Outlook 2026 | Primary Fund Placement

Outlook 2026: Primary Fund Placement

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Following a somewhat challenging period for private equity fundraising, optimism is increasing for a resurgence throughout 2026.

2026 Outlook + Trends | Primary Fund Placement

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We are a global investment bank specializing in M&A and private capital advisory services. Clients worldwide rely on us to help unlock value in their business and turn ambitious goals into reality.

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We have eight dedicated Industry Groups led by senior professionals who have deep knowledge and experience across sectors, service offerings, and geographies.

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Firm PFP Outlook 2026 PDF FINAL

Three Key Differentiators

Granular Specialization

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Company Potential

Optimizing 2026

Senior Professionals

Frank Mountcastle is a managing director at Harris Williams and has served in a variety of leadership positions during his tenure with the firm.

As head of M&A, Frank works across our eight Industry Groups to strengthen ongoing engagement and collaboration and help ensure we deliver exceptional outcomes for Harris Williams clients.

Additionally, Frank co-leads our Transportation & Logistics Group where he has extensive expertise working with clients across the automotive and heavy-duty aftermarket, third-party logistics, and transportation infrastructure sectors. 

Frank, who joined the firm in 2012, has over 30 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from The Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and B.A. in History from the University of Virginia

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Group Head, Managing Director

Andrew Gulotta is a managing director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on leading a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions as Head of Private Capital Solutions.

Andrew has over 15 years of investment banking experience. In addition to private equity secondaries, he has experience in fund placement and debt capital markets, specifically bond offerings for electric utilities and environmental services companies. He is based in New York.

__Education:__ B.A. in Politics and Classics from Washington & Lee University; M.B.A from Columbia Business School

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Head of Private Capital Solutions

Stephen is a managing director and co-leads the Primary Fund Placement Group, bringing nearly 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He co-leads the firm’s primary fund placement efforts, advising private equity, private credit, and real asset managers on capital formation strategies. 

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Summit Golf Brands, whose portfolio includes Fairway & Greene, Zero Restriction, EP Pro, and B. Draddy. 

__Education:__ B.A. in History from the University of Richmond

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Stephen Lessing

Head of Primary Fund Placement

Frank is a managing director at Harris Williams. He co-leads the Primary Fund Placement Group, advising private equity, private credit, and real asset managers on capital formation strategies. 

Frank brings more than 30 years of experience in investment management and client advisory. He founded Aqueduct Capital, which was acquired by Harris Williams in 2025, and has held leadership roles throughout his career focused on raising institutional capital and building long-term investor relationships. 

Frank began his career at a global, bulge bracket investment bank where he eventually led one of their largest private credit teams. Frank is based in our Charlotte office. 

__Education:__ B.A. in Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Frank Edwards

Andy Warczak is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group. He has experience in the food and beverage industry, including the food ingredients, produce, bakery, and distribution sectors with a focus on B2B businesses. 

Andy has over 15 years of experience with mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Minneapolis office.

__Education:__ B.S. in Finance and Accounting from Marquette University

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Managing Director

Chris Toussaint is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. He has experience across several sectors with a particular emphasis on industrial technology. 

Chris has over seven years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the United States Coast Guard Academy. Member of the CFA® Institute and holds a Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

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Mike Rohman is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Aerospace, Defense & Government Services Group. He has worked with companies across sectors, including aerospace technology and products; aviation services; defense; government services; and space. 

Mike has over 12 years of experience, nine years with Harris Williams, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ B.B.A. from the University of Notre Dame

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Sylvain Noblet is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Technology Group. He has deep experience advising clients across several sectors, including architecture, engineering, and construction; enterprise software; infrastructure software; IT and technology enabled services; real estate and property; and supply chain, transportation, and logistics.

Sylvain has over 14 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our London office.

__Education:__ Masters in Corporate Finance at the Paris Dauphine University

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Jon Meredith is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Transportation & Logistics Group. He has deep experience across several sectors, including automotive and heavy duty aftermarket, third-party logistics, and transportation infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on third-party logistics.

Jon has over 10 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S.B.A in Finance from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond and M.B.A. from the University of Virginia

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Stephan Döring is a managing director at Harris Williams. He has deep experience advising clients across a variety of industries, including industrials; healthcare and life sciences; transportation and logistics; and energy, power and infrastructure. 

Stephan has over 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Frankfurt office. 

Education: MSc. in Corporate and International Finance from The University of Durham; B.Sc. in Business Administration from Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt

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Zach Ledwith is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group. He has deep experience working with clients across sectors, including consumer products and services. 

Zach has nearly 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ B.S.B.A in Finance and Marketing from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond

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Regen Wallis is a director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on providing a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions.

Regen has over 15 years in investment banking including the evaluation and execution of new platform and bolt-on strategic acquisitions, minority investments and divestures across multiple portfolio companies and industry verticals, in private equity, and buy-side and sell-side M&A transactions in the technology and financial services sectors. He is based in New York.

__Education:__ B.A. in Administration and Finance from Texas McCombs School of Business; M.B.A. from Columbia Business School

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Director

Thomas Tartaglia is a vice president in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on providing a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions. He has experience advising clients across industries, including consumer, healthcare, professional services, and technology. 

Thomas has over half a decade of financial services and investment banking experience. He is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ B.B.A. in Finance from Baruch College 

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Thomas Tartaglia

Vice President

Richard Siegel is a managing director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on leading a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions.

Richard has nearly 20 years in the financial services industry. Prior experience includes investing in private equity transactions and providing capital raising advisory services to middle market companies, as well as investing in private and public credit opportunities across the capital structure. He is based in New York.

__Education:__ B.B.A. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School

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Marc Schwartz is a vice president in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on providing a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions.

Marc has over five years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior experience includes investment banking and private capital distribution. Marc is based in New York.

__Education:__ B.B.A. in Finance from University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Dainora Miliauskaite is a director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on providing a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions.

Dainora has experience executing a broad range of secondary transactions on behalf of institutional investors and private investment firms in EMEA such as continuation funds, tender offers, portfolio strip sales, direct co-investment placements and other GP-initiated transaction structures. She is based in London.

__Education:__ B.S.c. in International Business and Finance from Northeastern University; B.A. in Global Business with Transatlantic Studies from Dublin City University

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Alex Lorusso is a director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on providing a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions.

Alex has over 15 years in the financial services industry, with experience originating and structuring IPOs, follow-on equity raises, and corporate bond offerings. Alex holds the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA) designation. He is based in New York.

__Education:__ B.A. in Finance and International Business from Villanova University

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Jonathan Abecassis is a managing director in the Harris Williams Capital Solutions Group, focused on leading a full range of secondary liquidity and private capital solutions for our clients in Europe.

Jonathan has nearly 20 years of investment banking experience, advising clients across the spectrum of GP-led structures; LP fund interests; direct minority, preferred equity, and control investments; and fundraising. Prior to joining Harris Williams, he served as Head of Capital Solutions & GP Advisory in the EMEA and APAC regions at Credit Suisse. Jonathan is based in London.

__Education:__ B.A. and M.A. in Economics from the University of Cambridge 

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 Managing Director

Eric Pogue is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm’s Transportation & Logistics Group. He has experience advising clients across a variety of sectors, including software and technology enabled services, which are becoming increasingly integrated within the transportation and logistics industry.

Eric has more than five years of experience advising clients on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raisings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University; B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Eric Pogue

Ignacio Martín-Chocano is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group.

Ignacio has over 10 years of experience in investment banking. Prior experience includes executing debt private placement transactions globally across the consumer, real estate, healthcare and energy industries. He also has experience in project and infrastructure finance transactions. He is based in London. 

__Education:__ B.S. in Finance from The Carroll School of Management at Boston College

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Sebastian Poulsen is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. 

Sebastian has over seven years of experience in private equity, with prior experience including middle market primary commitments and co-investments across buyout, infrastructure, and venture capital funds, as well as management consulting. Sebastian is based in our London office. 

__Education:__ MSc in Finance and Accounting and BSc in International Business from the Copenhagen Business School

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Chris LaCroix is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. 

Chris has over 10 years of experience in investment banking and asset management, including asset raising, marketing, business development and investor relations. He is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ B.S.B.A in Finance from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond

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Daphne Solomon is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Primary Fund Placement Group. Based in our New York office, she has half a decade of experience advising clients on primary fundraising and investment banking. 

__Education:__ B.B.A. in Operations and Information Management from University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Daphne Solomon

Catherine (Klinedinst) Cassidy is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, focused on providing a full range of primary fund solutions. 

She has over eight years of experience in investment banking. Prior experience includes advising middle market companies on mergers and acquisitions across the industrials and business services industries. Catherine is based in New York. 

__Education:__ B.A. in Economics from Washington & Lee University

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Scott is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the finance industry, with a focus on distribution, origination, and business development. 

Before joining Harris Williams, Scott held senior roles across several investment firms, where he specialized in institutional fundraising and client engagement. He began his career in equity research and has built a broad perspective across asset classes and investor segments. 

__Education:__ B.A. in Political Science, Gettysburg College

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Scott Lamond

Ted is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. He focuses on investor coverage across the Asia Pacific region and brings over 20 years of experience building and managing relationships.  

Before joining the firm, Ted held senior leadership roles in business development and distribution, with a focus on institutional investor engagement and regional growth strategy across the Asia Pacific region. He began his career in private client services at a global, bulge bracket investment bank and has developed deep expertise in cross-border capital formation throughout his career. Ted is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. Hong Kong University of Science & Technology; B.A., University of Virginia

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Ted Holland

Stephanie is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, focused on project management and operations. She brings over 20 years of experience in business operations across the investment, healthcare, and hospitality industries. 

Before joining the firm, Stephanie held leadership roles overseeing accounting systems, operations, and retail management for premier golf and hospitality organizations. She also played a key role in the execution of a major PGA Tour event. Earlier in her career, she held similar operational roles for a home health care company. Stephanie is based in our Charlotte office. 

__Education:__ B.S. in International Business, Auburn University

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Stephanie Holmes

Sam is a vice president in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, focused on primary fund placement distribution. Sam brings over ten years of experience in the investment industry. 

Before joining the firm, Sam worked in private client advisory and wealth management at leading, global firms based in Australia. He earned his Bachelor of Business degree, majoring in Finance, from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne—while simultaneously working and traveling internationally as a musician. Sam is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ B.Bus. in Finance, Swinburne University of Technology; CFA charterholder

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Pawan is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. Pawan works across the firm to deepen our relationship with the investor community. He brings a multidisciplinary background and over 20 years of experience in portfolio management, investment strategy, and due diligence across private markets. 

Before joining the firm, Pawan held senior investment leadership roles at UCLA Investment Company and Altius Associates (now Mercer). Earlier in his career, he was a business development manager at Sprint, and an Assistant Professor in radiology and adjunct faculty in electrical engineering at the University of Kansas. He is listed as an inventor on seven patents in telecommunications and medicine. 

__Education:__ M.B.A., The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania; Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, University of Kansas; M.Sc. in Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (New Delhi)

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Pawan Chaturvedi

Michelle is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, focused on project management and operations. She brings over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including investor and broker relations, marketing distribution support, and project management.  

Michelle began her career in international relations and strategic alliances at a management consulting firm. Michelle is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ B.A., University of Delaware

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Michelle Libertiny

Michael is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, where he works across the firm to deepen our relationship with the investor community. He brings over 15 years of experience in investor relations and fund manager selection across alternative investments. 

Before joining the firm, Michael held investor relations roles at several investment management firms, where he supported fundraising efforts and manager engagement. He began his career in private banking, building a strong foundation in client service and financial analysis.  

__Education__: B.A. in Economics, Skidmore College

Michael Rivers Headshot

Kyle is a director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. He brings more than 15 years of experience in the financial industry, including private markets distribution, investor relations, and credit analysis. 

Before joining the firm, Kyle held senior roles in business development and investor relations, with a focus on private credit. He began his career in tax advisory and credit analysis at global financial institutions, building a strong foundation in financial services and client engagement. 

__Education:__ M.S. and B.S. in Accountancy, Brigham Young University; CFA charterholder and Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Kyle John

Kevin is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group. He brings more than 20 years of experience in marketing and distribution across the financial services industry. 

Before joining the firm, Kevin led institutional equity efforts across the Midwest for a national investment firm, following earlier roles in institutional equity sales and national retail account management. His career spans a broad range of client-facing and strategic distribution functions. 

__Education:__ B.A. in Business Administration, Providence College

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Jen is a managing director in the Harris Williams Primary Fund Placement Group, leading project management and operations. She brings over 25 years of experience in alternative assets and investment management. 

Jen began her career in private wealth management, supporting an entrepreneurial advisory team as a client analyst at a global, bulge bracket investment bank. She also founded and led a successful event planning company for eight years. Jen is based in our New York office. 

__Education:__ B.S. in Finance, Binghamton University – School of Management

Harris-Williams Bio-Crop Jennifer Sonenklare

Tyler Tripp is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Transportation & Logistics Group. He has vast experience in the automotive and heavy duty aftermarket, third-party logistics, and transportation infrastructure sectors.

Tyler has over seven years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in the firm's Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina; B.S. in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University 

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Rob Devlin is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Business Services Group. He has experience advising clients in the specialty distribution, commercial and industrial services, professional services sectors.

Rob has nearly 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S.B.A in Finance from the University of Richmond

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Stephen Crawford is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has experience advising clients in the consumer healthcare and provider services sectors. 

Stephen has over six years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. He is based in our San Francisco office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and B.A. in Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 

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Kevin Harper is a managing director at Harris Williams. He has over 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital advisory, and strategic advisory assignments. Kevin is based in our Cleveland office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. and B.S.B.A. with concentrations in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh; also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst Designation

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Nick Petrick is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Transportation & Logistics Group. He has experience across several sectors, including third-party logistics, automotive and heavy duty aftermarket, and transportation infrastructure.

Nick has nearly 10 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S. in both Finance and Economics from Pennsylvania State University

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Mike Hogan is a senior advisor at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. In his role, Mike serves as a thought partner for deal generation and execution; focuses on internal team development and mentorship; and guides strategy around the firm's subsector development. 

Mike joined the firm in 1999 and has deep experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia; B.S. in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy

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Senior Advisor

Jen is a managing director in the Harris Williams Talent team. She is focused on talent management, executive coaching, ongoing education, and change management in order to drive Harris Williams forward as a world-class M&A and Private Capital Advisory firm. 

Before joining Harris Williams in 2017, Jen spent over 20 years serving in multiple senior HR/Talent leadership roles in the finance and tech industries. She is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.A. in Interpersonal and Public Communication from Central Michigan University; BSc in Organizational Communication from Ohio University

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Michael Kim is a managing director at Harris Williams, serving as co-head of the Technology Group. Throughout his career, Michael has advised middle market and Fortune 500 companies, private equity groups, and venture capital firms, with a focus on enterprise software and other technology subsectors.

Michael has over 25 years of experience advising technology companies on mergers and acquisitions, merchant banking, and investment banking advisory. He is based in our San Francisco office.

__Education:__ B.A. in Economics from Williams College

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Jeremy Zucker is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group. He has experience advising clients in multiple sectors across the consumer landscape, including health and beauty, apparel, footwear and accessories, home furnishings, pet food, and multi-site leisure.

Jeremy has nearly 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory assignments, and capital raises. He is based in our London office. 

__Education:__ Masters in Management from ESCP Business School and B.A. in Economics from the University of Manchester

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Bryce Walker is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Business Services Group with experience advising clients in the tech-enabled services, professional services, and commercial and industrial services sectors.

Bryce has over eight years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and A.B. in Public Policy from Duke University

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Tyler Bradshaw is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has worked with companies across the healthcare and life sciences landscape, with a focus on the medical products and devices sector. 

Tyler has more than 12 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.A. in Economics and B.A. in Philosophy from Swarthmore College

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Gunnar Shaw is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Technology Group. He has experience across the compliance solutions and supply chain, transportation, and logistics sectors.

Gunnar has nearly ten years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our San Francisco office.

__Education:__ B.A. in Engineering from Dartmouth College

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Henry Frost is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Energy, Power & Infrastructure Group. He has experience advising clients across sectors, including energy management, renewable energy, utility services, infrastructure services, and the broader energy transition. 

Henry has advised clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raises. Prior to joining Harris Williams, Henry provided strategy, management, and investment consulting services for clients across a broad range of engagements focused on energy, infrastructure, and commercial end markets. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia; M.P.P. from the Frank Batten School for Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia; and a B.A. in Government and Philosophy from Dartmouth College

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Ted Casey is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group. He has experience advising clients across consumer product and service sectors, including consumer healthcare, residential services, and franchising.

Ted has nearly five years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, strategic advisory assignments, and capital raises. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia

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Colin Chapin is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Technology Group. He has experience advising premier technology companies across sectors, including government, education, supply chain, and healthcare IT.

Colin has advised clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raises. Prior to joining Harris Williams, he advised institutional investment portfolios on asset allocation and manager selection with a focus on alternative and private investments. Colin is based in our Boston office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a B.A. in Government from Hamilton College

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Kel Wilburn is a vice president at Harris Williams who works across all of the firm’s Industry Groups to deepen our relationships within the private equity community. 

Kel has more than five years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina; B.A. in Economics and Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia 

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Matt Crisafi is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. He has worked with clients across several sectors, including building products and materials, specialty chemicals, industrial technology, and engineered equipment, products, and components. 

Matt has over ten years of experience advising clients on a range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.B.A. and MAcc degrees in finance and accounting, respectively, from the College of William & Mary

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Rebecca Herter is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Technology Group with experience advising clients in the healthcare IT, infrastructure software, legal technology, and pharma IT sectors.

Rebecca has over five years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. She is based in our Boston office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Tuck School of Business and B.S. in International Economics from Georgetown University

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Patrick McNulty is a managing director at Harris Williams who works across all of the firm’s Industry Groups to deepen our relationships within the private equity community. 

Patrick, who joined the firm in 2010, has nearly 25 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. Patrick is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University and B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia

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Tim Alexander is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group, where he advises clients in the food, beverage, and agribusiness sectors.

He has been with Harris Williams for more than 15 years and has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. Tim is based in our Minneapolis office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Yale School of Management and B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin

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John Chase is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Business Services Group. He has experience advising clients in the IT services, commercial and industrial services, and specialty distribution sectors.  

John has over four years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and B.A. in History and Spanish from the University of Richmond 

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Stefan Van de Ven is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Consumer Group. He has experience advising clients across a range of industries. 

Stefan has over 10 years of experience advising clients on mergers, acquisitions, and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our London office. 

__Education:__ MSc in Finance & Investments, MSc in Chinese Economics & Business, and BSc in International Business Administration from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University

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Tiff Armstrong is a managing director at Harris Williams. Having joined the firm in 1993, Tiff is a champion for the firm’s collegial and collaborative culture, commitment to excellence, and “one firm” mentality that have been quintessential to our success for more than 30 years.  He works across Industry Groups to ensure these core values are central to every interaction internally and externally. He advises the firm on deal selection and ensuring we engage on compelling opportunities. Tiff provides insight and guidance to the leaders at Harris Williams to ensure our people are well-positioned to provide the highest-quality service to our clients. 

Tiff has over 30 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. Tiff is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S. with concentration in Finance from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce,  Chartered Finance Analyst designation

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John Lautemann is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. He has deep experience across the industrials market, with a specialized focus in the chemicals and specialty materials sector. 

John joined Harris Williams in 2011 and has over 15 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a B.S.B.A from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Eric Logue is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. He has extensive experience working with clients across a range of industrials sectors, including advanced manufacturing and industrial technology.

Eric has nearly 15 years of experience at the firm, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and B.B.A. from the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia

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Maury Nolen is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Business Services Group. He has worked with companies in the professional services, commercial and industrial services, and specialty distribution sectors.

Maury has nearly five years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and B.A. in Political Science from The George Washington University

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Larissa Rozycki is a managing director at Harris Williams. She has nearly 20 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital advisory, and strategic advisory assignments. Larissa, who joined the firm in 2010, is based in our Cleveland office.

__Education:__ B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan


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Neha Shah is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Energy, Power & Infrastructure Group. She has experience advising clients across sectors, including infrastructure services, utility services, industrial services, engineering and construction, energy management, and renewables and distributed energy.

Neha has over 11 years of experience with the firm, advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. She is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University; B.S. in Accounting from George Mason University

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Jeff Kidd is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Transportation & Logistics Group. He has extensive knowledge of the automotive and heavy duty aftermarket, third-party logistics, and transportation infrastructure sectors, with a particular emphasis on third-party logistics.

Jeff has over 15 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S. in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia

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Bill Watkins is a managing director at Harris Williams. He has over 30 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, capital advisory, and strategic advisory assignments. Bill, who joined the firm in 2009, is based in our Cleveland office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. with concentrations in Finance and Operations Management from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and B.S. in Business from Indiana University, Bloomington


Harris-Williams Bio-Crop 0042 Jacket No Tie Headshot Bill Watkins

Cheairs Porter is a managing director at Harris Williams, serving as co-head of the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has extensive knowledge of the healthcare and life sciences industry, having worked with numerous clients in the provider, pharma, and device distribution sectors.

Cheairs has more than 25 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and B.S. in Business Administration with Special Attainments in Commerce at Washington and Lee University

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Ned Valentine is a managing director and chairman at Harris Williams. Working in collaboration with all Harris Williams leaders, Ned steers the firm’s strategic priorities and exemplifies our commitment to excellence and partnership, internally and externally. 

Ned, who joined the firm in 1996, leverages his longstanding tenure with the firm to develop the next generation of leaders and cultivate an organic talent model that fosters the distinct, unified culture for which Harris Williams is known.

Ned has over 35 years of experience advising clients on a broad range of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestures, capital raisings, and financings. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education__: M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia; B.A. in History from the University of Virginia


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Chairman, Managing Director

Bruce Kelleher is a managing director at Harris Williams who works across all of the firm’s Industry Groups to deepen our relationships within the private equity community.

He has more than 30 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. Bruce is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Virginia and B.S. from the University of Virginia's McIntire School of Commerce

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Drew Spitzer is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Energy, Power & Infrastructure Group. He has deep experience advising clients in the infrastructure; environmental services; engineering and construction; TICC; energy management; renewables and distributed energy;  and energy technology sectors.

Drew, who joined the firm in 2004, has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and B.A. in Economics from the University of Virginia

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Andrey Dvorkin is a director at Harris Williams in the firm’s Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has experience advising clients across various sectors, including pharma outsourcing, tech-enabled services, healthcare IT, therapeutics, diagnostics and medical technologies.

Andrey has more than 10 years of experience advising a diverse group of European and North American private and public companies on mergers and acquisitions, carve-outs and equity capital raises. He is based in our London office.

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Graham Gillam is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Business Services Group and has extensive experience advising clients in the specialty distribution sector.

Graham has over eight years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, and strategic advisory assignments. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia and BSc (Honors) in Business Administration from the University of Bath, England

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Andy Dixon is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has deep experience advising clients across the healthcare and life sciences landscape.

Andy has more than 16 years of experience advising clients at Harris Williams on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our San Francisco office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and B.A. in Mathematical Economics from Brown University

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Taylor Will is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has worked with companies across the healthcare and life sciences landscape, with a focus on the medical products and devices and behavioral health sectors. 

He has over a decade of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. Taylor is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ B.S.B.A. in Finance from the University of Pittsburgh

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Derek Lewis is a managing director at Harris Williams, serving as co-head of the firm's Business Services Group. He has extensive knowledge of the professional services, commercial and industrial services, and specialty distribution sectors, having worked with numerous clients in the space.

Derek joined the firm in 2000 and has extensive experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and A.B. in Economics from Harvard College

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Markus Schmalhofer serves as Managing Director, PCA Operations at Harris Williams. Throughout his career, Markus has held a number of senior finance and management roles, most recently serving in Chief Financial Officer roles for two premier financial institutions.

In his current role, Markus oversees the operations and integration of the Private Capital Advisory Group, which merged with Harris Williams in 2023. He is also responsible for PCA's financial planning and analysis, contractual relationships, and due diligence. Markus is based in our New York office.

__Education:__ Graduate Degree of Business Administration from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München; M.B.A. from Columbia Business School

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Ashley Van der Waag is a managing director and the chief compliance officer of Harris Williams. She leads the strategic initiatives of our compliance, operating support staff, marketing, and business optimization teams. She is focused on creating efficiencies and differentiation across the firm and continuing to drive Harris Williams forward as a world-class M&A advisory firm.    

Prior to joining Harris Williams in 2018, Ashley spent nearly 20 years at Credit Suisse, which included serving as the chief operating officer of global markets research. Ashley is based in our Richmond office.   

__Education:__ B.S. in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia with concentrations in Finance and Marketing 


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Chief Compliance Officer, Managing Director

Nick Owens is a managing director at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has extensive experience working with clients in the providers, payors and payor services, outsourced provider services, Healthcare IT, and outsourced pharma services sectors.

Nick has over 16 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and B.B.A from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business

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Daniel Wang is the head of Asia-Pacific and Sovereign Wealth Funds for Harris Williams. He began his investment banking career in 2001 with Lazard in their Consumer & Retail investment banking group in New York. Since then he has advised clients on a variety of mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, as well as equity and debt financings. Daniel has extensive cross-border M&A experience having been based in New York, London, and Hong Kong.

Prior to joining Harris Williams, Daniel was a managing director with Citi. First based in London within Citi's EMEA Consumer & Retail investment banking group, then subsequently relocating to Hong Kong in 2013 with the firm. Most recently, he led Citi's Asia Pacific Consumer & Retail investment banking business with a significant focus on sourcing and executing U.S./Asia and Europe/Asia cross border transactions. Daniel is based in the firm's San Francisco office.

__Education:__ B.S. in Finance and Marketing from NYU's Stern School of Business

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Head of Asia-Pacific & Sovereign Wealth Funds, Managing Director

Geoff Smith is a managing director at Harris Williams, serving as co-head of the Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has deep experience across the healthcare and life sciences landscape, including payer tech and services; healthcare IT; outsourced provider services; and medical products and devices.

Geoff, having joined the firm in 2004, has nearly 20 years of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and B.B.A in Finance from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University

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Dan Savage is a director at Harris Williams in the firm's Industrials Group. He has experience advising clients across a broad range of sectors, including chemicals, industrial technology, packaging, specialty distribution, and aerospace and defense. 

Dan has over a decade of experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raising. He is based in our Richmond office. 

__Education:__ M.B.A. from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia; B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Richmond

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Rob Crampton is a vice president at Harris Williams in the firm's Healthcare & Life Sciences Group. He has experience advising clients across a range of focus areas, including pharma services, payor services, HCIT, and healthcare providers.

Rob has advised clients on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory assignments, including divestitures, financings, and capital raises. He is based in our Richmond office.

__Education:__ M.B.A from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a B.A. in Economics and Political Sciences from Bates College

2026 Outlooks by Market

Outlook 2026: Gaining Traction

Outlook 2026 | Aerospace, Defense & Government Services

Outlook 2026 | Business Services

Outlook 2026 | Consumer

Outlook 2026 | Energy, Power & Infrastructure

Outlook 2026 | Healthcare & Life Sciences

Outlook 2026 | Industrials

Outlook 2026 | Private Capital Solutions

Outlook 2026 | Technology

Outlook 2026 | Transportation & Logistics