Private Equity Fast Pitch

John Block is the Co-Founder and CEO Unity Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm that partners investors and operators to build better together.

John Garcia

Strategy, Driving Engagement Deliverables

John’s diverse experience includes leading as an Executive and Entrepreneur in multiple start-ups, small and midmarket companies, and Fortune 500 businesses across energy, tech, life science,  food & beverage, and transportation/logistics industries. He has extensive experience in IP licensing,  corporate strategy, marketing, private equity, M&A, technology R&D, manufacturing, sales, operations, and board leadership. John currently leads Solyco as managing director and several companies as a strategy executive through management consulting engagements and others as a board member, investor, managing partner, and/or shareholder.

John has been a keynote speaker on affecting strategy for Fortune 500 companies, Universities, and various leadership groups.

John is a community contributor and leader through Gen Next Global Membership, participation in a symposium on energy and technology through the MIT alumni association, appointment as a Charter School Board Member by the State of Michigan, Advisory Board Member for the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Oakland University, selected as L.B.P. Elite 40 under 40, Big Brother in BBBS for over 10 years, and Leadership Detroit Graduate, among others.

Anthony Maniscalco

Managing Partner & Business Head at ISCG

Anthony Maniscalco is the Managing Partner and Head of Investcorp’ s Strategic Capital Group (SCG), based in New York. SCG is focused on providing strategic and financing solutions to mid-sized private market GPs including the acquisition of minority equity interests. SCG currently manages $1.25 bn of AUM and has completed eleven minority investments across buyout, structured capital, private credit, real estate and infrastructure. Anthony is on SCG's investment team and Chairperson of its investment committee. Anthony's primary responsibilities include overall business management, sourcing new investment opportunities, managing select GP relationships and overseeing portfolio construction. 

Prior to his current role, Mr. Maniscalco was a Managing Director and Co-Head of Credit Suisse’ Anteil Capital Partners. Prior to this, he was Managing Director of the Hedge Fund Solutions business at The Blackstone Group. At Blackstone, he was a founding member, key person and on the investment committee of Blackstone Strategic Capital Holdings, a USD 3.5 billion private, permanent capital vehicle focused on acquiring minority interests in alternative asset management GPs.

Prior to Blackstone, Mr. Maniscalco was Head of Alternative Asset Management Banking at Barclays (and its predecessor Lehman Brothers) within its Financial Institutions Group. In this role, Anthony was at the forefront of advising GPs on selling minority stakes to other GP staking platforms. Prior to this role, Mr. Maniscalco was head of the Media and Telecom vertical within Lehman Brothers' Leveraged Finance Group. In this role, Anthony covered mid and large cap private equity firms financing buyouts across the globe. 

Early in his career, he worked at Bank of America and its predecessor Continental Bank in Chicago, focused on high yield, mezzanine, syndicated bank loans, and interim financing products.

Anthony holds a B.S. from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. 

Investcorp's perspectives can be found in their insights document available at the following link: Investcorp Insights

 In this highly anticipated annual episode of Northstar's Private Equity Fast Pitch, we bring together the industry's top leaders from the past year. Join us as we delve into the personal mantras and driving forces that fuel these prominent figures in the Private Equity and Invesment Banking arena.

Guest Speakers:

·      [04:22] Jeff Armbrister, Hamilton Lane

·      [06:47] Caroline Stevens, MPK Equity Partners

·      [08:54] Stephen Vaccaro, Hirtle, Callaghan & Co

·      [10:21] Ganesh Rao, Thomas H. Lee Partners

·      [11:55] Jeff Eaton, Eaton Partners

·      [13:58] Arthur Hollingsworth, Texas Private Equity

·      [14:52] Dave Tayeh, Investcorp

·      [16:46] Brian McGee, New Water Capital

·      [18:52] Marc J. Leder, Sun Capital Partners

·      [20:06] Christiaan van der Kam, Schroders Capital

·      [21:39] Mark Sotir, Equity Group Investments

·      [22:53] Jeff Collins, Cloverlay

·      [24:19] Chris Burbach, Fundamental Income

·      [26:27] Rami Cassis, Parabellum Investments

·      [27:12] Christopher Merrill, Harrison Street

·      [28:26] Ross Jones, Berkshire Partners

·      [32:49] Jeffrey Stevenson, VSS Capital Partners

·      [35:15] Pardis Nasseri, Palm Tree LLC

·      [37:33] Michael Butler, Cascadia Capital

·      [40:01] Neha Champaneria Markle, Morgan Stanley

·      [41:40] Michael Bego, Kline Hill Partners

·      [43:03] Drew Maloney, American Investment Council (AIC)

·      [45:19] Chris Sznewajs, Pacific Avenue Capital Partners

These top professionals will share their favorite quotes and mottos, offering insights into what motivates and drives them on a daily basis. Get ready for a captivating journey into the minds of these industry leaders

Tune in to gain valuable insights and inspiration from these influential voices shaping the Private Equity landscape. Discover the mantras that power success in this dynamic industry.

Chris Sznewajs is the Managing Partner, Founder and Investment Committee Member of Pacific Avenue Capital Partners. Mr. Sznewajs is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the firm’s investment activities along with chairing the Boards of the active portfolio companies.

Prior to founding Pacific in 2018, Mr. Sznewajs served as a Principal with The Gores Group where he focused on investing in special situations and corporate carve-outs in the industrials sector. Mr. Sznewajs also was a Manager at Bain & Company in the restructuring and turnaround practice. Mr. Sznewajs graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Finance and Accounting. He has an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sey5_87-XWY

Michael A. Bego is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kline Hill Partners, which he founded in 2015. Mr. Bego sits on the Investment Committee of all of the Kline Hill Partners funds and is a board member of organizations including the American Investment Council and the Greenwich YMCA.

From 2005 through 2015, Mr. Bego was a partner at secondary firm Willowridge Partners, where he was instrumental in developing a focused strategy around small-deal secondary transactions. Mr. Bego was a consultant at McKinsey & Co. until 2005, conducted a turnaround at Vincent Longo in 2003, was in venture capital at LGP from 2000 to 2003, and ran projects and sold enterprise software at Numetrix (now part of Oracle) from 1993 through 1998.

Mr. Bego founded and runs "THE Secondary Day" since 2006, an annual, collegial event that each year brings together executives across the secondary industry.

Mr. Bego received a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Cornell University in 1993 and an MBA (Beta Gamma Sigma) from Columbia University Business School in 2000.

Neha Champaneria Markle

Head of Morgan Stanley Private Equity Solutions

Neha Champaneria Markle is a Managing Director and the Head of Morgan Stanley Private Equity Solutions. Prior to joining the firm, Neha served on the investment teams at Apax Partners and Pomona Capital. She also served on the management team for Springboard Enterprises, Inc., a non-profit organization focused on improving female entrepreneurs’ access to venture capital. Neha started her career as part of the financial analyst program at Morgan Stanley. Neha received a B.S. magna cum laude in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. with honors from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Michael Butler is the Co-founder and Chairman of Cascadia Capital, one of the most active independent investment banks in the country. He has deep capital raising and M&A expertise having been involved in hundreds of transactions worth over $5 billion throughout his career on Wall Street and at Cascadia Capital.  For over twenty years, the firm has strived to deliver the best outcomes for its clients by providing entrepreneurs, family-owned businesses and private equity firms with trusted merger and acquisition advice, capital raising and strategic advisory services.

Pardis Nasseri

CEO & President, Palm Tree LLC

Pardis Nasseri is a driven entrepreneur and the architect of Palm Tree, the modern M&A advisor. The firm integrates investment banking, strategic finance, and transaction support services for private equity sponsors, business owners, and management teams. Over the course of his career, Pardis has been personally involved in successful M&A transactions with an aggregate value of over $30 billion.

Pardis began his career in M&A with the transaction services practice of PwC, as an investment banker with Jefferies, and an investor with Platinum Equity. He founded Palm Tree in 2010 and grew the firm from its roots as a boutique M&A consultancy to a nationwide enterprise offering a suite of integrated financial services. The firm became a registered member of FINRA in 2020 and is led today by a team of accomplished managing directors who execute on engagements worldwide.

The Los Angeles Times has recognized Pardis as a visionary leader who prepares organizations for next-level growth, and The Los Angeles Business Journal has recognized Pardis among the most influential private equity advisors in the nation. Pardis is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization, where he serves on the board of its Santa Barbara chapter. He is a recurring guest lecturer at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, has served as a panelist at M&A and entrepreneurship events, and has moderated panels at the annual ACG business conference.

Pardis graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a double major in Business Economics and Philosophy and is currently attending the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Dr. Sherry Nasseri, reside in Montecito, California with their two children.

Jeffrey Stevenson is the Managing Partner of VSS and has overall responsibility for the management of the firm and each of its funds. Mr. Stevenson joined VSS in 1982, shortly after its formation, and founded its private equity business in 1987. Mr. Stevenson is the Chairman of the investment committee and has served on the boards of over 31 portfolio companies and currently serves as a member of the board of the following VSS portfolio companies: Center for Rheumatology, Ambulatory Management Solutions, Ascent Behavioral Health, BRC Healthcare, Specialty1 Partners, Pacesetter Health, Coretelligent, ITN Networks, MetSchools, Southern Theatres LLC.

Previously, he served as a director of Advanstar, Brandshop, Cambium Learning, Canon Communications, Cast & Crew, De Telefoongids, Mediatel, Ebiquity, Hanley Wood, ITE Group, Pepcom, Tax Credit Co., TMP Worldwide, and Yellow Book USA, among others. Mr. Stevenson serves as a member of the finance committee for the not-for profit organization, Fraxa Research Foundation. He is also involved with the following organizations: YPO/WPO, SBIA Board of Governors and Lincoln Center Leadership Committee. He previously served on the board of Dojan TV Holdings, and as the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vencerx Therapeutics. Mr. Stevenson holds a BA from Rutgers College.

Ross is a Managing Director at Berkshire Partners in Boston. He began his career in private equity over 35 years ago.  Ross joined Berkshire Partners in 1993 and became a Managing Director of the firm in 2000.  During his tenure, Ross has represented the firm’s interests on a wide range of portfolio company boards, including:  Advanced Drainage Systems, Asurion, Bare Escentuals, Carter’s, Inc., CrossFit, Melissa & Doug, Torres Unidas, and Tower Development Corporation.  Prior to Berkshire Partners, Ross worked at a start-up merchant bank, at Bain & Co. and in the Investment Banking Division of Morgan Stanley & Co.  He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Ross enjoys travel adventures with his family, exploring the great outdoors, and a variety of sports including biking, golf, tennis, and skiing.  He is engaged in several non-profit organizations including The Imago Dei Fund, which he cofounded with his wife, Emily, in 2010, Seed a Stanford GSB-led initiative that is working to end the cycle of global poverty, and the Dartmouth College President’s Leadership Council. Ross and Emily raised their three now grown children in Needham, Massachusetts, where they currently reside.

Mr. Merrill is the Co-Founder, Chairman and CEO of Harrison Street, a real assets investment management firm he co-founded in 2005 that has completed over $65 billion in transactional volume and as of 2Q 2023 has nearly $56 billion in AUM.

Mr. Merrill is currently the largest individual shareholder and serves as Chairman of the Board and the Investment and Executive Committees of the Firm. The Firm was a first mover and innovator of a focused investment strategy around the Education, Healthcare, Life Sciences and Storage segments of the real estate market (launching nine closed-end funds as well as industry leading open-end funds). Over 590 investors ($29 billion since inception) participate in Harrison Street funds including U.S., European and Asian pension funds, corporate plans, insurance companies, endowments, foundations and family offices. The Firm is headquartered in Chicago with offices in Berlin, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Tokyo, Toronto, San Francisco and Washington DC.

Prior to co-founding Harrison Street, Mr. Merrill was a partner, owner and Managing Director of a large U.S. Pension Fund Advisory firm where he developed the firm’s presence in Europe, creating the first ever real estate funds exclusively targeting the markets of Central Europe. This initial fund was one of the Top 10 performing global funds during vintage years 1996-2000 as noted by Preqin.

Throughout his career, Mr. Merrill has been awarded numerous distinctions from leading publications and institutions, most recently being recognized as PERE’s Industry Figure of the Year: Global for the year 2022. Mr. Merrill is a member of YPO, Economic Club of Chicago, and Chicago Commonwealth Club. He serves on the board of the Pension Real Estate Association (“PREA”), Rush University Medical Board (Facilities Committee), University of Wisconsin Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, TCU Center for Real Estate, Roanoke College, the real estate advisory boards of Gore Creek and Kinship Capital, The First Tee of Greater Chicago, Salisbury School, and Chicago Botanic Garden (Financial Committee). He is also an active angel investor in many early-stage companies. Mr. Merrill earned his MBA from the CASS School of Business in London, England.

Rami Cassis is an international investor, operations expert, and founder of Parabellum Investments.

Rami founded Parabellum Investments, his family office and private equity firm, in 2012.

His investments include automation firm Parseq, serialisation specialist Advanco, fintech company ieDigital and digital transformation experts MajorKey.

Rami usually acquires a controlling interest in businesses, where he provides CEOs and decision-makers with the tools, expertise, and strategies to drive organic growth – a pragmatic business philosophy taken from an extensive career in operations.

Rami has held a number of executive positions with corporations, including Operations Director, Chairman, CEO, and COO.

Prior to this, Rami worked in line management with Atos, where he was Managing Director of BPO/ITO for the firm in the UK. He also had a brief consulting career with KPMG, as well as a 10 year career at Schlumberger, starting as an operating engineer before holding a succession of management roles.

Rami holds two degrees – one in Aerospace Engineering and the other in Pure and Applied Mathematics – both gained at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

In his personal life, Rami is a professional kickboxer and has fought in 13 competitive bouts. He has chalked up six wins and one draw as an amateur; and four wins, one draw, and one loss as a pro. He has a black belt, 1st Dan and trains at least three times a week.

He is also passionate about music production

Chris Burbach is a Co-Founder, Partner and the Chief Executive Officer of Fundamental Income. Chris is a member of the Board and jointly leads the Company’s Investment Committee.

Before founding Fundamental Income, Chris served as Executive Vice President of Underwriting for STORE Capital Corporation (NYSE: STOR) for seven years. In that role, he led the underwriting of approximately $12 billion in net lease investments, including over $7.5 billion in closed transactions. Chris also served as both a member and chairman of STORE’s Investment Committee. In addition to his investment and management responsibilities, Chris co-led numerous aspects of STORE’s capital markets activities, including corporate capital strategy, corporate credit ratings, the issuance of $725 million in investment grade corporate unsecured notes, and the issuance of over $2 billion in asset-backed notes, including A+ and AAA-rated notes.

Before joining STORE, Chris spent six years at Spirit Finance Corporation, where he served as the Vice President of Investment Management responsible for managing the company’s $3.5 billion real estate investment portfolio, in addition to managing the underwriting group. He also previously served as CEO of VM Management, Inc., an owner and manager of private charter schools, and as a consultant for Navigant Consulting working with construction and government industry groups. Chris earned his B.S. in Finance from Santa Clara University and his M.B.A. from Arizona State University. Chris is also a CFA® charterholder.

Jeff serves as Managing Partner of Cloverlay and is a member of the Firm’s Investment Committee and Board of Directors. Prior to founding Cloverlay, Jeff was a Managing Director with Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners (AIP), a division of Morgan Stanley’s institutional asset management business. While at AIP, Jeff was a member of the Executive and Business Committees and served on AIP’s Private Markets Investment Committee as a Portfolio Manager responsible for leading primary fund, co-investment and secondary transactions focused on special situations globally and North American buyouts. Prior to AIP, Jeff advised and traded equity options and futures with U.S. hedge funds in Morgan Stanley’s Equity Derivatives Group in New York. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Jeff was on the investment team at Petra Capital Partners, where he was responsible for screening, researching, structuring and monitoring private equity investments in health care and information services companies. Prior to Petra Capital, Jeff was an investment banker at Robertson Stephens, where he executed a variety of public and private equity, debt and convertible offerings along with mergers and acquisitions in financial services, health care, and business services.

As president of EGI, Mark oversees all aspects of the business. He focuses on maximizing and sustaining the value of the firm’s investment portfolio and applies his 20+ years of board and CEO experience inside and outside the organization by actively engaging with the investment team and portfolio companies to improve business strategies and operating capabilities.

In addition, Mark is the chair of the Chai Trust Company, LLC (Chai) investment committee as well as the executive vice president of Chai, which serves as the corporate trustee for the Zell family trusts. He also serves as board chair for Ardent Health Services, East Coast Warehouse & Distribution, Lanter Delivery Systems, Paper Transport, and an agricultural equipment dealer.

Mark joined EGI in 2006 as a managing director and has held temporary in-house assignments within EGI portfolio companies to accelerate and increase the effectiveness of turnarounds, including stints at Tribune Interactive and Exterran Holdings, Inc. Prior to joining EGI, Mark was the chief executive officer of Sunburst Technology Corporation and on the company’s board of directors. He also served as the president of Budget Group, Inc. (Budget Rent A Car and Ryder Truck Rental) and was on the company’s board. Earlier in his career, Mark worked at The Coca-Cola Company in senior brand management and sales roles.

Mark holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Amherst College.

Head of Secondary Investments Private Equity

Responsibilities at Schroders Capital

Christiaan van der Kam is the head of Schroders Capital’s secondary investment program, responsible for all secondary investment activities globally.

Background

Prior to joining Schroders Capital in 2020, Christiaan spent more than 12 years at Unigestion, where he co-lead the global secondary investment program and was responsible for all secondary investments in North America and Asia. Prior to that, he worked at New Amsterdam Capital, a hedge fund based in London, where he provided financial and advisory services to companies. Christiaan started his private equity career at ATP Private Equity from 2001–2006. ATP is the largest pension fund in Denmark and one of the largest private equity
investors globally.

Education

Christiaan holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business and a Master degree in Applied Economics and Finance from Copenhagen Business School, Denmark.

Marc J. Leder, Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., has been engaged in leveraged buyouts, investment banking, and business operations for more than 30 years. In addition, Mr. Leder is a member of the Sun Capital Executive Committee which oversees and manages the overall strategy of the firm. Mr. Leder received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Leder is a Member of the International Counsel for the Museum Berggruen in Berlin and also sits on the Board of the Institute of Contemporary Arts at the University of Pennsylvania.