People

Advent International has made 17 promotions. Among them were: Dave McKenna (Boston) to managing partner, Chuck Mruck (Prague) to managing partner, Guillaume Darbon (Paris) to managing director and Rory Pope (Tokyo) to managing director.

Paul Catalano and David Hassman have joined I-banking boutique Livingstone as a managing director and vice president, respectively, in the firm’s technology and media practice. Catalano has held positions with both HP and Texas Instruments, while Hassman previously was with RCBG.

Circle Peak Capital has promoted James Clippard and Holbrook Forusz to principal. Clippard joined the firm in June 2005, and serves on the board of Fischbein LLC, and a board observer for WealthTrust LLC and Luxury Optical Holdings Co. Forusz also joined in June 2005, and is a board observer for Rocket Dog Brands, Shari’s Management Corp. and Hill & Valley Inc.

Cogent Partners has promoted Brenlen Jinkens, Todd Miller and Brian Mooney to partner. It also has promoted James Lee to vice president and hired Dominik Woessner (formerly with Greenpark Capital) as a London-based vice president.

Ralph Davis has agreed to join Cressey & Co. as a partner. He currently is chairman of law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP, where he has been a partner since 1995.

Grotech Capital Group has promoted Charles Cullen and Stephen Frederick to general partner. Cullen joined the firm in 2000 as a vice president and in June 2006 assumed the responsibilities of CFO. Frederick joined as a vice president in 2005, and focuses on IT and communications sector opportunities.

Stephen Gray has joined The Carlyle Group as a senior advisor to the firm’s global telecom and media practice. He is the former president of McLeod USA, and currently serves as chairman of both SecurityCoverage Inc. and ImOn Communications LLC. He also serves on the boards of Carlyle portfolio companies Insight Communications and Hawaiian Telecom.

Bill Hayes has joined Chicago Investment Group as director of asset management. He had spent the past seven years as a senior vice president with Wachovia Securities, where he managed assets for business owners and other high-net-worth individuals.

Ned Kelly has been named president of Citi Alternative Investments, a platform with more than $59 billion in assets under management. Kelly had joined Carlyle Group just seven months ago as a managing director in the firm’s financial institutions group. Before that, he was president and CEO of Mercantile Bankshares.

Doug Kramer has agreed to join Quadrangle Group as a managing principal and chief operating officer. He is a partner with Goldman Sachs, where he has served as head of the global manager strategies group. Quadrangle also promoted Sachin Khajuria to principal and Daniel Fine to vice president. Khajuria works in London, and joined the firm in March 2007. Fine joined in 2005 and works in New York.

Jack Laschever has joined DPEC Partners as senior managing director of venture capital. He previously was vice president and group publisher of ForbesLife, a luxury travel and lifestyle magazine.

Evan Marks and Victor Cohen have joined Vestar Capital Partners as a principal and vice president, respectively, in the firm’s Vestar Resources group. Marks previously was a senior VP of marketing for WebMD, while Cohen previously was with Union Square Partners/Capital Z.

Bill McMaster has joined Primus Capital Funds as a principal. He previously was a vice president with Waud Capital Partners and, before that, worked with National City Equity Partners.

Merrill Lynch announced that co-president and COO Ahmass Fakahany plans to leave, effective February 1. He had joined the firm in 1987.

Morgan Stanley has promoted both Tej Shah and Ivy Wang to vice president of financial sponsors in San Francisco. Both were previously senior associates with the group.

Guy Paisner has joined Doughty Hanson & Co. as an investor relations pro, effective Monday. He previously was with Altius Associates.

Larry Resnick and Anthony Giorgio have joined Arsenal Capital Partners as operating directors. Resnick previously was a corporate M&A executive with Triumph Group, and will focus on the aerospace and defense industries. Giorgio worked in corporate development for SYMYX Technologies and International Specialties Products, and will focus on the specialty chemicals and materials sectors.

Van Walbridge and Walter Stasik have joined Blue Wolf Capital as operating partners, while Andrew Schwartz has joined as an associate. Walbridge is the former CEO of specialty vehicle maker Mobile Tool International. Stasik is CEO of capital goods manufacturer Genesis Worldwide II, while Schwartz was withy JPMorgan Securities. Blue Wolf also has formed a strategic advisory board.

Christianna Wood has agreed to join Capital Z Asset Management as CEO, effective March 17. She currently is senior investment officer of global equities with CalPERS. In other Cap Z news, longtime partner Elizabeth Flissser has been promoted to president.

Compiled by Dan Primack