FIRSTavenue Strengthens Global Client Advisory and Marketing Capabilities with Five Senior Appointments

October 2022

Monday, 10 October 2022

UK and US-based additions enhance the firm’s specialism in private credit and real assets, as well as strengthening distribution capabilities to institutional and private wealth investors

LONDON AND NEW YORK - FIRSTavenue, a leading global private funds placement agent and investment advisory firm specialising in private credit, real assets, private equity and associated capital solutions, today announces five new hires across the firm’s Project Management and Marketing teams. The appointments across the firm’s London and New York offices will serve to enhance the firm’s client advisory services to blue-chip GPs globally, as well as to strengthen the firm’s distribution capabilities to institutional investors.

“We are thrilled to welcome each of these talented individuals to our growing global team,” said Paul Buckley, Founder and Managing Partner of FIRSTavenue. “Our client advisory and distribution capabilities are two sides of the same coin when it comes to executing our clients’ mandates, and we are delighted to be expanding our team to meet the growing demand we are seeing for private funds placement services. In a more challenging fundraising environment, which we are undoubtedly in, our role in connecting institutional investors with blue-chip private funds is more important than ever.”

Joanna Andrews has joined as a Managing Director in the Project Management team, where she will focus on advising infrastructure and private equity GPs. Joanna was previously a member of the Private Funds Group at Weil, Gotschal & Manges, where her work focused on serving Strategic Advisory clients on first-time funds and new product launches by established managers. She also has extensive in-house experience, having served in investor relations roles at Foresight Group and Permira.
John Linger will work with FIRSTavenue’s team in the United States as a Senior Advisor where he will focus primarily on real estate private credit. Prior to joining FIRSTavenue, John was a Managing Director with Prospect Avenue Partners, a boutique placement firm in the United States focused on real assets. Previously, John led global capital formation for Square Mile Capital, Cherokee Investment Partners and the real estate private equity group at Lehman Brothers.
Jason Melser has joined as a Director, Private Credit Marketing and Origination in FIRSTavenue’s New York office. Jason joins the firm from Bridgepoint where he led the business development and capital formation effort in North America. Earlier, he spent seven years at CVC As Vice President of Business Development and Capital Origination.
Nick Oates joins as a Director on the US marketing team covering Texas and the South West and specializing in the RIA market. Nick brings over fourteen years of private markets experience, joining from iCapital where he served as Vice President, Investment Products & Research. Previous to this, Nick held positions at Fred Alger Management Inc., and he started his career at Credit Suisse.
Benjamin Thibaudat has joined as a Director in the Marketing team at the firm’s London office, where he will support the distribution of the firm’s mandates to institutional investors based in France, Benelux and French-speaking Switzerland. Prior to joining the firm, Benjamin was a Business Development Director at International Asset Management. Earlier, he spent five years on the International Business Development team at EnTrust Global in London.

These hires follow the recent appointment of Nick Chronias as Global Head of the Capital Solutions Group in June 2022.

About FIRSTavenue

FIRSTavenue is a leading independent global placement agent and advisory firm specialising in private credit, real assets, private equity and associated capital solutions. Since the firm’s inception in 2006, it has raised more than $26 billion of capital commitments on behalf of its clients. The firm maintains a global presence via its headquarters in London and offices in New York, Hong Kong and Hamburg, and today consist of over 45 professionals. www.firstavenue.com

For further information, please contact pbuckley@firstavenue.com.

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