Equity, Aviation, Hedge and other alternative asset classes in the Irish marketplace.

Law firm Seward & Kissel has promoted Daniel Bresler and Nicholas Miller to partner. The firm has also promoted Jay Baroody, Kurt Plankl, Dora Pulido, Filana Silberberg, and Steven Starr to counsel. The promotions were effective 1 January, 2022.   Bresler is a member of the firm’s Investment Management Group, and represents US and non-U.S. investment managers, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors, and private funds, including hedge funds and private equity funds.  Miller is also a member of the firm’s Investment Management Group and represents sponsors and managers of private investment funds, including hedge funds and private equity funds,

Silversmith Capital Partners has promoted Rafael Urdaneta to Chief Financial Officer. Since joining Silversmith in 2018 as Vice President of Finance, Urdaneta has played an integral role in all finance and compliance related matters of the of the firm. Urdaneta has over 15 years in finance and accounting experience. Prior to Silversmith, he served as a Controller at Summit Partners where he was actively involved in all aspects of the management company. He also provided support to Summit’s fund and compliance teams. Previously, Raf was a Senior Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Asset Management Practice focusing on alternative investments. He

Grain Management (Grain), a private investment firm focused on the global communications sector, has appointed Craig Phillips as Managing Director and Chief Operating and Growth Officer. In this role, Phillips will work with Grain’s executive leadership team to manage many of the firm’s day-to-day operations, develop the systems and infrastructure needed to scale the business, and expand the firm’s investment impact to better serve its partners. Phillips formerly served as a Counsellor to the Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury where he fulfilled the duties of the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance. He previously held the role of

Earth Capital, a sustainable investing private equity specialist, has appointed Avent Bezuidenhoudt as Head of Investment as the firm continues the deployment of its flagship Nobel Sustainability Fund amid record interest in sustainable investment. Bezuidenhoudt, who will also be joining the board as a director of Earth Capital and the Investment Committee, joined Earth Capital in July 2020 as Investment Director with over 25 years of experience in investing, portfolio management, and corporate finance advisory. She is an expert at identifying and supporting high-growth technology companies and has been a valuable member of the firm’s investment team. Prior to joining

Audax Private Debt, the debt financing unit of Audax Group, an alternative investment manager specialising in investments in North American middle market companies, has appointed Bradley Patton as a Managing Director to oversee its Capital Markets for the Private Debt Origination platform. Based in New York, Patton will be responsible for leading capital markets and syndication efforts across the Audax Private Debt platform, including unitranche and junior debt investments. He will also continue to expand and cultivate Audax Private Debt relationships across the middle market.