Hamilton Lane adds to its direct equity team across North America and Europe

Hamilton Lane appoints five senior professionals to its Direct Equity Investment Department across two regions

Hamilton Lane adds to its direct equity team across North America and Europe

Hamilton Lane has expanded its Direct Equity Investment Team, adding five senior team members across North America and Europe.    

In North America, the new team members are based at Hamilton Lane’s headquarters in Conshohocken.  

Nelda Chang joins with experience in origination, evaluation, and due diligence of direct investment opportunities across the region.  

Previously, Chang was principal at GCM Grosvenor, after roles at Headlands Capital and American Securities, and began her career in leveraged finance at JPMorgan. 

Kyle McGinnis, also based in Conshohocken, previously held the position of principal at Onex Partners in private equity, following roles at H.I.G. Capital and Wells Fargo Securities.  

Jenny Zhang joins as well, bringing her background as a former vice president on Two Sigma’s private equity team, with additional experience on Carlyle’s private equity team.   

In Europe, London-based Aljoscha Dudek oversees origination, evaluation, and due diligence of direct equity opportunities across the EMEA region.  

Dudek previously held the role of director at PSP Investments, where he focused on strategic development and private equity portfolio management across Europe.  

Chang, McGinnis, Zhang, and Dudek report to Ken Binick, co-head of Direct Equity Investments.   

Hamilton Lane has also appointed Benjamin Kalter to its Impact Investment Team.  

Based in Conshohocken, Kalter specializes in the origination, evaluation, and management of direct equity impact transactions.  

Previously, he was a vice president on Nuveen’s private equity impact investing team, focusing on growth equity investments in developed and emerging markets. Kalter reports to Dave Helgerson, head of Impact Investments.   

Commenting on the appointments, Binick noted the growing potential in the co-investment landscape, especially within the middle market, emphasizing that Hamilton Lane’s increased deal flow aligns with the addition of these experienced professionals.  

Drew Schardt, vice chair and head of Investment Strategy, highlighted that the team expansion strengthens Hamilton Lane’s expertise and capacity to build portfolios with targeted returns.   

According to the press release, these appointments support the firm’s focus on the direct equity asset class and bolster its expertise and capacity to serve institutional and private wealth clients globally. 

Hamilton Lane’s Direct Equity Investment team now includes 45 professionals worldwide, representing a growth of nearly 40 percent over the past year.