Hg strengthens executive team with six senior appointments
• 4 minute read
London, UK; New York, NY 24 April 2024: Hg, a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses, today announces six recent senior appointments to support the future ambitions of the firm.
Tara Carter and Laura Grattan will join as Partners in Hg’s Genesis team, Vijay Bharadia will join as Partner and the firm’s CFO, Christopher Kindt has been promoted to Partner in the Portfolio Value Creation team, Samantha McGonigle has joined as a Partner and General Counsel and Annie Wei has joined as Director in Hg’s Mercury team.
Tara, Vijay, Chris and Samantha will be based in the UK, with Laura and Annie joining as members of the New York office. Each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in investment, execution or operations to further strengthen Hg's position as a leading player in the transatlantic software sector.
Matthew Brockman, Managing Partner at Hg, said: "Key to delivering sustained performance for our investors is having an energised team that includes some of the best in our industry. Each of Tara, Laura, Vijay, Samantha, Chris and Annie, brings a unique track record and capability to Hg as well as being a great cultural fit with our firm and our portfolio. I am delighted that each has chosen to join and continue their career as part of Hg, as we look to further build our leadership position in transatlantic software and as one the most active software and services investors globally.”
By continuing to invest in the senior team, Hg will further build its leading transatlantic position in software investment, anchored by our leadership position and scale in Europe. Our strategy is to be the most relevant investor to support growing software and services companies based on expertise, capability and cultural fit. Today Hg has a portfolio of around 50 such businesses, growing revenue at around 20% annually and valued at more than $140 billion in combined enterprise value, supplying critical software or workflow services that transform how people work.
Tara Carter joins Hg with 20 years of experience in investment banking and has worked closely with Hg for many years, contributing to multiple investments. Tara specialises in global M&A transactions in the data & analytics, information services, and technology sectors. Her previous role as Managing Director in the Technology Corporate Finance Team at Houlihan Lokey gives Tara extensive experience in origination and conversion, making her a valuable addition to the Hg team.
Laura Grattan joins Hg from Crosspoint Capital Partners, where she was a Managing Director. Prior to Crosspoint, Laura was a Managing Director at Thomas H. Lee Partners, focusing on Technology and HCIT investing. During her more than 13 years at THL, she was responsible for sourcing, evaluating, executing, managing, and exiting growth and buyout investments across a range of industries, including technology, information services, media, and healthcare.
Vijay Bharadia will start at Hg in August 2024 and brings extensive experience in financial, operational, strategic transformation and risk management in the alternative asset management sector. His previous roles include Chief Financial and Operating Officer at Intermediate Capital Group PLC and International CFO at Blackstone. His expertise across operational functions, and across geographies, will be invaluable in driving Hg's continued growth.
Christopher Kindt, Hg’s Head of Portfolio Value Creation has been promoted to Partner. Chris has been responsible for building Hg’s in-house group of operations experts over the last decade – a scaled team dedicated to working directly with management to help shape and support their ambitions in creating value.
Samantha McGonigle joins Hg as a partner from the Private Equity practice of Paul Hastings, having previously been a Partner and co-founder at Farview Equity Partners Limited and prior to that a Partner at Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. With over 20 years of experience in private equity, Samantha brings a wealth of knowledge in investments, mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, particularly in the technology and financial technology sectors.
Sam will replace Andrew Jessop who is retiring from the firm at the end of May after 12 years at Hg, having made a material contribution to the firm, and our investments, whilst building out an effective legal & tax advisory team that is highly regarded by both advisors and peers.
Annie Wei joins Hg from Thoma Bravo, where she served as Principal. Before Thoma Bravo, Annie was a Principal at BC Partners and also spent time at Carlyle Group and Morgan Stanley. Her extensive experience in software sector investments will be invaluable to Hg's continued growth and leadership in the transatlantic software investment sector.
For further information, please contact:
Tom Eckersley
tom.eckersley@hgcapital.com
About Hg
Hg supports the building of sector-leading enterprises that supply businesses with critical software applications or workflow services, delivering a more automated workplace for their customers.
This industry is characterised by digitization trends that are in early stages of adoption and are set to transform the workplace for professionals over decades to come. Hg’s support combines deep end-market knowledge with world class operational resources, together providing compelling support to entrepreneurial leaders looking to scale their business – businesses that are well invested, enduring and serve their customers well.
With a vast European network and strong presence across North America, Hg’s 400 employees and $65 billion in funds under management support a portfolio of around 50 businesses, worth over $140 billion aggregate enterprise value, with around 110,000 employees, consistently growing revenues at more than 20% annually.