Connections: private equity appointments and promotions

ECI has recruited Ben Kirrage to its investment team, as an investment manager, from global wealth management platform FNZ, where he was in the strategy and corporate development team. Prior to FNZ, he worked in the M&A advisory teams at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods and Raymond James, where he focused on fintech deals.

WestBridge has promoted Luke Gilbert to senior investment manager. He joined as an investment executive in 2023, after three years at Stephens.

Simon Rowan has joined Total Capital as partner from Averroes Capital, where he was a partner and spent three years. He previously spent 13 years with Dunedin Private Equity.

Phil Sampson has joined Foresight’s private equity team in Cardiff, to manage the deployment of the £50m equity element of Foresight’s £130m Investment Fund for Wales. He has joined from PwC in Cardiff, where he spent 16 years. He previously worked for Finance Wales (now the Development Bank of Wales).

Investec has launched a private capital advisory team and promoted Stefano Manna to head this new service line. Manna joined Investec as head of GP advisory in 2023, from Eaton Partners, where he was a director in its secondary advisory service line. He previously worked for Cebile Capital and Greenhill Cogent in London and Advanced Capital and Palladio Finanziaria in Milan.

Aldermore has recruited Jack Arnold (1) and Matthew Gudgeon (2) as business development managers within its commercial real estate (CRE) team. Arnold has joined from NatWest, where he spent 10 years. Leeds-based Gudgeon has joined from OakNorth Bank, having previously spent 10 years in the commercial banking team at HSBC.

Jeremy Harrison has joined White Oak Commercial Finance as a managing director to lead the UK and EMEA asset-based lending business. He has joined from Alvarez & Marsal, and previously worked for ABN AMRO Commercial Finance, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Lloyds Banking Group and GE Capital.

Jen Murray has joined TDC as a managing director in London, from Shawbrook Bank, where she was head of financial sponsors. She previously spent 11 years with RBS.