Assetz Capital, a UK peer-to-peer finance platform, has committed to expansion in Northern Ireland under the guidance of recently appointed Regional Relationship Director, Andrew Fraser.   Fraser joins Assetz Capital from Santander UK Corporate and Commercial. In this role he was a Business Development Director covering the Northern Ireland region. Fraser’s new role is to help local businesses acquire finance through the peer-to-peer platform and ensure borrowing through the Assetz Capital platform runs smoothly.   Stuart Law, CEO of Assetz Capital, says: "We see Northern Ireland as a key growth area and feel we have a very strong offering to assist small and mid

Sidley Austin is significantly strengthening its private equity, corporate and restructuring practices with the addition of eight partners to its Munich office.  The new group comprises seven partners from Kirkland & Ellis, headed by leading private equity and M&A lawyer Volker Kullmann, and Kolja von Bismarck, head of the German Banking and Financial Restructuring group at Linklaters. Joining Kullmann in the move from Kirkland are tax partner Roderic Pagel, corporate partners Björn Holland, Christian Zuleger, Marcus Klie and Nicole Schlatter, and finance/capital markets partner Markus Feil, a close-knit team who have worked together for many years.   The eight new

Sixpoint Partners (Sixpoint), a global investment bank serving the middle market, has appointed Michael Leonardo as Vice President, West Coast Distribution. In addition, the company has promoted three long-standing members in the New York office, deepening its distribution and origination capabilities. Leonardo’s appointment and the promotions are effective immediately.   Leonardo joins from Ironwood Capital Management where he was an Associate Vice President, responsible for developing and maintaining the firm’s distribution and platform relationships. Previously, he worked at BlackRock where he advised institutional clients on customised portfolios and SMAs through the US Wealth Advisory and Global Client Group. He will

NXT Capital has appointed Linda Chaffin (pictured) as Head of Institutional Marketing. Chaffin's responsibilities include expanding the firm's fund raising and investor relations efforts, in which she will partner with Kelli O'Connell, NXT's Head of Asset Management. Chaffin will spearhead capital raising activities for NXT's multi-investor loan funds and single investor SMAs. She will further enhance NXT's relationships with insurance companies, public and corporate pension plans, foundations, endowments and other institutional LPs. She will also strengthen NXT's relationships with consultants who work with these investors. Chaffin brings 20 years of fund raising, investor relations, private equity, corporate finance and M&A

HarbourVest Partners has appointed Tricia M Mackechnie as Chief Technology Officer and Managing Director.  In this new role, Mackechnie will be responsible for leading the firm’s Information Technology team globally, including IT infrastructure, application development, quality assurance and cybersecurity functions.   “Technology and cybersecurity are playing an ever-increasing role in the execution of our global business strategy, and the addition of Tricia to our senior team will allow us to continue enhancing our efforts to support the entire investment process and better serve our clients,” says John Toomey, Managing Director. “The complexity of our global technology infrastructure matches that of

Frazier Healthcare Partners has expanded its investment team with the promotion of Philip Zaorski and the addition of Ryan Lucero to the firm’s growth buyout team. “We are proud to recognise the achievements of Phil Zaorski with this well-deserved promotion,” says Ben Magnano, General Partner. “During his tenure with Frazier, Phil has proven himself to be an important member of our team and an invaluable resource for our portfolio companies. We are also thrilled that Mr Lucero has chosen to join Frazier as he is a well-respected professional with extensive experience in middle-market private equity. We look forward to the

Private equity firm 21 Centrale Partners has appointed François Barbier, currently Managing Partner, as Deputy General Manager to Chairman Gérard Pluvinet.  Barbier will be responsible for the implementation of the investment strategy for the fifth generation of 21 Funds in France, and will ultimately succeed Gérard Pluvinet when he joins the firm’s supervisory board in 2019.   In addition, Cédric Abitbol has been appointed as Advising Partner, in charge of Client Services and Best Practices. The role of Finance & Structuring Officer is handled by François Tranié, who has been at 21 Centrale Partners since 2006m while Jacques Rossignol, Managing

Haynes and Boone CDG, has significantly expanded its London office with the addition of three partners, who will bolster the firm’s finance, shipping, and energy practices. Emma Russell and Zoë Connor join the firm as London partners in the Finance Group, where they will represent banks, investment funds and other clients on a range of finance transactions, including arranging capital commitment/subscription financings and other fund financings. Their focus will be on a collaborative, team approach and an emphasis on partner-led deals, which they hope will be welcomed by the market.   Andreas Silcher rejoins the firm following time as general

Jean Raby is to join Natixis on 20 February as CEO of Natixis Global Asset Management, in charge of its asset management, private banking and private equity business lines. He will also be a member of the senior management committee.   “I would like to applaud Pierre Servant and thank him for his vital contribution to the success of Natixis’ strategy and in particular to the outstanding growth of the asset management business during his time at the helm. His vision for the business and his involvement with teams have made Natixis Global Asset Management one of the main asset