Gramercy, a dedicated emerging markets investment manager, has made several hires to its Latin America private equity investment team. The team is co-led by Gustavo Ferraro, a managing director and head of Latin American markets at Gramercy, and David Britts, a managing director focused on private equity.  The firm has also formed a TMT Advisory Board and appointed several members. The team intends to invest in private Latin American middle market companies in the technology and technology-enabled sectors that have limited access to financing and global markets.  As part of this effort, Gramercy has opened an office in Silicon Valley

USS Investment Management (USSIM), the wholly-owned investment management subsidiary of Universities Superannuation Scheme, has appointed Robin Filmer-Wilson as investment manager, private equity co-investments. Filmer-Wilson (pictured) has over 14 years of direct private equity and mezzanine investing experience, first at Brown Brothers Harriman in New York, then at Baring Private Equity in London and Paris. Since 2005, he has been a director at TCR Capital, a French mid-market private equity firm, where he worked on numerous LBO transactions as principal.   Mike Powell, head of alternatives assets at USSIM, says: “This addition underscores the commitment to the co-investment strategy which enables

Growth-focused private equity firm ECI Partners has promoted Lewis Bantin to the position of partner. The promotion recognises Bantin’s (pictured) contribution to ECI since he joined the firm in May 2008 particularly his work as head of the commercial team, an important feature of ECI’s value creation capability.   The commercial team works closely with management to help accelerate growth, bringing to bear both dedicated internal resources and the networks developed by ECI Partners over the past three decades. The team supports 100 day planning programmes and also focuses on strategic development projects, ranging from marketing and sales effectiveness to

Inaki Echave will join Blackstone’s private equity group as a managing director, with primary responsibility for Spain and Portugal. Echave (pictured) was most recently a partner with Magnum Capital, the largest independent buy-out fund on the Iberian Peninsula. He will work alongside Claudio Boada, Blackstone’s chairman for Iberia. Lionel Assant, a senior managing director at Blackstone and head of its European private equity business, says: “We are delighted that someone of Inaki’s talent and experience is coming to Blackstone. There is a great need in the region to deploy our long-term patient capital to grow companies and create jobs and

Private equity firm Hellman & Friedman has promoted Hunter Philbrick, Judd Sher and Tarim Wasim to managing directors. Philbrick (pictured) joined Hellman & Friedman in 2003 in the firm’s San Francisco office and relocated to New York in 2005 to help build the New York office. He primarily focuses on healthcare and insurance investments and currently serves on the boards of Pharmaceutical Product Development and Sedgwick. Sher joined Hellman & Friedman last year as chief financial officer. He brings over 13 years of experience, most recently as a principal in Deloitte’s M&A transaction services group, and is responsible for all

Alan Whalley, former UK chief executive of Mercer, has joined Palatine Private Equity-backed WEALTH at work as its new chairman. Whalley (pictured) has vast experience and knowledge of the benefits and pension industry. He is a qualified actuary who only recently retired from Mercer at the end of 2012. Previously he has held senior positions at Watson Wyatt including European managing partner and US regional manager.   David Cassidy, chief executive officer WEALTH at work, says: “We are exceptionally pleased that Alan has joined us, as he brings with him a strong industry reputation. As an acknowledged leader in UK

Fircroft Engineering Services, a provider of technical recruitment services backed by Equistone Partners Europe, has strengthened its board with the appointment of Philip Gore-Randall as a non-executive director. Gore-Randall (pictured) brings almost 40 years of international experience to the board. He started his career at professional services firm Andersen, working his way up to UK managing partner, before becoming global chief operating officer at Andersen Worldwide in 2001.   He has previously held positions at the UK arm of insurance broker Aon, leading a major restructuring of the business, and recently took on the roles of senior adviser to Middle