People Briefs

Neil Ashe has been named CEO of CNET Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: CNET), following the resignation of company co-founder and CEO Shelby Bonnie.

Paige Daly has left Apax Partners, where she had been a New York-based partner in the firm’s retail and consumer group.

David Dinerman has joined Probitas Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity placement and advisory firm, as chief financial and administrative officer. He previously worked at Grant Thornton, where he focused on providing financial due diligence services to private equity funds.

Clive Dolman and Alexis Dormandy have joined Candover as operations partners, which are new positions.

Jonathan Dries has joined Tricor Pacific Capital as an associate in the firm’s Chicago office. He previously was with Robert W. Baird & Co.

Thomas Farb has joined Indevus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: IDEV), in the newly-created positions of president and chief operating officer. Farb served as executive vice president and CFO of Indevus between 1994 and 1998, after which he served as CFO of Summit Partners and then as co-founder of New America Partners.

Barry Fougere and Elizabeth Komachi have joined executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles as Boston-based consultants.

General Atlantic announced that William Ford will become the firm’s CEO, effective on Jan. 1, 2007.

Nick Gibbons has joined UK-based NBGI Private Equity as an investment manager. He previously worked in various positions at Centrica PLC.

GulfStar Group, a Houston-based middle-market I-bank, has promoted John O’Brien to assistant vice president and Brian Lobo to associate. O’Brien joined the firm in 2004, while Lobo came aboard earlier this year.

Roger Holstein, former CEO of WebMD Corp., has joined Vestar Capital Partners as a senior advisor. John Kremer has joined Credit SuisseRon Labrum has been named tapped to run the Tranfusion Therapies business that Baxter International is selling to Texas Pacific Group and Maverick Capital. The deal is expected to close in Q1 2007. Labrum most recently served as chairman and CEO of Supply Chain Services for Cardinal Health. Brian Levine has been promoted to senior vice president of mid-market I-bank Valufinder GroupE. Scott Mead has agreed to join Apax Partners. He is the former co-head of Goldman Sachs’ global communications, media and entertainment group. His track record includes advising Vodafone on its $183 billion hostile takeover of Mannsesmann.

Mitchell Otolski and Erin Ellis have joined Liquid Realty Partners as assistant controller and portfolio analyst, respectively. Otolski previously was a finance analyst with Gryphon Investors, while Ellis holds a JD from American University Washington College of Law.

Brian Phillips has joined Greenhill & Co. Jeff Reinhardt has joined M&A advisory firm Berkery, Noyes & Co. as a managing director in the firm’s B2B communications group. He previously was a senior vice president with Prism Business Media (f.k.a. Primedia Business).

Everett Smith III has joined New Energy Capital as chief financial officer. He had spent the past 15 years with GE Capital, as a managing director and executive vice president in the GE Structured Finance Group.

Pieter Smits has joined Main Capital Partners as an investment manager. He previously was a global account manager with Verizon Business.

Timothy Spangler has joined the London office of Kaye Scholer as a partner in charge of the law firm’s Investment Funds practice.

Richard Venegar has agreed to join Minneapolis-based Milestone Growth Fund as president and CEO. He currently serves as senior vice president of Dallas-based Pacesetter Growth Fund, and will succeed the recently retired Esperanza Guerrero-Anderson.

John Waller has joined middle market I-bank Fort Dearborn Advisors James Zinni, co-founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, has sold his interests in the firm to senior members of firm management, including fellow co-founder Stephen Deckoff. No financial terms were disclosed. Zinni is forming an independent hedge fund firm called Z Capital Partners, with a group of six associates from Black Diamond.

Compiled by Dan Primack