European private equity fund services provider Ipes has appointed Justin Partington to its executive board. As commercial director, Partington will spearhead the continued development and growth of Ipes’ business across the group, with a specific focus on the UK and Europe following the firm’s recent move into Luxembourg. Partington has over 11 years’ experience in the funds industry, spanning the alternative investment asset class. He joins Ipes from a London-based fund administrator, where as head of private equity he was responsible for existing client relationships, operational sales to prospective clients, and building the client and intermediary network.  Previously, Partington was

The board of directors of Edwards has made changes to the company’s executive management, which are designed to build on its current record performance and prepare the company for its next phase of growth. Nigel Hunton, who has been chief executive for the past four years, will take over the role of chairman with immediate effect.   Matthew Taylor (pictured) will become chief executive officer and David Smith chief financial officer. Taylor and Smith, who previously worked together in senior management positions at Jaguar Land Rover and Ford Europe, bring extensive international leadership experience to Edwards.   Taylor was most

Sean Ruhmann has joined Cambridge, Massachusetts-based adviser NEPC as a senior consultant in the firm’s alternative investments research group.   He previously was a vice president of investment banking with Goldman Sachs. “Throughout his career at Goldman Sachs and Banc of America Securities, Sean has been providing innovative advice to his clients, particularly in the areas of private markets and real estate,” says Erik Knutzen, chief investment officer of NEPC. “We are excited to add a person with Sean’s experience to deepen our research resources.” Ruhmann joins NEPC’s team of 20 research professionals dedicated to alternative assets and will focus

Starwood Capital Group, a private equity firm focused on real estate and energy, has hired Christopher Keber as director of global capital raising and investor relations.  Keber will lead a group responsible for the investor outreach efforts of the firm, including capital raising, investor relations and marketing. Prior to joining Starwood, Keber worked in the New York office of the real estate private fund group at Credit Suisse, a private placement group focused on fundraising for private equity vehicles dedicated to real estate.  Previously, he was employed at Trinity Partners/Trinity Capital Advisors, a real estate services and investment firm where,

Law firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft has broadened its reach in China with the addition of Rocky Lee, a lawyer specialising in Asian equity markets. Lee joins Cadwalader as Asia managing partner and head of its Greater China corporate practice in the corporate department. "At this critical moment in the development of Asian finance and given the emerging influence of China, it is more important than ever for clients to seek expert advice concerning complex regulatory and legal matters in Asia," Lee says. "Cadwalader is known for that unparalleled sophistication and for the ability to deliver exceptional legal service under

Venture capital firm Highland Capital Partners is relocating Peter Bell from Boston to the firm’s Menlo Park office. "Backing innovative, market leading companies in California has always been an essential aspect of Highland’s investment strategy," says Bell, general partner with Highland. "I am passionate about entrepreneurship and excited to return to California and further expand our presence in the region." Bell joined Highland in 2006 and specialises in technology investments across all stages of company growth. He has worked with and invested in companies in the information security, e-commerce, data centre infrastructure, enterprise software and communications industries. Bell serves on

Angelo Gordon has added J. Wayne Merck to its private equity group as a senior adviser. Merck will also serve on the board of the firm’s portfolio company, KEE Action Sports. "We are thrilled Wayne has decided to become a Senior Advisor to our firm’s Private Equity Group," says Arthur Peponis, co-head of Angelo Gordon’s private equity and special situations activities. "He will help us immensely with our investment activities going forward." Prior to joining Angelo Gordon, Merck was most recently director, president and chief executive of K2, where he had worked in various roles and divisions since 1991. In

Accel Partners, a venture capital and growth equity firm operating in Silicon Valley, Europe, Israel, China and India, has added Prateek Dhawan to its growth equity investing team in India as a principal. Prior to Accel, Dhawan was vice president at Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, where he was leading the fund’s private equity investments in India. At Accel, he will focus on growth stage investments of USD10m to USD50m in mid-sized Indian companies across different sectors. Neeraj Bharadwaj, managing director, Accel India Growth, says: "We are delighted to welcome Prateek to the Accel team. His investment experience and track record

Future Capital Partners, the GBP6bn alternative investment boutique, has strengthened its business development team with the appointment of Alan Cross as business development manager.    Cross brings over 22 years of financial services experience to Future Capital.  He will be responsible for developing and strengthening relationships with key accountancy and intermediary firms among Future Capital’s client base in Scotland and Northern Ireland.   Cross will be an integral part of the business development team with the marketing of Future Capital’s range of products, the most recent being Future Fuels. Launched in January, Future Fuels is an investment partnership that will