On the move, 4.20.15

PRIVATE EQUITY FIRMS

AlpInvest, owned by The Carlyle Group, has hired Eric Hanno as a principal. Hanno previously worked at Partners Group as a senior vice president of the firm’s direct and primary investment team. AlpInvest described Hanno as “a top global sourcer, dedicated to evaluating equity and secondary investment opportunities to complete transactions and promote new business.”

Avista Capital Partners has hired Robert P. O’Neil as an operating executive. Previously, O’Neil worked at Johnson & Johnson’s consumer group of companies where he served as worldwide vice president of business development.

Buckhead Investment Partners has hired Taylor Williams as a personal wealth advisor. Previously, Williams worked at Wellspring Associates Wealth Management.

The Carlyle Group said named Managing Director Peter Clare as Deputy Chief Investment Officer for Corporate Private Equity. Clare joins Kewsong Lee in the investment role. Clare and Lee will report to William Conway, Carlyle’s chief investment officer. Clare is currently the Co-head of the U.S. Buyout group and will maintain those duties in addition to his new role, Carlyle said.

The Carlyle Group has hired Filippo Passerini, former group president of Global Business Services and chief information officer for Procter & Gamble, as an operating executive. Passerini will join Carlyle once he retires from P&G this summer. He will work with Carlyle investment professionals through the investment process and advise portfolio company executives on management and operational strategies.

Cerberus Capital Management LP has hired Andrew Frank as managing director. Previously, Frank worked at Stifel Nicolaus where he served as managing director and head of syndication for all debt capital market activity.

HarbourVest Partners has appointed Senia Rapisarda as a principal to lead a new office in Toronto. Rapisarda previously worked at Nur Energie in London, London Business School, Nomura International and Salomon Brothers.

New York-based middle market private equity firm Harvest Partners has opened an office in Palo Alto, California. Andrew Schoenthal, managing director at the firm, has been named to lead its West Coast business.

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co has named Anand Sinha an industry advisor to the firm effective immediately. Sinha is the former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India.

Palamon Capital Partners said it named Mina Mutafchieva an Associate Principal. Mutafchieva was previously with McKinsey & Co where she was an Engagement Manager in the firm’s Antwerp office.

Pritzker Group Private Capital has named Jim Harris, Mohan Kharbanda and Shacey Petrovic as senior advisors. Harris is a managing partner at Thoughtstep and the founder and former CEO of The Wall Street Journal Office Network. Kharbanda’s experience includes leadership positions at Apple, Dell and Lineage Power. Petrovic is chief commercial officer of Insulet Corp.

Paul Fossati has joined Sycamore Partners as a managing director. Fossati will serve as Director of Capital Markets and will be responsible for all financings for new investments and for the firm’s portfolio companies. He was previously a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley in its Leveraged & Acquisition Finance Group.

Thoma Bravo has appointed Erwin Mock as director of capital markets. For this newly created position, Mock will be based in the firm’s San Francisco office. Previously, Mock worked at UBS Investment Bank where he served as a managing director.

Leo Mullin, a senior advisor to Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, has been elected chairman of the board of TransUnion. Mullin, who was once chairman and CEO of Delta Air Lines, joined TransUnion’s board in 2012.

PORTFOLIO COMPANIES

Dave Minella, who was hired to build GTCR-backed Aligned Asset Managers, has stepped down as CEO of the company, Buyouts has learned. Aligned, which did not announce the departure, continues to list Minella as CEO on its website. Minella told Buyouts he left the company last August. He currently leads Minella Capital Management, a private holding company looking to invest in financial services.

Donald Pliner said he is leaving the company he founded, luxury shoe company Donald J Pliner Co, where he is creative director. Castanea Partners owns a majority of the company.

FranConnect, which is backed by Serent Capital, said Christopher Fountain has joined as CEO. Fountain takes over from Amit Pamecha, FranConnect’s founder, who will continue to serve as a board member. Reston, Virginia-based FranConnect provides franchise management software.

Newark, N.J.-based Manischewitz, a producer of matzos and kosher food products, has named David Sugarman as president and CEO. Previously, Sugarman was president and CEO of the Allan Candy Co, a Hershey division. Manischewitz is backed by Sankaty Advisors, a credit affiliate of Bain Capital.

SERVICE PROVIDERS

Placement agent Eaton Partners has promoted five staffers to managing director and named three as new partners. The appointments include Ulises Flores and Steven Eaton as partners in Rowayton, Conn.; Chris Lerner as a partner in Shanghai; Sarah Breiner and Andrew Brown as managing directors in Rowayton; and Jackson Chan as a managing director in Hong Kong.

Chicago-based real estate investment and advisory firm HAS Capital LLC has hired Christopher M. Trifilio as managing director of investment management. Previously, Trifilio worked at Mesirow Financial where he served as senior vice president of institutional sales and trading.

Investment bank Houlihan Lokey has hired John Perkins as a managing director for the firm’s strategic consulting business. Perkins, who is based in Los Angeles, is a former partner and director at Bain & Co.

Law firm Pillsbury has named Partners Kimberly Mann and Ildiko Duckor to co-lead the firm’s investment funds and investment management team. Mann joined Pillsbury in 1997, while Duckor has almost 20 years of experience in investment management regulation, specializing in hedge funds.

Boutique investment bank TriPoint Global Equities LLC has named Robert Nathan as a senior vice president and director of the firm. Previously, Nathan worked at Monarch Capital Group as a senior vice president.

Frank Biondi Jr. has joined ViaSat Inc’s board of directors. Biondi will serve as a Class I Director effective immediately, with an initial term expiring at the company’s 2015 annual meeting of stockholders. Biondi, a senior managing director at WaterView Advisors LLC, is the former CEO of Universal Studios.