Signia Wealth Limited has appointed Shalini Khemka (pictured) as a Managing Director with responsibility for developing Signia’s private equity arm alongside Spencer Moulton and co-ordinating the international expansion of the business.   Khemka will be based in London and work closely with Nathalie Dauriac-Stoebe, CEO of Signia Wealth to build on its existing range of services and grow the business overseas.   Signia Wealth is an independent wealth management boutique specialising in strategic wealth management for individuals, families, entrepreneurs and trusts providing unbiased expert advice. Signia is dedicated to looking after a small number of clients and delivering the highest

Private equity firm Avista Capital Partners has hired Hakan Bjorklund, the departing Chief Executive Officer of Nycomed, as Healthcare Operating Executive.   Bjorklund worked closely with Avista on the development of Nycomed during Avista’s ownership of the company, which was recently sold to Takeda Pharmaceuticals Company Limited for EUR9.6 billion. Under Bjorklund’s leadership, Nycomed was transformed from a predominantly Scandinavian business into a global pharmaceutical company with leading market positions in Europe, Russia/CIS, Brazil and Latin America. In 2006, Bjorklund led the integration of Altana Pharmaceutical, a German-based company that Nycomed purchased for EUR4.2 billion. He was also instrumental in

Pomona Capital, a global private equity firm, has added Ernest Lambers to the London office as Managing Director and John Stephens to the Hong Kong office, also as a Managing Director. Both Lambers and Stephens will focus on the firm’s investment programs in Asia and the emerging markets.   Lambers has over a decade of primary fund investing experience in emerging markets. Prior to joining Pomona Capital, he was Chief Investment Officer and a co-founder of EM|Alternatives, a fund of funds manager established in 2007 and focused on emerging markets. From 2000 – 2007, he was Head of Emerging Markets for

Growth Capital Partners (GCP) has appointed Alex Thomson as an Investment Manager. Thomson joins from Investec Investment Banking. At Investec, Thomson spent four years in the Corporate Finance department working on a range of public and private transactions, principally in the consumer and healthcare sectors. Prior to this, he qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC, working in the Banking & Capital Markets and Forensic Services divisions.   Thomson says: "As a first move into private equity, I was keen to join an investor with an innovative approach to funding businesses and the ability to execute deals in all market conditions. GCP is in a strong

Mid Europa Partners, a private equity firm focused on Central and Eastern Europe, has formed an Industry Advisory Board through the appointment initially of three members.   The Industry Advisory Board is a network of senior industry executives with whom Mid Europa has long standing relationships and will provide insight and introductions for the Mid Europa investment team in target sectors across the CEE region. Mid Europa expects to expand the Industry Advisory Board through further selective appointments over time. The initial appointments include Bruno Ducharme, Steve Johnson and Richard Oppenheim. Ducharme is Chairman of TIW Capital Partners, a private

Albion Ventures has hired Dr Christoph Ruedig to work alongside Dr Andrew Elder in growing its allocation and managing its investments in the healthcare sector. The venture capital trust (VCT) provider announced earlier this year that it intends to increase its weightings in healthcare across all portfolios from 13% to 25%. The portfolios are presently weighted at approximately 17%. Christoph brings to Albion a wealth of medical experience, having worked in the healthcare sector for nine years. After qualifying as a doctor in 2002, he worked in Munich University Hospital as a radiologist before working in the healthcare sides of

Palamon Capital Partners (Palamon), one of Europe’s leading mid-market private equity firms, has appointed Julian Carreras as a Principal.  Palamon’s pan-European team, which comprises professionals from eight different countries, targets service businesses across Europe with the potential to access significant top-line growth.    This appointment marks the return to Palamon by Carreras, a Spanish national, who was a member of the Firm between 2003 and 2006. Carreras initially joined Palamon from Goldman Sachs and prior to that worked for McKinsey & Co.  Between 2006 and 2011, he held positions with Cinven in London and Thesan Capital in his home town of

ORIX Venture Finance (OVF), a leading provider of growth capital for growing technology companies nationwide, has appointed Ron Kundich, a seasoned technology and life science finance executive, as a principal in its Silicon Valley office.   Kundich will serve as a senior relationship manager for the western region, working closely with Michael David, who was recently promoted to Co-Head of the division. OVF’s Palo Alto office targets growing technology companies in Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest, which have private equity or venture capital backing. Kundich will support the growing West Coast demand, as well as OVF’s expansion into the