BTIG has appointed Yun Zhong PhD as a publishing analyst in the firm’s Healthcare Equity Research team.  Zhong’s research coverage will focus on the biotechnology subsector, where he will specialise in gene therapy, genetic medicine, targeted therapy, rare disease and haematology. In his new role, he joins the firm as a Director within the Research and Strategy division, where he will report to Ryan Serwin, CFA, Director of Research, at BTIG. “We are very pleased to welcome Yun to the BTIG Biotechnology Equity Research team,” says Serwin. “Biotechnology continues to be one of the most active subsectors for clients of

Argand Partners (Argand), a New York- and San Francisco Bay Area-based industrials private equity firm, has made four promotions and an addition to its investment team. The following four promotions became effective 1 March, 2021: Charlie Burns to Principal, Ryan Beres to Vice President, and Brendan Fogarty and Riley McCabe to Senior Associate. The firm also announced the addition of Hanan Hassan as an Associate, joining the team after 5 years at KPMG where she provided due diligence and transaction support for M&A clients. Heather Faust, Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Argand, says: “We are delighted to recognise the expertise

UK impact investor Fortunis Capital has appointed Saket Narula as a Director. Saket joins Fortunis from Amadeus Capital Partners where as part of the firm’s senior management team he headed investor relations and was also responsible for fundraising for Amadeus’ multi-strategy venture capital funds. Saket supports Fortunis Capital’s mission to invest in innovators who make a positive difference to the world, while delivering outstanding returns to investors. He says: “The current financial system is transforming for the better and I wanted to be part of the solution. “In the venture capital ecosystem, Fortunis invest in innovative businesses that make compelling

Praetura Ventures, a venture capital investor, has appointed four industry heavyweights to its team – Colin Greene, Dominic McGregor, Catherine Barber-Brown and Mark Slade who all join as operational partners. Greene, who has recently returned to the UK from Silicon Valley, has spent the last 30 years working for some of the world’s largest technology companies including NCR, Intel and Apple, where he most recently led its consumer retail business in the US. During his time at Apple he also held COO and Country CEO roles for Apple in Tokyo and Seoul, and since returning to the UK has taken

Blackstone has appointed Paul Morrissey, a seasoned investment professional with extensive private equity and venture capital experience, as a Managing Director to lead investing across Europe for Blackstone Growth (BXG). This newly created role will see Morrissey manage the European deployment for BXG, which recently completed the final close of its oversubscribed, inaugural USD4.5 billion growth equity fund – the largest first-time growth equity private vehicle ever raised. BXG has already made significant investments in fast-growing European companies, including Epidemic Sound, which delivers restriction-free music to internet content creators across the globe, and oat milk pioneer, Oatly. Jon Korngold, Global

OakNorth Bank is continuing to strengthen its regional footprint with three new hires to its lending teams in the North West, Yorkshire and East Anglia. OakNorth Bank’s 2020 Annual Report revealed that, despite the ongoing challenges of Covid-19, it lent GBP1.1 billion to the Missing Middle last year, supporting hundreds of businesses and helping to both protect and create thousands of jobs. This year, it has got off to an equally busy start with cGBP550 million of new deals closed so far.   The new hires include Dan Hewitt, who joins Martin Williams in East Anglia as an Associate Director

EMPE, the industry association for private capital investment in Africa, Asia, CEE, Latin America and the Middle East, has launched its new Singapore-based Asia headquarters.   “Private capital flows across borders will continue to expand in the coming years as investors seek opportunities that are scalable, diversified and global,” says EMPEA CEO and Board Member Cate Ambrose. “Environmental sustainability, technology and innovation will drive investment decisions, and EMPEA’s Asia headquarters will be a hub to act on these themes.”  Asia continues to gain prominence as a global financial center and international destination for private capital investment. The new EMPEA headquarters

Akin Gump has hired Clare Cottle as Finance Partner in the firm’s London office. 

Fast-growth international web hosting business, Miss Group, has strengthened its senior leadership team with the appointment of a chief marketing officer. David Nordberg joins the Perwyn-backed business where he will oversee the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing strategy that will support the company’s ambitious growth plans and service offering as a best-in-class provider of hosting, domain and other web services.    David joins from his role as chief product officer at gaming and e-sports platform, G-Loot, and board position with e-sports app, Strafe. He brings more than 20 years’ experience in building international brands, cross-functional teams and new

Linklaters has appointed private equity expert Florent Mazeron as Partner.  Mazeron will also be one of the leaders of Linklaters’ global Financial Sponsors group. He will be joining the firm in Paris from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer where he has been a Partner since 2016. Prior to that, he spent almost ten years working at the French boutique firm Bredin Prat. Mazeron focuses on major private equity transactions and other corporate transactions in relation to both public and private M&A deals as well as in relation to the setting up of strategic partnerships and joint-venture agreements. The arrival of Mazeron strengthens