PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HGGC, a leading middle market private equity firm, today announced that it is making four promotions and expanding its team with twelve new hires across the operations and investment functions. These additions—all of which come to HGGC from blue-chip financial and business brands—will help ensure that HGGC has the talent and bandwidth to execute its successful investment strategy and foster portfolio company value creation as it continues its growth trajectory.
“As we continue to grow our portfolio and build value in our companies, we’re very excited that we have been able to continue to recruit and retain some of the industry’s best talent,” said Rich Lawson, Chairman, CEO and co-founder of HGGC. “These promotions and additions come less than a year after a similar growth announcement, and we see no slowdown in our current trajectory.”
HGGC’s personnel growth follows the busiest period in the firm’s history. Since the start of 2017, HGGC has completed 10 platform investments and over 50 add-on investments, representing an aggregate transaction value of nearly $8 billion, and has distributed over $1 billion in proceeds through 10 liquidity events.
“People are the key to our portfolio and partnership success,” added Steve Young, President and co-founder of HGGC. “This group not only has the experience and intellect to execute great deals, but also has the interpersonal skills to partner with sellers and make it happen in today’s frothy environment.”
Promoted team members include:
Neil White, promoted to Partner
White, who joined the firm in 2009, is active in the firm's Fund III investments in AMI, Nutraceutical International Corporation and IDERA, the Fund II investments in Davies Group, Integrity, Dynata and Pearl, as well as the Fund I investments in iQor and Gee Holdings. Prior to joining HGGC, Neil worked in the Private Investments Group at Och-Ziff Capital Management, where he participated in all aspects of investment sourcing, analysis, and execution, as well as portfolio company management. Previously, he worked at Bain Capital and the Boston Consulting Group. Neil holds a B.A. in Economics, summa cum laude, from Brigham Young University, where he was first in his class.
Anna Ike, promoted to Vice President
Ike has been active in the firm’s Fund III investments in AMI and HelpSystems, as well as the Fund II investment in FPX. Prior to HGGC, Anna worked in the Leveraged Finance and Healthcare groups at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where she focused on M&A, IPOs, and leveraged buyouts. Anna holds bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Hispanic Studies, magna cum laude, from Davidson College and is currently pursuing her MBA at Harvard Business School.
Welsford Bishopric, promoted to Senior Associate
Bishopric has been active in the firm’s Fund III investments in AMI and Denodo, the Fund II investment in Davies Group, as well as the Fund I investment in Innovative. Prior to HGGC, Welsford was an Analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he focused on buyouts, M&A, and capital raises. Welsford holds a B.S. of Business Administration in Finance from Elon University.
Hao Qin, promoted to Senior Associate
Qin is active in the firm’s Fund III investment in Denodo, the Fund II investment in Dealer-FX, as well as the Fund I investment in Innovative. Prior to HGGC Hao was with Onex Partners, where he conducted due diligence, and Goldman, Sachs & Co. Hao holds a B.A. in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo.
Complementing these promotions, the operations team has added new members at all levels:
Ankit Dhawan, Operating Partner
Dhawan has joined HGGC’s affiliated Operational Resource Group (“ORG”). ORG will leverage Ankit’s decades of experience in PE-backed global companies and his skills in finance, operations, turnarounds, and systemic improvements. Ankit holds an MBA from the University of Delaware and a B.E. in Industrial Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
Rich Gros, Operating Partner
Gros has joined ORG as a transformational leader in human capital. He has decades of experience building high-performance cultures, developing organizational capabilities, and scaling businesses. Rich holds an M.A. in Personnel Administration from New York University, a B.A. in Psychology from Pace University, and is a graduate of the Executive Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.
Matt Witherell, Operating Partner
Witherell has joined ORG after spending 15 years as a commercial leader in consumer products, including Senior Vice President roles at both Red Bull and MillerCoors. Matt has a strong foundation in strategy, finance, and commercial leadership. Matt holds an MBA from Stanford University and a B.A. in Economics & Government from Dartmouth College.
Thad Longson, Operating Principal
Longson has a broad range of experience in strategy, M&A, and strategic change management. Prior to joining HGGC, Thad was with Franklin Templeton for over a decade, rising to SVP, Multi Asset Solutions Investment Team, and was COO of fintech startup RobustWealth. Thad holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from UCLA and a B.S. in Economics from Brigham Young University.
Michelle Knox, Philanthropy Lead
Knox has served as Director of Media and Public Relations at the Forever Young Foundation for more than two decades. Michelle will now coordinate HGGC’s philanthropic efforts in addition to her continued work at the Forever Young Foundation. Michelle holds a B.A. from Arizona State University.
Eloisa Angeles, Administrative Assistant
Angeles serves as a receptionist and administrative assistant. Prior to joining HGGC, Eloisa worked at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Stanford University.
Six investment associates have been added to form HGGC’s newest class:
Alex Bryan – Bryan was previously a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where he advised on strategic, financial, and operational issues for M&A, corporate portfolio strategy, and finance transformations. Alex holds a Master’s in Professional Accounting and a B.A. in Business Administration in Accounting, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas at Austin.
Genevieve Crawford – Crawford was an Investment Banking Analyst at Greenhill & Co., where she focused on M&A and restructurings, valuation analyses, strategic alternatives models and client presentations. Genevieve holds a B.A. with Honors in Economics and International Studies with a concentration in Global Health & Development from John Hopkins University.
Ignacio de Lera – de Lera was an Investment Banking Analyst at Credit Suisse, where he worked on leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, and debt and equity financings for private equity firms. Ignacio holds a B.S. in Business Administration and International Business from Georgetown University.
Will Dean – Dean was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Sponsors and Leveraged Finance group at UBS Investment Bank, where he worked on LBO, refinancing, recapitalization, and repricing transactions with private equity and corporate clients. Will holds a B.S. in Business Administration in Finance, Operations and Information Management with a minor in Government from Georgetown University.
Hampton Ike – Ike was an Investment Banking Analyst at Jefferies, where he focused on technology, media, communications & information services and advised and executed corporate defense, debt & equity financings and buy-side & sell-side M&A transactions. Hampton holds a BSC in Accounting and Business Administration, magna cum laude, and a B.A. in Economics, magna cum laude, from Washington and Lee University.
Ryan Lee – Lee was an Investment Banking Associate at Morgan Stanley, where he focused on performing comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analyses to advise clients through strategic alternatives in the media and communications sector. Ryan holds a B.S. with Honors in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
About HGGC
HGGC is a leading middle-market private equity firm with $4.3 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Based in Palo Alto, Calif., HGGC is distinguished by its Advantaged Investing approach that enables the firm to source and acquire scalable businesses through partnerships with management teams, founders and sponsors who reinvest alongside HGGC, creating a strong alignment of interests. Over its history, HGGC has completed more than 130 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $20 billion. More information, including a complete list of current and former portfolio companies is available at www.hggc.com.
