Highview Capital has hired six investment professionals with expertise in private equity, credit and restructuring. Brice Baradel and Steve Russell have joined the team as principals; PJ Gilbert and Dan Picmann as vice presidents; and Tim Park and Kapish Haldia as associates.   All six will be based in Highview’s Los Angeles headquarters.   These are the first hires for the Los Angeles-based opportunistic private equity investment vehicle since Highview announced the launch of its inaugural USD500 million evergreen fund in October 2016.   Ryan McCarthy, co-founder and senior portfolio manager of Highview, says: “I am thrilled to welcome the

Canadian oil and gas private equity manager 32 Degrees Capital has named Trent Baker as its managing partner.   Baker, who has been with the firm for nine years in progressively senior roles encompassing various aspects of portfolio management and firm operations, will lead the deal team in sourcing, due diligence and investment monitoring.   Larry Evans, 32 Degrees founder and managing partner, says: "Trent's experience, aptitude and leadership is fundamental to our rebranding towards an exclusively E & P – focused portfolio. As managing partner, Mr Baker's financial background rounds out the firm's senior management disciplines, with Mitch Putnam and myself

Private equity and venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners has appointed Ian Sandler as chief operating officer (COO). He will have direct responsibility across legal, finance, compliance, investor relations, IT, HR and onsite and will focus on scaling the organisation.   Sandler will report directly to managing director Deven Parekh.   "Over nearly two decades, Ian has built an impressive track record of strategic and operational accomplishments. We are pleased to welcome Ian to the Insight Venture Partners team," says Parekh. "Ian's leadership experience, strategic thinking and proven ability to deliver results have made us confident he is the right person

Finstar Financial Group has appointed Mark Ruddock as chief executive of FinstarLabs, a corporate venture group that invests in and helps create technologies for new alternative financial services. The appointment reflects the commitment of Oleg Boyko, founder and chairman of Finstar Financial Group, to the continued growth of Finstar’s fintech and financial services investment programme.   Ruddcok has more than 15 years of leadership experience in venture-backed start-ups, spanning enterprise software, mobile applications and online financial services, which has included two successful exits.   He joins FinstarLabs from Wonga, a credit provider, where he was responsible for overseeing the company’s

Align Capital Partner (ACP), a growth-oriented, private equity firm that targets control investments in lower-middle-market companies, has hired seven employees. ACP was founded in 2016 and closed its USD325 million inaugural private equity investment fund in September.   Joining ACP’s Cleveland office are Rick Costello, operating partner; Katie Noggle, director of business development; Matt Beesley, vice president; and Dustin Brode, associate.   Joining ACP’s Dallas office are Jonathan Vadiee, associate; Kurt Smentek, associate; and Joey Delgado, executive assistant.   “We are excited to welcome all seven new hires to the Align Capital Partners team. They are incredibly talented and support our mission

Pan-European mid-market investor Aurelius has hired Freya Macken as an associate in its UK team. Macken will be based in Aurelius’ London office, working as part of the investment team to source and execute investments in companies that would benefit from the financial and operational support that Aurelius provides.   Macken’s appointment is Aurelius’ fifth UK hire of 2016, following that of Daniel Simon to the London-based investment team earlier this year, as well as the appointments of Simon Brott and Gavin Duke to Aurelius’ UK operational taskforce and Dipika Sodha to the UK finance team.   Aurelius has announced

Antares Capital is serving as administrative agent, joint lead arranger and joint bookrunner of senior secured credit facilities to support the acquisition of Advanced Instruments by Windjammer Capital Investors. Founded in 1955 and headquartered in Norwood, MA, Advanced Instruments specialises in laboratory instrumentation.   “We are pleased to have Antares lead the financing for our investment in Advanced Instruments,” says Daniel Lee, vice president for Windjammer Capital. “They worked quickly and diligently through approvals and made a sizeable commitment to support the transaction.”   “Advanced Instruments is a long standing market leader and an innovator of high quality laboratory equipment,”

Corporate advisory firm Clearwater International has appointed Michael Loudon as a director in its Manchester office. Loudon has over 10 years' experience in M&A, having acted for a broad range of companies and financial investors.   Loudon has joined the firm from Gleacher Shacklock in London.   Clearwater International’s UK team has completed over 10 per cent more deals in 2016 than in the same period in 2015.    Michael Reeves, managing partner, Clearwater International, says: “We are very pleased to be strengthening our North West presence with the arrival of Michael and are excited about the opportunities that this

Jay Bhatt has joined private equity firm Thomas H Lee Partners (THL) as a managing director in THL’s media, information services and technology group. Bhatt has over 20 years of operating experience in senior leadership positions across the technology sector.   Most recently he was president and CEO of Blackboard, where he was responsible for driving significant sales and EBITDA growth through a strong focus on strategic and operational investments and efficiencies. He spearheaded an upgrade of Blackboard’s technology platform, expanded Blackboard’s international business by 50 per cent, and drove an acquisition approach of domestic and internationally based businesses.