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O2 Investment Partners has appointed Luke Plumpton to its Investment team. Plumpton will be responsible for evaluating, structuring, negotiating and financing transactions, as well as monitoring O2’s portfolio companies.
Prior to joining O2, Plumpton was the Director of Strategic Planning for Hanford Pharmaceuticals, a contract manufacturer and global supplier of aseptically processed antibiotics. His primary responsibilities included new business development and managing turnaround and cost cutting initiatives for the company. Prior to Hanford, Plumpton was instrumental in the buildup of Square 1 Bank, a venture debt bank serving high growth life sciences and technology companies. Prior to Square 1, he
Ernst & Young LLP has appointed Herb Engert as the new Americas Leader of Strategic Growth Markets (SGM), its practice that provides services to entrepreneurial high-growth companies. He succeeds Maria Pinelli, who became Global Vice Chair of SGM for the Ernst & Young organization July 1, 2011, after serving as Americas Leader for five years.
Engert, 44, brings more than 20 years of experience in both public accounting and the private sector to his new role. Throughout his career, he has led a variety of transactions, including private and public debt and equity offerings, initial public offerings, and mergers and
Tripp Kyle has joined Brunswick Group as a Partner in the firm’s New York office. Kyle joins from Finsbury Group, where he played a pivotal role in building the firm’s New York office and its alternative investment management practice.
At Brunswick Kyle will focus on advising clients in the financial services sector, including asset management and alternative investment companies, such as hedge funds, real estate investment and private equity firms. He will also provide counsel to corporate and investment management clients on shareholder activism and corporate governance campaigns, as well as mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, and special situations.
“Tripp will
Leeds Equity Partners, LLC, the New York-based private equity fund focused exclusively on investing in the Knowledge Industries, has appointed Stephen Fredette, former Chief Executive Officer of Assessment Technology Institute as an operating partner. In this role, Fredette will provide management and operating expertise to Leeds Equity’s portfolio companies and will help the firm identify and evaluate new investment opportunities in the education and training sectors.
Fredette has over 20 years of experience building, operating and growing education and training companies. Most recently, Fredette served as CEO of Assessment Technology Institute, a private equity owned nursing education company. Under his
Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Hall of Fame NBA star, philanthropist and entrepreneur, is to join Detroit Venture Partners (DVP) as a general partner. DVP is a Detroit-based venture capital firm that invests in seed and early-stage technology companies primarily located in the heart of downtown Detroit. Johnson will also be investing millions of dollars into the fund.
Launched in 2010 by entrepreneurs Josh Linkner, Founder & Chairman of ePrize; Dan Gilbert, Founder & Chairman of Quicken Loans and Majority Owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers; and Brian Hermelin, Founder & Chairman of the private equity firm Rockbridge Growth Equity, Detroit
Carey Olsen has appointed Michael McAuley as a new counsel to its litigation department in Guernsey. Born in Canada and educated there, in England and in France, McAuley’s recent offshore trust experience includes seven years at Appleby in Bermuda where he practised in all areas of contentious and non-contentious trust and pensions law.
McAuley is an internationally renowned lecturer and author on the offshore trust industry.
Carey Olsen’s head of litigation and managing partner John Greenfield, says: “We are very excited about Michael’s arrival and I am pleased that he has chosen to join Carey Olsen as the next step in
New York private equity firm Castle Harlan, Inc, has promoted Anand T Philip (pictured) to Managing Director, while Joyce M Demonteverde has joined the firm as Vice President. Demonteverde had previously been with Castle Harlan, Inc prior to going to the Harvard Business School.
Castle Harlan believes that Philip’s promotion and Demonteverde’s return will strengthen the firm’ capabilities in identifying and aggressively pursuing new investment opportunities and will enhance the firm’s work with existing portfolio companies.
John K Castle (pictured), Chairman and Chief Executive of the firm, says, "Anand Philip is an extraordinarily talented and hard-working professional. He has earned
CORESTATE Group, a specialist private equity investor based in Zug/Switzerland, with partner offices in Frankfurt, London and Luxembourg, has made a number of strategic appointments which will further strengthen its European investment and asset management expertise. Making four additional appointments, it has recruited Jerry Melchionna to its origination team in its London office as well as a Director and two Associates to its London and Frankfurt based teams.
Melchionna brings over 30 years of real estate investment, origination, finance, securitization, and advisory experience to CORESTATE. Before joining the team in London, Jerry was a Managing Director at Oppenheimer Investments
Wedge Partners has appointed Chris Crespi as a networking and communications equipment analyst.
"Chris adds a tremendous amount of knowledge, experience, and relationships to the Wedge research platform. We are excited to be joined by such a highly regarded industry expert," says Evan Morgan, CEO of Wedge Partners.
Crespi received his BSEE from the University of California at Davis, and then pursued a career as a design engineer at Avantek, Inc. and Hewlett Packard in the area of Microwave Electronics. After six years of designing components and subassemblies for various radar and communications systems, Crespi attended The Kellogg School
Mary McGuirke and Joel Haskins have been appointed as operations directors for Ipes in London and Jersey respectively.
McGuirke and Haskins will take a lead role in client relationship management and the delivery of operational excellence in their respective locations. They will work closely with locally based Managing Directors, Andrew Whittaker and Nigel Strachan, to whom they will report, and the client facing operational teams.
McGuirke has worked in financial services for over 20 years, holding senior roles at Santander, Capita Financial Group and Britannia Building Society. As Head of Private Equity operations for Capita’s Specialist Fund Services division, she
Events
12 November, 2026 – 8:00 am
12 November, 2026 – 5:00 pm
