Team
Jesse Rogers is Co-Founder and Managing Director of ACP. Previously, Mr. Rogers co-founded and was Co-Principal Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital (GGC). Prior to co-founding GGC, Mr. Rogers was a long time partner at Bain & Company, where he founded and served as the Global Head of Bain’s Private Equity Group (PEG). Under his leadership, Bain’s PEG became the global leader in this business. He was also a Director and was elected to the firm’s Governance Committee. Mr. Rogers was also an officer of J.P. Morgan. He received a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a B.A. from Stanford University.
Mr. Rogers is a current or past member of the Board of Directors of a number of public and private companies, including: Beringer Wine Estates, CCCS, Cydcor / 2020, Employer’s Direct Insurance, Endurance Re (observer), Eye Care Centers of America, Herbalife, Interstate National, Lexicon, Makena Capital (observer), Pinnacle, Rocket Dog, Ruiz Food Products, Tactical Holdings, and TauTona. In addition, he has served on several non-profit boards, including: Common Sense Media, Stanford University’s DAPER Investment Fund, The Stanford Athletic Board Executive Committee, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) and the United Way of the Bay Area.
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Randall Eason is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Eason was a Principal at Golden Gate Capital, where he was co-Domain Lead for the firm’s investments in the industrials vertical and also completed transactions in the consumer products and technology sectors. In addition, Mr. Eason helped to build and manage the firm’s credit investing activities, working extensively on the firm’s debt investing portfolio company, GGC Credit Opportunities. Previously, Mr. Eason was a consultant at Bain & Company in the San Francisco office and he worked in the Business Development group at Williams-Sonoma, Inc., evaluating future growth opportunities and implementing operational improvements. Mr. Eason received an M.A. degree in Sociology (Organizational Theory) from Stanford University and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in Economics from Stanford University.
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Casey Lynch is a Managing Director of ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Casey Lynch spent 14 years as a middle market private equity investor. Most recently, Mr. Lynch was a Partner of SFW Capital Partners L.L.C., a middle-market private equity fund with $300 million under management. Prior to joining SFW Capital, Mr. Lynch was a Partner at Parthenon Capital L.L.C., a middle market private equity fund with $1.5 billion under management, where he led the healthcare investment activity for the firm. Previously, Mr. Lynch also served as a Vice President of North Castle Partners L.L.C., a private equity fund focused on consumer healthcare products and services. Mr. Lynch began his career at Bain & Company in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices. Mr. Lynch has a Masters of Science in Management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business as well as a B.A. in Public Policy from Stanford University.
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Keoni Schwartz is a Co-Founder and Managing Director of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Schwartz was a Principal at Golden Gate Capital, where he served as Domain Lead for the firm’s investments in the financial services vertical and also completed transactions in the consumer products and technology sectors. In addition, Mr. Schwartz helped to build and manage the firm’s public equities investing activities, working extensively on the firm’s public equity investing vehicle, GGC Public Opportunities. Prior to joining GGC, Mr. Schwartz worked as a consultant in both the Boston and San Francisco offices of Bain & Company. Previously, Mr. Schwartz also worked as a consultant for The Bridgespan Group, a 501(c)(3) consulting firm. Mr. Schwartz received a B.A. in History with honors from Princeton University.
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Steve Brownlie is a Principal of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Brownlie was a Vice President at Lazard Alternative Investments and a Senior Associate at Golden Gate Capital where he focused on investments in the consumer products and retail sectors. He has also completed transactions in the financial services, industrial, and business services sectors. Prior to joining GGC, Mr. Brownlie worked as an investment professional at American Securities Capital Partners and an investment banking analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions group of Credit Suisse. Mr. Brownlie received a B.S.E. in Electrical Engineering from Princeton University.
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Kristin Johnson is the Director of Business Development of ACP. Prior to ACP, Ms. Johnson was a Principal in the fundraising group at TPG Capital, where she helped raise capital for the firm and manage investor relations. Previously, Ms. Johnson was a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley’s corporate finance department, focused on working with private equity clients, for 10 years. Ms. Johnson received an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Math and Economics from Pomona College.
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Carol Pereira is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of ACP. Prior to ACP, Ms. Pereira was the Chief Financial Officer of Opus Capital Group, a venture capital firm focused on seed and early stage IT investments, where she was responsible for all of the administrative and financial operations of the firm, including leading and managing the accounting, control, budgeting and financial reporting functions, producing quarterly and year-end limited partner financial and investment reports and assisting with fundraising. Previously, Ms. Pereira was the Chief Financial Officer of Red Rock Ventures, an early stage IT venture capital firm. Prior to that, Ms. Pereira was the Chief Financial Officer of Strata Biosciences, a functional genomics company. She was also the Chief Financial Officer of TeleSoft Partners, a venture capital firm focused on technology, communications and energy value chain companies. Ms. Pereira’s earlier experience includes more than a decade in investment banking with The First Boston Corporation, Sterling Payot Company and HW Jesse & Co. Ms. Pereira received an M.B.A. from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a B.Sc. in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a B.Sc. in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Jonathan Altman is a Vice President of ACP. He has a combination of private equity, start-up, operating, and consulting experience. Prior to ACP, Mr. Altman was President of ClearMechanic, a software business that improves the car repair process. Before that he worked at Berkshire Partners, LLC, a private equity fund, where he initiated investments and helped manage portfolio companies in the business services, retail and consumer sectors. Prior to that, Mr. Altman worked in Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc.’s real estate group. He began his career at Bain & Company in the Boston and New York offices. Mr. Altman received an M.B.A from Harvard Business School with distinction as a Baker Scholar and graduated from Dartmouth College as valedictorian.
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Iain Bridges is a Vice President of ACP. Prior to ACP Mr. Bridges worked at Cambrian Capital, an energy and natural resources investment fund covering the oil and gas sectors. At Cambrian, he was a Research Analyst, responsible for all facets from developing investment ideas to execution of the investment and management of the position. Prior to Cambrian, Mr. Bridges was a senior associate at The Parthenon Group in both the Boston and San Francisco offices, where he worked across a number of industries including publishing, food and beverage, education and a variety of private equity due diligence projects. Mr. Bridges received an MBA with honors from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. with honors in economics from Harvard University.
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Rob Nagle is a Vice President of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Nagle worked at Golden Gate Capital, where he focused on investments in the financial services and consumer products sectors. Prior to joining Golden Gate Capital, Mr. Nagle worked as a consultant in both the Boston and Sydney offices of Bain & Company. Mr. Nagle received a B.S. with honors in Applied Mathematics and Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
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Alex Rolfe is a Vice President of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Rolfe was a Principal at Alpine Investors, L.P. where he focused on investments in the software, business services and gaming sectors. Prior to Alpine, Mr. Rolfe worked at Golden Gate Capital, where he completed transactions in the technology and retail sectors. Mr. Rolfe began his career as a consultant at Bain & Company. Mr. Rolfe received an M.B.A. with distinction as an Arjay Miller Scholar from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, from Dartmouth College.
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Greg Ruiz is a Vice President of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Ruiz worked at Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe, a San Francisco-based private equity firm. At Friedman, Fleischer & Lowe, he focused on investments in the consumer, business services, and education sectors. Mr. Ruiz began his career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Ruiz received an M.B.A. with distinction as an Arjay Miller Scholar from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Public Policy from Princeton University.
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Sam Gaynor is a Senior Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Gaynor was a Consultant in The Boston Consulting Group's Dallas office, working primarily with clients in the consumer and technology sectors. Sam received a B.A. in Economics and Chinese from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Kevin Mason is a Senior Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Mason was the Director of Operations at VIXIA North America, a technology-enabled healthcare services firm based in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that he worked as an investment professional at Fenway Partners focused on the business services, consumer and transportation sectors. Mr. Mason began his career as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Mason graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Economics from Georgetown University.
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Stephanie Gaufin is an Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Ms. Gaufin was a Business Analyst in McKinsey & Company’s San Francisco office. At McKinsey, she advised clients primarily in the telecom, financial institutions, media, and private equity sectors. Stephanie received a B.S. in Business Management, summa cum laude, from Brigham Young University.
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Matthew Lee is an Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Lee was an Associate Consultant in the New York office of Bain & Company, working primarily with clients in the private equity, retail, and technology sectors. Matthew received an A.B. in Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Harvard University.
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Kai Li is an Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Li was a Senior Associate Consultant in the San Francisco and Hong Kong offices of Bain & Company. At Bain, he advised clients in the technology, healthcare, telecom, and private equity sectors. Kai received a B.S. in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business and a B.A. in Public Health from the College of Letters & Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Nicolas Priem is an Associate of ACP. Prior to ACP, Mr. Priem was a Senior Associate Consultant in the Los Angeles and Brussels offices of Bain & Company. At Bain, he advised clients in the consumer, healthcare, and private equity sectors. Nicolas received a Masters in General Management from the Vlerick Leuven Ghent Management School and a MA in Finance from the Catholic University of Leuven, as well as completed his CFA level III.
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Gene Becker is an Operating Partner with ACP, where he focuses on investments in the insurance and consumer finance sectors, as well as on providing guidance to portfolio companies in the areas of corporate strategy, M&A, and sales and marketing. Prior to the formation of ACP, Gene worked closely with the principals of ACP for ten years evaluating and investing in financial services businesses. Previously, Gene had a 25 year career in various roles at American Bankers Insurance Group (now Assurant), including as Chief Executive Officer of the operating insurance subsidiaries and Chief Marketing Officer of the holding company. Under his leadership, American Bankers grew to be a leading provider of specialty P&C insurance products distributed primarily through financial institutions. Gene is a current or former board member of Pacific Specialty Insurance Company, California Check Cashing Stores and Interstate National. Gene earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Arts from Biscayne College (St. Thomas University).
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Tim Bruer is an Operating Partner with ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Bruer was the CEO of The ERGObaby Carrier Inc., where he generated significant top and bottom line growth on a worldwide basis, and led the acquisition and integration of Orbit Baby. Prior to ERGObaby, Mr. Bruer served as CEO for several private equity-owned food companies, including Genisoy Food Co. and Nonni’s Food Co. Mr. Bruer increased revenues at Nonni’s from $20 million to $155 million in 4 years, through new product and channel strategies. Additionally, Mr. Bruer was Vice-President/General Manager for the Culinary Products Division of Nestle, where he led a turnaround that increased operating profit from ($17 million) to $20 million in two years. Earlier in his career, Mr. Bruer was a Vice-President at Bain & Co., working predominantly on business strategy for consumer products companies, corporate acquisitions and post-merger-integration, and supply chain management. He served on the Board of Del Monte Foods and Authentic Specialty Foods. Mr. Bruer holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the University of Chicago, and a BA in Economics from Stanford University.
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John Chu is an Operating Partner with ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Chu was an Operating Partner with Golden Gate Capital, a private equity firm based in San Francisco. At ACP, Mr. Chu focuses on investments in financial services as well as on providing guidance to portfolio companies in the areas of IT, finance, and strategy. Previously he was the Senior Vice President, eBusiness & Technology for The Hartford’s Property-Casualty operations. In this role, Mr. Chu was responsible for the technology strategy and operations of the company. He also served as Vice President, Strategic Business Development and Chief Financial Officer for The Hartford’s Personal Lines Division. Prior to The Hartford, Mr. Chu held the position of Managing Consultant for Tillinghast - Towers Perrin, managing numerous engagements with Fortune 100 financial services companies. Earlier in his career, he served as Vice President with Lehman Brothers Asia and also held several positions with PepsiCo Foods International, including Director for PepsiCo’s Asia-Pacific operations. Mr. Chu holds a Master of Business Administration, Finance and International Business from the Stern School of Business at New York University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from University of California at Los Angeles.
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Lionel Conacher is a Senior Advisor for ACP, with primary responsibility for Canadian investment opportunities. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Conacher was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Thomas Weisel Partners, a San Francisco headquartered, full service investment bank, since 2008. Mr. Conacher managed the Investment Banking, Sales and Trading, Research, and Wealth Management divisions of the firm across 13 offices in 5 countries. Prior to TWP, Mr. Conacher was co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westwind Partners Inc., a boutique institutional investment bank with a focus on energy, mining and TMT, based in Toronto, Canada. He grew the firm to $100 million in revenues and 100 people, and led the sale of the firm to TWP in 2007. Between 1985 and 2002 Mr. Conacher worked for a number of financial institutions including; Citigroup; Hees International Bancorp Inc. (now Brookfield Asset Management); and First Marathon Securities (now National Bank Financial). In addition, Mr. Conacher sat on the board of Great Lakes Power Corp. (now Brookfield Power) and Cadillac Fairview Corp. Mr. Conacher is currently a Trustee of San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Harbourfront Centre, Respect in Sport and is a member of Young Presidents Organization (Norcal Chapter). Mr. Conacher holds an A.B. in Economics and Art History from Dartmouth College.
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Rob Kill is an Operating Partner of ACP, where he focuses on investment opportunities in the healthcare sector. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Kill served as President & CEO of Virtual Radiologic Corporation, a provider of technology-enabled outsourced radiology solutions to over 2,500 hospitals. He also served as Virtual Radiologic’s Chairman of the Board in 2009 – 2010 while it was a public company. Before joining Virtual Radiologic, Mr. Kill was President of Misys Physician Systems, a developer of electronic medical record and practice management software applications. In this role, he was responsible for a software business serving more than 85,000 physician customers across the United States. Additionally, Mr. Kill served on the Board of Misys Healthcare Systems as well as on the Operating Board of its parent company, UK-based Misys plc. While at Misys, Mr. Kill was also President of the company's Physician Enterprise Systems unit and Vice President of Sales & Marketing for the company's Transaction Services unit. Earlier in his career, he also spent 10 years with Baxter Healthcare, where he held senior leadership roles in operations, marketing, and sales. Mr. Kill currently sits on the Board of Directors for Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPI), a high growth medical device company that markets products for the minimally invasive treatment of voiding dysfunctions and pelvic disorders. Mr. Kill holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Notre Dame.
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Leslie Lane is an Operating Partner of ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Lane spent 8 years as a senior executive with Nike Inc. At Nike, he held several roles including Vice President and General Manager for Global Running, where he managed all aspects of Nike’s $2 billion Running business; Director of the Affiliate Brands (where he spent considerable time on the highly successful acquisition and integration of Converse); and Director of Finance, Costing and Strategic Planning for Global Footwear. Mr. Lane also served as Managing Director of the Nike Foundation. Prior to joining Nike, Mr. Lane was Chief Operating Officer of PomWonderful, a subsidiary of Roll International, where he developed and built the PomWonderful beverage brand. Prior to PomWonderful Mr. Lane was Chief Financial Officer for Roll International's Paramount Citrus and Paramount Farms businesses, the world’s largest vertically integrated grower and processor of fresh citrus, pistachios and almonds. Mr. Lane began his career at Bain & Company where he worked in the London, Stockholm and San Francisco offices across a range of clients and industries. He also serves as a director on the board of Blue Nile Inc., the leading on-line jeweler, where he sits on the Audit and Nominating and Governance committees. Mr. Lane graduated from the Harvard Business School and earned his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from St. John’s College, Oxford.
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Chris Nicholson is a Technology Partner of ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Nicholson was a Partner of Vector Capital, a technology-focused private equity firm. At Vector, he spent over ten years successfully investing in a variety of technology companies and helping grow total assets under management from under $200 Million to over $2 Billion. Prior to Vector Capital, Mr. Nicholson was a corporate and securities attorney with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, P.C. While at Wilson Sonsini, he worked with entrepreneurs, institutional investors and intermediaries on complex transactions for technology companies including initial and follow-on public offerings, public and private mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property matters and private equity transactions. Mr. Nicholson received a B.A. in Economics/Business with a Specialization in Computing from the University of California, Los Angeles (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and a J.D. from University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall).
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John Pound is a Senior Advisor with Altamont Capital, where he focuses on investments in retail, multi-channel, and consumer products companies. Mr. Pound founded and manages Integrity Brands, Inc. where he invests in and advises companies where returns can be created through improvements in merchandising, operations, or strategic focus. He has been involved in a number of merchandising-led turnaround and growth investments, serving as a director during repositionings of Gymboree, and Cost Plus World Market. He was also an investor in turnarounds at Cache, Vans, Guess, Perfumania, United Retail Group, Kirkland’s, Value Vision, and New York & Co. He is currently on the boards of Spy Optic (OTCBB: SPYX, an action sport eyewear brand), Three Twins Ice Cream (the leading organic ice cream brand), Hunter Dixon, Inc. (a NY-based women’s fashion brand), and Jess Brown Design. Mr. Pound has served in senior operating roles in public retail and consumer direct companies and has advised numerous retail and brand companies on issues ranging from restructuring plans to new concept creation. He founded Integrity Brands in 1999, after a 15-year career in academia and public policy (including ten years on the Harvard University faculty and two years at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission). Mr. Pound holds an A.B. from Harvard University, and the M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from Yale.
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Dan Rudolph is an Operating Partner of ACP. Prior to joining ACP, Mr. Rudolph spent 10 years as the Chief Operating Officer / Senior Associate Dean for the Stanford Graduate School of Business where he was responsible for the operational performance of the entire business school, including 350 staff, the $150 million annual operating budget and the full-time MBA, Executive Education, Sloan and PhD business education programs. He also led the efforts to design, fund and build the Knight Management Center, the GSB’s new 360,000 square foot LEED Platinum Certified campus, opened in 2011. Prior to joining Stanford, Mr. Rudolph had 20 years of experience working as a general manager and marketing executive in Silicon Valley. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of Imparto, a Business-to-Business Internet Software Company that he sold in 1999. Previously, he spent four years at Intuit where he led the marketing team that acquired the first million QuickBooks customers. Mr. Rudolph also served as Intuit’s Vice President / General Manager for its Electronic Banking Business before selling the division to the Checkfree Corporation in 1997. He has also served on several for-profit and non-profit boards. Mr. Rudolph graduated from the Stanford GSB where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar and earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Williams College.
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G. Michael Epperson is a Senior Advisor with ACP, where he focuses on the government contracting and intelligence community sectors, and serves on the board of directors of Omniplex World Services, Inc. Mr. Epperson retired in July 2012 from the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served from 2010 to 2012 as Chief of Europe Division in CIA’s National Clandestine Service. From 2009 to 2010, he was detailed from CIA to the National Security Council to serve as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Intelligence Programs, where, among other things, he helped manage all covert action programs on behalf of the President. A career case officer who served multiple tours overseas, including as Chief of Station in a major Middle Eastern country, Mr. Epperson received the Donovan Award and, at retirement, the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. Prior to government service, Mr. Epperson practiced law for ten years, and was a Partner in the Washington office of the Chicago law firm Bell, Boyd & Lloyd (merged into K&L Gates in 2009). He also served as the business law columnist for the Washington Business Journal from 1986-1990. Mr. Epperson received a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, M.A. degrees from Stanford University (Russian and East European Studies) and the George Washington University (Education Policy) and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, in History from Stanford University.
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Phil Sweeney is a Senior Advisor with Altamont Capital where he focuses on investments in the government and information services sectors and serves on the board of directors of Omniplex World Services. From 1996 to 2009, Mr. Sweeney served as a Co-Founder, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development of US Investigations Services (USIS), now Altegrity. Mr. Sweeney also serves as a Senior Advisor to a diverse group of organizations in the alternative energy, business services, education and healthcare sectors where he provides forward thinking vision, smart growth strategies, progressive change management and decisive financial expertise to achieve growth, diversification and sustainability. He currently serves as a Board Member for businesses and non-profits including, Cleopatra Resources, Celtic Healthcare (owned by The Washington Post), Asbury Heights and Winchester Thurston School. Mr. Sweeney is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting, and completed Executive Education programs at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford Business School, and Harvard Business School.
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