Executive moves, week of Aug. 18, 2008

GP MacDonald becomes Harvard LP

Lane MacDonald

, who most recently was a general partner with Boston-based private equity firm Alta Communications, has joined Harvard Management Co. as manager of private equity. MacDonald succeeds Kevin Tunick, who left Harvard earlier this year to join The University of North Carolina.

“I was really looking for a great platform when I decided to leave Alta,” MacDonald says. “I assumed I’d stay on the GP side, but wanted to explore a variety of things, and this feels like a very good fit.”

Prior to joining Alta Partners in 1999, MacDonald was a principal with J.W. Childs & Associates.

Permira taps Chen to head China efforts

London-based private equity firm Permira named Henry L. Chen as Head of Greater China. Chen, who most recently spent nine years in senior positions at Goldman Sachs, will run Permira’s recently opened Hong Kong office and develop the firm’s activities in the region.

Fraiman on board with Voyager

Diane Fraiman has joined Voyager Capital as a venture partner and head of the firm’s new office in Portland, Ore. She previously was senior vice president of marketing and business development for Web application security software company Sanctum.

Sequoia nabs Feder from Princeton

Sequoia Capital has hired Dan Feder away from the Princeton Investment Management Co. (Princo), where he had overseen venture capital and private equity investments. Feder will help manage an outsourced investment management program that Sequoia launched earlier this year.

Feder could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Sequoia program is headed by Eric Upin, a former chief investment officer of the Stanford University endowment who was hired in the spring.

Maveron names Errett partner

Seattle-based venture firm Maveron named Amy Errett partner. She will be based in San Francisco and will focus on consumer digital media, Internet services and e-commerce ventures. Errett had most recently served as CEO of the lesbian lifestyle and travel company Olivia.

Earlier this year, Maveron raised about $240 million for its fourth fund.

Errett’s appointment comes a week after Maveron General Partner Ron Graves left the firm to become permanent CEO of frozen yogurt chain Pinkberry. He had taken over as Pinkberry’s interim CEO following Maveron’s investment in the company last year.

Court Square courts Finley

Michael Finley

has joined Court Square Capital Partners as a partner. He previously had been with The Cypress Group since its 1994 formation and, before that, worked in Lehman Brothers’ merchant banking group.

Matrix snares Stalder

Dana Stalder

has joined Matrix Partners as a general partner based in the firm’s Menlo Park, Calif. office. He previously was a senior vice president with PayPal.

Wynnchurch hires Feraco

Frank Feraco

has joined Rosemont, Ill.-based private equity firm Wynnchurch Capital as an industry operating partner. Feraco is the former president of Pentair Inc.’s Tool Group and, before that, man industrial products for Textron Inc. Wynnchurch, which raised a $350 million for its second fund in 2005, is currently raising fund III.

Rivero joins Symphony

Jose Rivero

has joined Symphony Technology Group as a managing director and operating partner. He previously was with Accenture, as global managing director of the firm’s Custom Business Process Outsourcing Services division.