People

Retired U.S. Gen. John Abizaid, an operating partner at Torch Hill Investment Partners, has joined the board of risk management company Blue Hackle Group, which is backed by Torch Hill. George Lund, chairman of Torch Hill’s executive committee, also joined the board.

Aurora Capital Group, the California-based private equity firm, has promoted three individuals within its Aurora Resurgence Management Partners group. Joshua Phillips is now a partner and managing director; Peter Leibman is a principal, as is Ryan McCarthy.

David Bizer has joined Oak Hill Investment Management as managing partner. Bizer was most recently an executive with Nomura and will join Oak Hill’s existing managing partners Partners in leading all aspects of the firm’s investment strategy, the firm announced. Oak Hill is based in Menlo Park, Calif.

J. Ryan Clark has been promoted to managing director at mid-market buyout shop Genstar Capital. Clark joined Genstar in 2004 and focuses on the information and insurance services industries. He serves on the boards of portfolio companies including Confie Seguros, Granite Global Solutions and MidCap Financial. San Francisco-based Genstar has more than $3 billion under management.

Neel Das has joined BerchWood Partners, a private equity placement agent, as partner. Das will work in the firm’s London office and will lead the expansion of BerchWood’s origination, project management and distribution activities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the firm said in a release. Previously Das worked for Credit Suisse’s Private Fund Group where he advised private equity firms.

Martin Donnelly has joined the Blackstone Group as a managing director in its Sydney, Australia, office. Donnelly will head business development and client relations in Australia and the Pacific Rim for Blackstone Alternative Asset Management, the firm said. He was most recently deputy chief executive officer at ING Investment Management Australia. Blackstone opened its Sydney office in December 2009.

Michael Feiner has been appointed to the post of senior adviser of human capital at Irving Place Capital. Feiner will work with Irving Place portfolio companies to help them make connections between business results, individuals and leadership, the company said in a release. Feiner was previously senior vice president and chief people officer at PepsiCo, where he worked for 20 years.

Craig Henrich has joined KSL Capital Partners as a principal. Henrich previously worked as a senior managing director of CW Capital Investments, where he led its single asset group specializing in the acquisition and management of debt investments, including high-yield and mortgage-backed securities. KSL is based in Denver.

Investcorp has announced the members of its European advisory board. Among its members will be former Secretary General of the U.N. Kofi Annan and former Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel.

Gene Marino has joined Cleveland-based Evolution Capital Partners as a partner. Marino will open Evolution’s Chicago office, where he will focus on sourcing new investment opportunities, as well as work with existing portfolio companies. Marino was previously the president and chief executive of Innerpac Inc., a manufacturer of specialty packaging products and a portfolio company of Evolution. Innerpac was bought by Rock-Tenn in August.

Former Clinton administration staffer Steven Okun has agreed to join Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. as its director of public affairs for Asia Pacific, Reuters reported. Okun is currently chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. In his new role he will oversee KKR’s public affairs, corporate citizenship and external communications in the region, Reuters said.

Mary Ma, an Asia executive at buyout shop TPG Capital, is leaving the firm to launch a new fund, Reuters reported, citing a story in the Financial Times. Ma will be running the fund with Louis Cheung, who is stepping down as president of Shenzhen-based Ping An Group in March, the newspaper wrote. No details about the new fund were released.

Allen Questrom and Guillermo Marmol have joined the board of directors of Foot Locker Inc. Questrom is a senior advisor at private equity firm Lee Equity Partners. Marmol is president of Marmol & Associates, and is a former director and senior partner for management consulting firm McKinsey & Co.

Brian Rich and Fred Tannenbaum have joined the board of wireless technology company Interop Technologies. Rich is a managing partner of New York-based firm Catalyst Investors LLC. Tannenbaum is a managing partner of the Chicago law firm Gould & Ratner LLP. Interop Technologies is based in Fort Myers, Fla.

Yolanda Ruiz has been promoted to partner from from vice president at Pacific Community Ventures, a growth equity firm in San Francisco. Ruiz joined the firm in 2008.

Kiran Sharma has joined the law firm Ropes & Gray as a partner in the firm’s London private equity practice. Sharma joins from DLA Piper, where she was a partner in the corporate group. She worked previously as a senior associate at Allen & Overy.

Steve Siegel will be The Riverside Company’s senior adviser for franchising deals, the private equity firm announced. Siegel’s experience includes working on Dunkin’ Donuts’s expansion from its launch as a start-up. Siegel will work closely with Jeremy Holland, Riverside’s regional director of origination to focus on generating deal flow within the franchising space.

Sagent Advisors said that it has bought investment banking team of Montgomery Marshall Healthcare Partners. George Montgomery and Keith Marshall are joining as managing directors in Sagent’s San Francisco office.

Jeffrey Wood has joined Irving Place Capital as a senior adviser in the firm’s industrial practice. Wood was formerly president of Airfoil Technologies, an aircraft engine component manufacturer. He also held various positions at Pratt & Whitney, Interturbine and General Electric. Irving Place Capital is based in New York.