FIRSTavenue appoints Neil Banta as Senior Advisor for the Americas

September 2025

New York, 29 September 2025 – FIRSTavenue is pleased to announce the appointment of Neil Banta as a Senior Advisor for its Americas business. Neil was most recently a Partner at Triago (acquired recently by Houlihan Lokey) focused on strategic advisory and secondary transactions for private equity GPs. He enjoyed earlier stints in private capital advisory at Albright, Hycroft, Greenhill / Mizuho, and Citigroup.

Neil enjoys a broad business development remit that ranges from advising on firm strategy, developing firm culture and GP relationship development across our primary fund placement and secondaries business lines. He will also directly advise the firm’s Managing Partner and Head of Americas.

Paul Buckley, FIRSTavenue’s Managing Partner, commented: ‘Neil’s arrival represents the latest milestone in developing our U.S. business and follows up on several senior hires made earlier this year. I expect Neil to have a material impact on our profile in the private funds community as we further develop our private equity and secondaries franchises’.

Jeff Davis, Head of the Americas, commented: The U.S. represents approximately 75% of the private equity market and 75% of the secondaries market. Neil’s appointment is the first of additional announcements to follow later this year as we further invest in our Americas franchise’.

Neil Banta commented: ‘FIRSTavenue is one of the few placement agents of global scale. At a time when capital raising is cyclically depressed, I see a material opportunity to further expand its international reach and proven capital solutions capabilities to North American GPs’.

FIRSTavenue appoints Neil Banta as Senior Advisor for the Americas

Over $700m Final Close of Macquarie Alliance Partners Infrastructure Fund

FIRSTavenue appoints Neil Banta as Senior Advisor for the Americas

FIRSTavenue Announces Promotion of Three New Partners

FIRSTavenue Appoints Andrew Rosato as Partner to Lead Mid-Atlantic and Mid-West Investor Coverage

Michael Dunham Joins FIRSTavenue as Partner in New York Office

FIRSTavenue Expands Leadership Team with Appointment of Jeff Davis as Partner and Head of the Americas

Marguerite III closes at over €700 million

FIRSTavenue Awarded 2024 Excellence in Private Funds Advisory (UK) by CFI.co

FIRSTavenue Announces Expansion of Capital Solutions Group with Key Hires from Tradition Private Markets Secondaries Team

FIRSTavenue Congratulates Impax Asset Management on €459 Million Final Close of Impax New Energy Investors Fund IV

Promotions 2024

FIRSTavenue drives innovation within the private markets by making strategic investment in Frictionless Markets

FIRSTAVENUE ELEVATES TALENT WITH A SERIES OF STRATEGIC PROMOTIONS

FIRSTavenue appoints John Crocker as Head of Project Management in North America

FIRSTavenue supports Vision Blue Resources in their $650 million fundraise

Barry Wilson joins FIRSTavenue’s North American private credit team

FIRSTavenue Appoints Fahim Imam-Sadeque as Managing Director to Strengthen European Sales Team

Planet First Partners Announces €450 Million Final Close of Growth Impact Fund

FIRSTavenue Announces Launch of Social Mobility Programme

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

FIRSTavenue Appoints Nick Chronias to Lead Capital Solutions Group Serving the Growing Private Funds Secondaries Market

Key Note Interview

Expert Q & A

Evergreen Thoughts - by Francesca Lloyd

UBS O’CONNOR ANNOUNCE FINAL CLOSE OF CLOVER PRIVATE CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES II STRATEGY RAISING USD1.7 BILLION

New Joiners to First Avenue - February 2022

STAR AMERICA ANNOUNCE FINAL CLOSE OF INFRASTRUCTURE FUND II RAISING USD700MN

Infrastructure & Private Debt Awards 2021

2021 Promotions!

FINAL CLOSE OF SIGNAL ALPHA II FUND AT EUR 900MN

FINAL CLOSE OF NOVO TELLUS PE FUND 2 AT USD 250MN

Still Committed to Credit - Expert Q&A with Tavneet Bakshi for Private Debt Investor's 2021 Perspective Report

Making the Case for African Infrastructure - Expert Q&A with Paul Buckley for Infrastructure Investor's 2021 Perspective's Report

FINAL CLOSE OF TRITON DEBT OPPORTUNITIES II

FIRST AVENUE ANNOUNCES NEW PROMOTIONS

EQUITIX’S EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE FUND I RAISES EUR 558MN

FINAL CLOSE OF CRESCENT’S EUROPEAN SPECIALITY LENDING FUND II RAISES EUR 1.75BN

GRANT DAVIS JOINS FIRST AVENUE

Keynote Interview

Expert Q&A

FIRSTAVENUE RECEIVES RECOGNITION FROM TWO INDUSTRY-LEADING PUBLICATIONS FOR 2019

Seeking out new strategies

Preparing for fundraising challenges

A coming of age for the energy transition

FINAL CLOSE OF WESTBRIDGE II RAISES £140M (US$182m) OF FIREPOWER

How direct lending's growth is changing returns

Anatomy of a fundraise

FIRSTAVENUE HAS BEEN NOMINATED ACROSS ALL REGIONS AS PLACEMENT AGENT OF THE YEAR IN THE PRIVATE DEBT INVESTOR 2018 AWARDS

INFRAVIA CAPITAL PARTNERS EXCEEDS TARGET AGAIN

Judo Capital raises A$140 million to build Australia's first challenger bank

FIRSTavenue hosts KOFIA Investment Conference in London

Dry powder and diversity

DEREK DIETRICH RETURNS TO FIRSTAVENUE

Real Deals explores the private debt market with Tavneet Bakshi

Real Deals In Profile with Firstavenue

FIRSTAVENUE ADDS COLLIS KLARBERG TO THE GLOBAL TEAM

Crescent Mezzanine Fund VII Closes More Than $4.6 Billion

FIRSTavenue hires Caroline Weir as Chief Financial Officer

Freeport Financial Secures $500 million of Capital for Fund III

INFRAVIA III HITS ITS HARD CAP IN CLOSING AT EUR 1 BILLION

FIRST AVENUE HUNTING FOR THE NEXT BIG THING

Rockefeller Brothers Fund confirms investment in Mainstream Renewable Power Africa power generation platform

Mainstream Renewable Power Signs Landmark Africa Clean Energy Equity Funding

Actis raises over $500m for new African real estate fund

FIRSTavenue hires Stefan Sarles as Group General Counsel

SMA’S WITH BEN SCHRYBER

FIRST AVENUE RECEIVES PDI’S 2014 CREDIT PLACEMENT AGENT OF THE YEAR AWARD

FEE STRUCTURES MOVE FOR PRIVATE DEBT FUNDS WITH BEN SCHRYBER

OUR VIEWS ON THE ART OF BENCHMARKING

FIRSTAVENUE OPENS AUSTRALIAN OFFICE AND ADDS PARTNER

M&G INVESTMENTS HOLDS FINAL CLOSE ON OVERSUBSCRIBED FUNDS WITH FIRSTAVENUE AS GLOBAL PLACEMENT AGENT

MEZZVEST HOLDS FINAL CLOSE ON €585 MILLION FOR FUND III

ACTIS HOLDS FINAL CLOSE ON OVERSUBSCRIBED THIRD ENERGY FUND WITH FIRSTAVENUE AS SOLE PLACEMENT AGENT

OUR LATEST VIEWS ON THE PRIVATE CREDIT MARKETS

STONEPEAK INFRASTRUCTURE PARTNERS HOLDS FINAL CLOSE ON OVERSUBSCRIBED DEBUT FUND WITH FIRST AVENUE AS SOLE PLACEMENT AGENT

FIRST AVENUE BRINGS IN FORMER GOLDMAN EXEC

BREOF II

M&G REAL ESTATE DEBT FUND

PORTILLION