Adds Veteran Private Equity Professionals and Opens Office in Dublin, Ireland
HOUSTON and BOSTON and DUBLIN, Sept. 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ara Partners ("Ara"), a private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments, today announced that it has significantly expanded its presence in Europe through the hiring of five key investment professionals and the opening of an office in Dublin, Ireland.
Ara's expansion in Europe includes the addition of Christopher Picotte as a Partner, Luis Pais Correia as a Senior Operating Partner, Lisa O'Brien as General Counsel-Europe, Myles O'Shaughnessy as a Principal and Chris Seenan as a Vice President.
"We are thrilled to welcome Chris, Luis and the rest of the Europe-based team to the Ara organization," said Charles Cherington, a Managing Partner at Ara. "We believe this world-class team of professionals and their combined expertise will further Ara's growing presence in the European private equity market."
"Europe is clearly at the forefront of the global decarbonization movement," added Troy Thacker, a Managing Partner at Ara. "Our Dublin office provides us with a meaningful foothold in this important market and will be supported by a strong team of professionals with decades of experience investing in the industrial sector in Europe and with established networks across the industry."
Chris Picotte co-founded Aksiom Group in 2017. Since 2013 he has also been the Chairman and a shareholder of px Group Ltd, a leading provider of O&M and technical services for midstream, power generation and industrial infrastructure assets in the United Kingdom and Northwestern Europe. He serves as the Chairman of AXESS Networks Solutions SL and as a board member of Anesco Holdings Ltd and of Jernbro Industrial Services AB. He served as a Managing Director and Senior Advisor at ArcLight Capital Partners from 2001-2014, where he led their European investment activity.
Luis Pais Correia co-founded Aksiom Group in 2017. He has been a board member and a shareholder of px Group Ltd since 2014. He is a member of the board of Värmevärden, a leading Swedish district heating company owned by institutional investors advised by JP Morgan Asset Management. He serves as the Chairman of Anesco Holdings Ltd and Jernbro Industrial Services AB and as a board member of AXESS Networks Solutions SL. Luis has been a senior manager in the energy industry for over 25 years. Prior to Aksiom, Luis was a Director and Manager at Dalkia (a company co-owned by Veolia Environnement and EDF, respectively the largest environmental and energy services company and the largest power company globally) for more than 15 years.
Lisa O'Brien previously served as General Counsel for Aksiom Group and has over twenty years of experience in finance and corporate law. Prior to joining Aksiom, Lisa was a partner in the New York office of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, where she was a member of the Partnership Council and a Co-Head of the US Energy and Infrastructure practice. Her transaction expertise includes private equity, energy and infrastructure, project finance and corporate finance and securities in both the US and Europe.
Myles O'Shaughnessy previously served as a Vice President at Aksiom Group. Prior to Aksiom, Myles was a Vice President in the Corporate Credit Group of Guggenheim Partners where he was responsible for European corporate debt investments including syndicated and direct middle market leveraged loans as well as high yield bonds across the energy, utilities, infrastructure, services and chemicals sectors. Previously, Myles worked in a number of trading and operations roles within financial services.
Chris Seenan previously served as a Vice President at Aksiom Group. Prior to Aksiom, he worked for several PE-backed companies developing renewable energy projects in emerging markets. Chris started his career at Deloitte within the financial services division of their audit practice and progressed to positions within their corporate finance advisory division, where he was involved in projects and transactions across service areas including M&A, debt advisory, business modelling and valuations.
About Ara Partners
Ara Partners is a private equity firm specializing in industrial decarbonization investments. Ara invests in the industrial & manufacturing, chemicals & materials, energy efficiency & green fuels, and food & agriculture sectors, seeking to build businesses that provide significant decarbonization impact. For more information on Ara Partners, please visit www.AraPartners.com.
ContactsMark Semer / Alex JeffreyGasthalter & Co. LP.arapartners@gasthalter.com(212) 257-4170
