Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director
Mr. Abdo is a senior member of Gores Small Capitalization Group, M&A team, and is responsible for originating and structuring transactions, and overseeing portfolio company exits. While at Gores, Mr. Abdo has held multiple senior M&A and senior Operating roles in both the US and Europe. Mr. Abdo led, as CEO, several restructurings of Gores portfolio companies including Select Business Solutions, Jamis Software and Real Software. As a part of these restructurings Mr. Abdo orchestrated both acquisitions and divestures as a means of transforming the businesses. After completing the turnaround and exit from Real Software in 2008, Mr. Abdo joined the M&A team in Europe followed by a transfer to Los Angeles in 2010. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Abdo worked for Per-Se Technologies (formerly known as Medaphis). Mr. Abdo began his career in 1986 with VERSYSS, Inc., where he held various sales and management positions. Mr. Abdo has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado.
Operations
Vice President & Counsel
Mr. Awad is involved in many of Gores' legal functions, including the negotiation and execution of acquisitions, divestitures, debt financings, and general corporate matters. Mr. Awad earned a B.S. in Biological Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a J.D. from Loyola Law School, Los Angeles.
Senior Advisor
Mr. Bailey, former President of Gores Operations, was previously a senior member of Gores' due diligence and restructuring team. Mr. Bailey joined Gores in 1997 and has over 20 years of experience in all facets of the software and hardware industries. Previously, Mr. Bailey served as Senior Vice President of Physician Computer Network, Inc. In addition, Mr. Bailey was Chief Operating Officer of the Flagship Group, Inc., and President and CEO of the Calyx Corporation. In 1979, Mr. Bailey began his career in sales at IBM after earning his B.A., B.S. and A.A.S. from the University of Wyoming.
Director, Business Development
Mr. Bender is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Bender gained over 10 years of business development experience within the computer software and hardware industries. Mr. Bender earned a B.A. from the University of California, Irvine.
Vice President
Mr. Chirikos is responsible for the evaluation and execution of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Chirikos was an Analyst at Jefferies & Company, where he focused primarily on leveraged finance transactions. Mr. Chirikos serves on the Board of Directors of Diagnostic Health. Mr. Chirikos earned a B.S. in Economics, summa cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Vice President, Technology
Mr. Cook oversees IT activities for portfolio companies in addition to actively participating in due diligence on new investment opportunities. Mr. Cook has worked with the Gores team or its portfolio companies since 1993 and has extensive experience in managing application software development, programming and quality assurance. Mr. Cook was Vice President of Development at Artemis Management Systems, where he was responsible for coordinating the development, testing and release of all Artemis application software. Prior to Artemis, Mr. Cook held senior development positions with Applicon and Manufacturing Data Systems. Mr. Cook holds a B.S in Mathematics from Georgetown College. He has also completed post-graduate work in engineering mechanics and computer science at the University of Kentucky.
Senior Advisor
Mr. Diggins is a member of Gores' investment committee. Mr. Diggins has worked with Mr. Gores for over 20 years and formerly served as President and CEO of Gores. Mr. Diggins was instrumental in working with Alec Gores to build the Firm's management team and infrastructure. In 1983, Mr. Diggins joined EBS as a sales representative. In 1980, Mr. Diggins began his career in sales management at Burroughs Corporation. Mr. Diggins earned his B.A. in Business Administration from Michigan State University.
Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Alec Gores is the founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Gores Group, a Los Angeles based private equity firm focused on acquiring controlling interest in mature and growing businesses which benefit from the firm's operating experience and expertise and its flexible capital base.
Mr. Gores began his career as a self-made entrepreneur and operating executive. In 1978, he self-funded and founded Executive Business Systems (EBS), a developer and distributor of vertical business software systems. Within seven years, EBS had become a leading value-added reseller in Michigan and employed over 200 people. In 1986, CONTEL purchased EBS and Mr. Gores subsequently began acquiring and operating non-core businesses from major corporations and building value in those entities, a decision that ultimately led to the founding of what has evolved into The Gores Group.
Under his leadership, The Gores Group is continuing to implement that successful strategy by acquiring businesses with enterprise values in the $200 million to $ 3 billion range, focusing on creating value and working with management to create an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for sustainable growth. This philosophy has served the firm well. Since 1987 over 70 businesses have been successfully acquired. The current portfolio includes over twelve companies world-wide with combined annual revenues in the billions of dollars.
Mr. Gores holds a degree in computer science from Western Michigan University and lives in the Los Angeles area.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Hattler is responsible for the legal aspects of the negotiation and execution of certain transactions. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Hattler was an associate at Riordan & McKinzie (now part of Bingham McCutchen), a Los Angeles-based law firm specializing in complex corporate transactions, where he represented a number of private equity groups and emerging growth companies. From 1988 to 1989, Mr. Hattler served as a management consultant with A.T. Kearney, focusing on operational issues. Mr. Hattler earned a B.A. from Amherst College, and earned J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago.
Senior Managing Director
Mr. Honour is a member of Gores' investment committee and is responsible for originating and structuring transactions, and overseeing portfolio company exits. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Honour led a career as an investment banker with a focus on private equity related transactions. From 2001 to 2002, Mr. Honour served as a Managing Director at UBS Warburg, where he was a financial sponsor coverage banker and oversaw the Transaction Development Group at UBS Warburg. Prior to joining UBS Warburg, Mr. Honour was an investment banker at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette ('DLJ'), where he executed a variety of mergers and acquisitions, high-yield financings, equity offerings and restructurings. Mr. Honour also served as a Vice President at DLJ Merchant Banking from 1995 to 1997. Prior to joining DLJ, Mr. Honour served as an analyst at Trammell Crow. Mr. Honour currently serves on the Boards of Directors of RealDolmen, First Communications and Westwood One. Mr. Honour earned a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, from Pepperdine University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Managing Director
Mr. Katz is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S., with a particular focus on the industrial sector. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Katz was an Associate Director in the Financial Sponsors Group of UBS Warburg's Los Angeles office, where he focused on providing coverage to private equity firms and originating new transaction ideas. Prior to UBS Warburg, Mr. Katz was a founding member of eVolution Global Partners, a venture capital firm established by Texas Pacific Group, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Bain & Co. Mr. Katz began his career in 1996 at Colony Capital, an international private equity firm focused on real estate-related investments. Mr. Katz serves on the Board of Directors of United Road Services, National Envelope Corporation, Cosmo Specialty Fibers, Sage Automotive Interiors, Norment Security Group and Tiburon. Mr. Katz earned a B.S. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Meyer is a member of the Gores investment committee and responsible for portfolio company oversight and leading operational due diligence efforts. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Meyer played various GM and Executive roles at Gateway, where he was responsible for business unit operations, indirect channel program development and execution, as well as business unit strategy development and execution. While at Gateway, he was a core team member in the acquisition and integration of eMachines. Prior to Gateway, Mr. Meyer spent five years with Bain & Company in the United States and Australia, advisin companies on corporate and growth strategy, performance improvement, and operational full potential. From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Meyer served as a Large Systems Account Client Representative at IBM. After IBM, he spent four years with AT&T in Europe and the United States in various sales leadership positions. Mr. Meyer serves on the Board of Directors of United Road and Cosmo Specialty Fibers. He also serves as the chairman for Sage Automotive, National Envelope, Compudyne and Stock Building Supply. Mr. Meyer earned a B.A. in Finance from Texas A&M University, where he was a Fellow in the College of Business, and an M.B.A. in Entrepreneurial Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Page is a member of Gores' investment committee and oversees the Firm's financial and administrative functions. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Page was Senior Principal and Chief Operating Officer for Shelter Capital Partners, a southern California-based private investment fund. Prior to that, he held various senior executive positions with several private and public companies controlled by MacAndrews & Forbes ('M&F'). While at M&F, he was Vice Chairman of Panavision, CFO of The Coleman Company and CFO of New World Communications. Prior to M&F, Mr. Page was a Partner at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Page serves on the Board of Directors of Westwood One and Cosmo Specialty Fibers. Mr. Page earned a B.S. in Accounting and an M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles.
Controller
Ms. Schorvitz is responsible for the oversight and financial reporting for all Fund entities. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Schorvitz spent nine years at Frontenac Company, a Chicago-based private equity investment firm, where she was the Controller. Ms. Schorvitz earned a B.S. in Accountancy from DePaul University.
Senior Managing Director
President Operations, The Gores Group
Mr. Stone is a member of Gores’ investment committee and is responsible for Gores’ worldwide operations team, oversight of all Gores’ portfolio companies and operational due diligence efforts. Mr. Stone is Executive Chairman or Chairman of the Board of several portfolio organizations, serves on the Board of Directors of several others and occasionally performs interim CEO roles. Prior to joining Gores in 2005, Mr. Stone spent nearly a decade transforming businesses – as CEO of Sentient Jet, a provider of private jet services, CEO of Narus, a telecom software company, CEO of Sentex Systems, an access control and security company, and Corporate General Manager of Citysearch, a new media organization. Mr. Stone spent five years with The Boston Consulting Group (“BCG”) as a member of their high technology and industrial goods practices and served in BCG’s Boston, London, Los Angeles and Seoul offices. Mr. Stone earned a B.S. in Finance with Computer Science and Mathematics concentrations from the University of Maine and an M.B.A. in Finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Managing Director
Mr. Wald is a member of the Gores investment committee and responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores in 1999, Mr. Wald was in CIBC Oppenheimer’s investment banking group, where he worked on a variety of assignments, including public equity, debt security underwritings, mergers and acquisitions, and other financial advisory assignments. Mr. Wald currently serves on the Board of Directors of Diagnostic Health Corp. and Stock Building Supply. Previously, Mr. Wald was a Director of Lineage Power, VincoTech, Enterasys Networks, Global Tel*Link, Wire One Communications and Real Software. Mr. Wald received his B.B.A in Finance from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin.
Senior Managing Director
President Mergers & Acquisitions, The Gores Group
Mr. Yager is a member of Gores' investment committee and is responsible for originating and structuring transactions, and overseeing portfolio company exits. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Yager served as the President and CEO of Artemis International Solutions (a Pre-GCP I portfolio company) from 1997 to 2002. At Artemis, he led a turnaround and restructuring initiative and was responsible for the acquisition of Software Productivity Research, Inc. as well as the sale of Artemis to Proha Oyj, a publicly-traded Finnish software company. He was subsequently responsible for the reverse merger of Artemis into Opus360 and served as Chairman until 2005. Mr. Yager also served as CEO of Aonix, and was responsible for the restructuring of that company. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Yager served as the Executive Vice President of Business Development for Medaphis Physician Services. From 1985 to 1994, Mr. Yager worked at Executive Business Systems (Alec Gores' first company) and its acquiror, Contel Business Systems, as a General Manager. Prior to EBS, Mr. Yager worked at Burroughs from 1978 to 1985 in a variety of Sales and Marketing positions. Mr. Yager serves on the Boards of Directors of Siemens Enterprise Communications, National Envelope, Stock Building Supply and Sage Automotive. Mr. Yager earned a B.A. in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Michigan.
Vice President
Ms. Chau is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Chau began her career at Merrill Lynch as an Analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group. Ms. Chau earned a B.A. with Honors in Economics and an M.S. in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Freedman is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls as well as leading financial due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Freedman was CFO of The Learning Company, a Pre-GCP I portfolio company, where he helped lead a successful turnaround and sale of the company. Mr. Freedman held various financial management roles at The Learning Company, Broderbund and Mindscape from 1994 to 2002. From 1988 to 1994, Mr. Freedman held various financial management positions at Paramount Communications. Prior to 1988, Mr. Freedman spent four years in public accounting. Mr. Freedman serves on the Board of Directors of Lineage/Vincotech. Mr. Freedman earned a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from the State University of New York at Binghamton.
Managing Director
Mr. Goni is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in Europe. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Goni was an Associate at Morgan Stanley, where he executed a large number of M&A transactions in the media & telecoms, real estate, chemicals and building materials industries. Mr. Goni began his career as a consultant at the Business Consulting unit of Arthur Andersen. Mr. Goni held Board positions with Sagem Communications and Inmac/WStore and currently sits on the Boards of Siemens Enterprise Management GmbH and Mexx Lifestyle BV. Mr. Goni holds a BSc. (Econ) in Economics (First Class Honours) and a MSc. in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Operations
Senior Vice President, Tax
Mr. Hans leads the global tax function for Gores, including tax due diligence, legal structure optimization, tax-related agreement negotiation, and tax modeling. Mr. Hans is responsible for the tax compliance, tax audit, and tax planning functions of Gores' portfolio companies. Prior to joining Gores in 2004, Mr. Hans worked for Arthur Andersen and KPMG, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions, international corporate taxation, and partnership taxation while serving the venture capital, technology and telecommunications industries. Mr. Hans earned a B.S. in Business Administration with concentrations in Accounting and Finance at Colorado State University and a Masters of Taxation at the University of Denver.
Executive Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
Mr. Stefanik oversees Gores' marketing and business development activities, including maintaining relationships with key decision makers in Fortune 500 companies, and identifying and qualifying new acquisition opportunities. Mr. Stefanik has been with Gores for over 16 years and served as President and CEO of Applicon, a Pre-GCP I portfolio company. Mr. Stefanik has previously held a variety of sales, marketing and executive management positions in high technology companies, including Numerical Control, Cleveland Pneumatic, Valisys and McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Group. Mr. Stefanik also served as CEO of Health Systems Company, a division of McDonnell Douglas Information Systems Group. Mr. Stefanik serves on the Boards of Directors of CompuDyne, Lineage Power, Vincotech and Diagnostic Health. Mr. Stefanik earned both B.S. and M.S. degrees in Marketing from St. Louis University.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Harnish is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls as well as leading financial due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Harnish held senior executive positions in financial management with both Fortune 500 and start-up companies, including Executive VP and CFO with Maintenancenet, and Vice President of Finance/Divisional CFO with Gateway. Prior to Gateway, Mr. Harnish served in various financial management, marketing, and accounting capacities with Honeywell, and Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Harnish serves on the Boards of Directors of Avure Technologies, United Road Services and Sagem Communications. Mr. Harnish earned a B.S. in Finance from The University of Illinois and an M.B.A. from The University of Michigan.
Operations
Senior Tax Manager
Ms. Wagoner serves as a tax resource during due diligence as well as a resource to Gores portfolio companies in the areas of tax compliance, tax audit and accounting for income taxes in accordance with accounting requirements for financial statement reporting. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Wagoner was a tax manager for McDATA Corporation where she managed the accounting for income taxes, income tax compliance, other tax compliance, and tax planning functions. Prior to that, Ms. Wagoner worked for several companies, including Arthur Young, where she performed audit functions and also served clients as a tax manager. Ms. Wagoner earned her B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Colorado.
Senior Associate
Mr. Notö is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities in Europe. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Notö was a Senior Analyst with KPMG Transaction Services in London, working primarily in the technology and telecommunication sectors. Prior to KPMG, Mr. Notö was a consultant for Look Closer, an M&A risk advisory firm based in Stockholm. He has also worked for LM Ericsson. Mr. Notö earned a B.Sc. in Business Administration and a M.Sc. in Commercial Law from Uppsala University.
Senior Associate, Business Development
Mr. Schlais is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Schlais served as a copyright manager at JAKKS Pacific and Financing/Strategy Consultant at The Branding Firm. Mr. Schlais earned a B.S. in English from Pepperdine University and his M.B.A. from the Graziadio School of Business & Management of Pepperdine University.
Principal
Mr. Gimbel is involved in the evaluation and execution of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Gimbel was an Analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he focused primarily on mergers and acquisitions and leveraged finance transactions in the Media and Telecommunications group. Mr. Gimbel graduated with Honors from the University of Texas with a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting and holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
Operations
Senior Vice President
Mr. Turner focuses on the supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies aspects of due diligence and portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Turner served as SVP of Global Sourcing and Manufacturing at Crane Aerospace where he was responsible for the creation and implementation of global sourcing strategies and operations. Prior to that, Mr. Turner served five years as Chief Executive and General Manager of Precision Components International. Mr. Turner spent the prior twelve years with United Technologies - Pratt & Whitney in various roles including a business unit manager. Mr. Turner earned a B.A. from Columbus State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Liverpool.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Brandt is responsible for portfolio company oversight and leading operational due diligence efforts. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Brandt was Corporate Vice President and President of the Europe, Middle East, Africa and India regions of The Valspar Corporation. Mr. Brandt spent 15 years at Valspar, a global leader in the paint, coatings and specialty chemicals industry, in a series of general management and executive positions. Prior to that, Mr. Brandt spent eight years at Cargill, the largest privately owned corporation in the U.S., in the areas of commodities trading and risk management in the U.S., purchasing and supply chain management on the corporate staff, strategic planning and business development in Mexico, and manufacturing management in England, Wales and the U.S. Mr. Brandt serves as Chairman of Cobridge Communications. Mr. Brandt earned a B.S. degree from California Polytechnic State University, and an M.B.A. in Finance at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Senior Vice President, Fund General Counsel
Mr. Eisner is responsible for managing the legal affairs of the Gores private equity funds and for overseeing the legal affairs of the funds' portfolio companies. Mr. Eisner also oversees the insurance and risk management functions for the firm and its portfolio companies as well as the compliance function for the firm. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Eisner served as Vice President of Development and Vice President of Legal Affairs at Ameristar Casinos, Inc., an owner and operator of regional casino entertainment properties throughout the United States. Mr. Eisner began his career with O'Melveny & Myers in Los Angeles working on mergers and acquisitions, corporate securities transactions and general corporate matters. Mr. Eisner earned a B.A. degree in Economics from The University of California Berkeley, with high honors, and a J.D. from The University of California Los Angeles School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Nold is responsible for portfolio company oversight and leading operational due diligence efforts. Before joining Gores in 2008, Mr. Nold was VP of Strategy & Corporate Development at Hewlett-Packard where he focused primarily on the global Services and Technology Solutions divisions. Mr. Nold also co-led Hewlett-Packard’s Corporate Strategy group, responsible for blueprinting and driving priority initiatives during HP’s 2004-2008 transformation, alongside the CEO and Executive Committee. Previously, Mr. Nold held leadership positions in strategy and marketing at United Technologies and Avanex Corporation (now Oclaro) after serving as a management consultant with Bain & Company. He began his career at International Paper as an engineer and manufacturing production manager. Mr. Nold serves on the Board of Directors of Diagnostic Health, Westwood One and Alliance Entertainment. Mr. Nold earned a B.S.E. in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director
Mr. Otley is a senior member of Gores Small Capitalization Group and is responsible for originating and structuring transactions, and overseeing portfolio company exits. Mr. Otley previously served as Sr. Advisor to Gores and CEO of Diagnostic Health Corporation, a GCP I portfolio company. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Otley was a Senior Operating Partner at another private equity firm where he was responsible for transaction diligence and portfolio oversight for a $70 million private equity fund. Prior, Mr. Otley was the Founder and CEO of IntelliCare, a health management and call center business focused on disease and care management. Prior to founding IntelliCare, he held senior management positions at Medaphis Corporation (Per-Se Technologies), the largest provider of healthcare revenue management services in the United States, and Medical Management of New England, the largest provider of outsourced healthcare claims processing in New England. He began his career focused on healthcare IT at Northern Data Systems. Mr. Otley serves on the Board of Directors of Diagnostic Health, Scovill and Hypercom USA. Mr. Otley earned a B.A. in Economics from Bates College.
Associate Director, Business Development
Mr. Leeney oversees the TMT group within Business Development and is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Leeney spent six years in cross-border investor relations, working on transactions including Adidas' purchase of Reebok, the InterBrew-AmBev merger, and Pernod Ricard's acquisition of Allied Domecq. Mr. Leeney received a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University.
Senior Advisor
Mr. Patton serves as a senior advisor to Gores. Mr. Patton was Chairman and CEO of MicroOptical Devices, and was responsible for its sale in 1998 to Emcore Corporation, a compound semiconductor company. Prior to that position, he served as one of the three Presidents comprising the President's Office at Unisys Corporation. Before joining Unisys in 1991, Mr. Patton was President & CEO of MAI Basic Four, a Fortune 500 Industrial Corporation, which was a computer systems manufacturer and application software company. Prior to that position, he was Chairman, President, and CEO of CADO Systems Corporation, a computer systems manufacturer for which EBS was a distributor. He also served as Executive Vice President of Ampex International. He began his career with Honeywell, Inc. as an engineer and his last position there was as Vice President and General Manager of Computer Operations for the Americas. Mr. Patton serves on the Boards of Directors of RealDolmen and CompuDyne. Mr. Patton holds a B.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Vice President, Human Resources & Facilities
Ms. Pollack is responsible for oversight of the human resources functions, payroll administration, as well as facilities and office management for The Gores Group. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Pollack held human resources management positions at The William Morris Agency, Princess Cruises Ltd., SelecTV and Saks Fifth Avenue. Ms. Pollack holds an M.B.A. Degree from the University of Southern California and a B.A. Degree from Brooklyn College in New York City.
Senior Associate
Mr. Patel is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Patel was an Analyst at Merrill Lynch in the Multi-Industrials Group, where he focused on various M&A and financing transactions. Mr. Patel received his B.S. in Finance and Accounting from The Stern School of Business at New York University.
Operations
Senior Tax Manager
Mr. Stone serves as a tax resource during due diligence as well as to Gores portfolio companies in the areas of tax compliance, tax audit and accounting for income taxes in accordance with accounting requirements for financial statement reporting. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Stone was Tax Manager at Qiagen NV, a biotechnology company, where he created and managed the North American internal tax function. Prior to that, Mr. Stone was a tax manager at Teleflex where he was responsible for the domestic portion of a complete tax function rebuilding, Senior Tax Accountant at Roper Industries, and a Tax Accountant at Arthur Andersen. Mr. Stone earned a B.B.A. with an emphasis in Accounting from Georgia State University, Magna Cum Laude, and an M.B.A. from Oklahoma State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Kim is responsible for portfolio company oversight and operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Kim worked at The Boston Consulting Group in a variety of different industries developing corporate strategy and operational improvement programs. Previous to The Boston Consulting Group, Mr. Kim was a co-founder of a small retail chain specializing in granite countertops, Artistic Stone. Prior to Artistic Stone, Mr. Kim was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for The Brown Schools, a wholly owned portfolio company of McCown De Leeuw. Mr. Kim was also an investment associate at McCown De Leeuw and an investment banking analyst at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Kim received a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. in Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Vice President
Ms. Harmon focuses on the supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies aspects of due diligence and portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Harmon worked for Crane Co. Aerospace Group as the Group Director of Global Strategic Sourcing. While at Crane Co., Ms. Harmon also held management positions in Supply Chain Management, Re-engineering, Quality Assurance and Operations Systems Auditing. Ms. Harmon was also employed with General Dynamics as a Senior Cost Analyst. Ms. Harmon earned a B.S. in Operations Management at Western Washington University.
Operations
Principal
Mr. Kutrieh is responsible for portfolio company oversight and controls, as well as financial and operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Kutrieh was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Company concentrating in Healthcare, Media and Private Equity. Mr. Kutrieh also worked as an M.B.A. Intern in the Strategic Planning Department at Turner Broadcasting and as a Senior Analyst at The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Kutrieh holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Hammad is responsible for leading operational due diligence efforts in Europe as well as working with portfolio company executive teams to achieve full operational potential.
Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Hammad was Chief Commercial Officer, at easyJet plc, one of the largest airlines in Europe where he was responsible for driving a major commercial turnaround, involving a doubling of revenue within 4 years whilst delivering significant margin enhancement. Previously, he held a number of senior operational roles at multi-national corporations including Procter & Gamble, Thorn-EMI, Vision Express and Tibbett & Britten which involved significant turnarounds, performance improvement and corporate development. Mr. Hammad was also CEO of Autocascade, a pan-European web-based yield management start-up focused on the automotive sector. In addition, he spent three years with the Boston Consulting Group in London where he worked with top management of leading corporations on developing growth strategies and driving operational improvement programs. Mr. Hammad has also been a Non-Executive Director of Optos plc, the leading provider of medical retinal-imaging technology, where he was a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committees. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Air Berlin plc, the second largest airline in Germany by passenger numbers.
Mr. Hammad holds an undergraduate degree from Oxford University and an MBA from INSEAD.
Operations
Senior Vice President, Human Capital
Mr. Rossen is responsible for human capital oversight for all portfolio companies and is a member of the operating due diligence team. Prior to joining Gores Partners in 2009, Mr. Rossen served as General Counsel of LRN Corporation, HELIO, and Somera Communications. Prior to that, Mr. Rossen was Senior Corporate Counsel for RealNames Corporation and served as a corporate and securities associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, a law firm specializing in serving the technology and growth business sector. Mr. Rossen holds a B.A. in Economics and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Managing Director, Head of Corporate Finance
Mr. Nutting is responsible for leading all corporate finance transactions and capital markets activity for Gores portfolio companies, as well as managing the firm's relationships with corporate finance providers. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Nutting was a Director in Investment Banking at Credit Suisse where he maintained primary coverage responsibilities and executed financings, mergers and acquisitions, and other corporate transactions for financial sponsors and their portfolio companies. Prior to Credit Suisse, Mr. Nutting was an Associate in Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch and CIBC Oppenheimer. Mr. Nutting earned a B.A., cum laude, in Economics-Accounting from Claremont McKenna College and an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Mr. Nutting also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.
Associate
Mr. Schellinger is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Schellinger was an Analyst in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group of Jefferies & Company, where he was involved in a wide variety of mergers and acquisitions strategic advisory and capital markets financings for clients across multiple industries. Mr. Schellinger graduated from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas with a B.B.A. in Accounting and a Masters in Professional Accounting.
Operations
Vice President, Finance
Mr. Thompson is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls as well as leading financial due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Thompson was a Director at FTI Consulting, concentrating on financial and operational restructurings for Communications and Media clients. Prior to FTI, Mr. Thompson spent 3 years as a Director of Corporate Development at Sony Pictures Entertainment, where he completed over $400 million of acquisitions, divestitures, and business launches of television networks and new media properties globally. Prior to Sony, Mr. Thompson was a Senior Associate in the restructuring practice of Alvarez and Marsal. Mr. Thompson was a Technology M&A Summer Associate at JPMorgan. Mr. Thompson served on the Board of Directors of J Mendel Inc. Mr. Thompson holds a B.A. in Biology and Economics from Pomona College and an MBA from Stanford. Mr. Thompson is a Certified Insolvency and Restructuring Advisor and a Licensed International Financial Analyst.
Operations
Senior Associate
Mr. Ma is responsible for portfolio company oversight, as well as financial and operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores in 2009, Mr. Ma was a consultant at the Boston Consulting Group with a focus on due diligence, strategic transformation and cost-reduction at companies in the Technology, Healthcare and Consumer sectors. He also has experience in investment banking, fixed income investment management, a tech start-up, and managed healthcare operations. Mr. Ma graduated with honors from the Management and Technology Program (M&T) at the University of Pennsylvania with a BS in Economics (focus Finance) from The Wharton School and a BS in Electrical Engineering (focus Computer & Telecommunication Systems) from the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Reynders is responsible for portfolio company oversight and operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Reynders was an Executive Director at Dubai Capital Group (DCG), a leading investment management firm in the Middle East and North Africa, and also worked as Business Development Director for DCG's parent company Dubai Holding. Earlier in his career, Mr. Reynders worked as a consultant with The Boston Consulting Group and also with Eden McCallum, where he executed strategic advisory and due diligence projects across Western Europe in the financial services, industrial and services sectors. He was also a co-founder and Managing Director of AutoCascade, a pan-European automotive supply chain management joint venture between Inchcape plc and Avis Europe plc. Mr. Reynders was previously on the Board of Directors of Lafarge Emirates Cement, a leading cement producer in the UAE and a joint venture with the Lafarge group. Mr. Reynders received a M.Sc. in Information Systems from the Stern School of Business (New York University) as well as a degree in Commercial Engineering from the University of Antwerp (UFSIA) in Belgium.
Analyst
Business Development
Mr. Salin is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities in Europe, focusing on the French, Benelux, Spanish and Italian markets. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Salin was an Analyst at 3i Buyouts in Paris where he performed deal origination, research and modeling on the French upper-midcap buyouts market. Prior to that, Mr. Salin was employed at Pragma Capital, a French boutique fund where he executed midcap deals. Among other activities, Mr. Salin started several ventures in varied sectors and was a manager of his university consulting firm; he also taught finance at the Banque de France, the French central bank. Mr. Salin graduated from the Paris-Dauphine University with a M.S level in Business Strategy and from the Hong-Kong University where he fulfilled part of his studies.
Associate
Business Development
Mr. Soto is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Soto worked for Merrill Lynch as a Financial Advisor, providing portfolio management, investment strategy, and financial analysis to private clients, endowments, and corporations. Mr. Soto earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Vice President
Mr. Chacartegui is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities in Europe. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Chacartegui worked as a Vice President at Providence Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on media, communications and information investments, where he participated in the sourcing, execution and portfolio management of a number of investments. During this time, Mr. Chacartegui served on the Boards of Directors of Canal Digitaal, the leading provider of satellite television and radio in the Netherlands and Belgium, and Com Hem, the largest cable operator in Sweden. Prior to that, he was an Analyst at Morgan Stanley, where he executed a number of M&A transactions in the media & telecoms, business services, industrials and real estate industries. Mr. Chacartegui received a Master of Science in Business Administration from Deusto University.
Associate
Mr. Vincent-Genod is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities in Europe. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Vincent-Genod was an Analyst at Goldman Sachs in London in the Industrials M&A Group, where he focused on various M&A and financing transactions. Mr. Vincent-Genod graduated from HEC Paris and received a Master of Science in Business Administration.
Vice President
Mr. Nayot is involved in the evaluation and execution of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Nayot was an Associate with American Capital Ltd. in their leverage buyouts group with special focus on acquisitions in the Applied Technologies and Healthcare sectors. Prior to joining American Capital, Mr. Nayot worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at NM Rothschild & Sons where he was a generalist in their M&A group. Mr. Nayot graduated with Honors from the University of Western Ontario, where he obtained a Bachelor of Engineering Science degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Managing Director
Mr. Schwartz is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Schwartz was a Principal in the Private Equity Group of Ares Management in Los Angeles, where he worked on numerous leveraged buyouts and distressed debt investments. During his tenure at Ares, Mr. Schwartz sat on the Boards of Directors of several public and private companies including General Nutrition Centers, Nortek, Inc, Samsonite Corporation, Stream Global Services, Tinnerman Palnut Engineered Products, and WCA Waste Corporation. Prior to joining Ares, Mr. Schwartz was an investment banker at Lehman Brothers in the financial sponsors group and prior to that in the mergers and acquisitions group at Wasserstein Perella & Co. Mr. Schwartz graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics.
Associate
Mr. Cvejic is responsible for identifying, originating, and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Cvejic spent six years in investment banking and wealth management with Lionfish Advisors, Wachovia Securities and Smith Barney. Mr. Cvejic received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of California, Riverside and his M.B.A. at the USC Marshall School of Business.
Analyst
Mr. Tedori is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Tedori worked at Blackford Capital conducting financial and operational reviews of investment prospects and evaluating acquisition targets. Prior to Blackford, Mr. Tedori worked at Lehman Brothers in Tokyo, Japan in the Global Commercial Real Estate Division. He engaged in the preparation and revision of commercial loan securitization projects in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. Mr. Tedori earned a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Analyst
Mr. Stewart is responsible for identifying, originating, and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Stewart worked as an analyst for Grandview National, a boutique investment bank in Los Angeles where he performed research and deal origination activities. Mr. Stewart earned a B.B.A in Finance from Baylor University.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Nugent is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls as well as leading financial due diligence activities. Before joining Gores, Mr. Nugent was Vice President and Global Controller of TNS, a world leader in market research, global market information and business analysis. From 2004 to 2008, Mr. Nugent was Chief Financial Officer of AGB Nielsen Media Research, a global provider of television audience measurement services, based in Milan, Italy. Before 2004, Mr. Nugent was a director in the transaction services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he specialized in providing financial due diligence services with a focus on the technology and media industries. Mr. Nugent earned a B.A. in Accounting from The University of Ulster, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting from The Queen’s University of Belfast and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. Mr. Nugent is a Certified Public Accountant.
Associate
Mr. Lee is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Lee was an Analyst at Moelis & Company and UBS Investment Bank, where he focused on M&A, financing and restructuring transactions. Mr. Lee received his B.A. in Business-Economics, cum laude, from UCLA.
Associate
Mr. Sprowl is involved in the evaluation and execution of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Sprowl began his career at UBS Investment Bank in Los Angeles as an Analyst in the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Group, where he focused primarily on M&A and financing transactions in the technology and business services sectors. Mr. Sprowl graduated with Honors from the University of Southern California with a B.S. in Business Administration and a concentration in Corporate Finance.
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ms. Kwon focuses on developing and maintaining relationships with limited partners in The Gores Group funds. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Kwon was Director of Investor Relations at Sterling Partners, a private equity firm based in Chicago. Prior to Sterling, Ms. Kwon worked at Public Financial Management where she advised municipal borrowers on capital funding and restructuring programs. Ms. Kwon began her career at the Vanguard Group as a Fixed Income trader. Ms. Kwon earned a B.A. in Communication from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Operations
Vice President, Finance
Mr. Constanda is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls, as well as operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Constanda was CFO of AOL (UK), a leading Internet Service Provider, and of SonyBMG (UK), a leading recorded music company, where he held a broad range of responsibilities in addition to Finance. Earlier in his career, he was a Project Leader with The Boston Consulting Group, where he worked with the top management of leading corporations on developing growth strategies and driving operational improvements. In addition, he spent several years at PepsiCo and also qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen. Mr. Constanda received a Master’s degree from Cambridge University in Computer Science and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics from Durham University.
Operations
Associate
Mr. Chen is responsible for portfolio company financial and operational due diligence activities, as well as portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining Gores in 2010, Mr. Chen was a consultant at Bain & Company with a focus on private-equity due diligence, competitive strategy, and customer retention in the Technology, Distribution, and Mobile Communications sectors. Prior to joining Bain & Company full time, Mr. Chen was a consultant intern in Bain & Company's Private Equity Group. Mr. Chen graduated from the University of California Berkeley in 2007 with a BS in Business Administration from the Haas School of Business, and a minor in Industrial Engineering Operations Research from the College of Engineering.
Operations
Senior Associate
Ms. Lam is responsible for portfolio company financial and operational due diligence activities, as well as portfolio company oversight. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Lam was a Senior Manager in the M&A Transaction Services group at Deloitte, where she worked on 60+ closed and potential transactions with deal size ranging from $10 million to $10 billion, including various carve-out situations. Prior to that, Ms. Lam worked in the Audit and Enterprise Risk Services group at Deloitte. Ms. Lam holds a B.S. in Business Administration and an M.B.A. from the Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. Ms. Lam is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant.
Operations
Director of Risk Management
Ms. Ku is responsible for supporting and overseeing the risk management and insurance programs of the portfolio companies as well as leading risk management and insurance due diligence efforts. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Ku spent close to eight years as Director of Risk Management at Dole Food Company, Inc., the world’s largest producer and marketer of fresh fruit and vegetables and Castle & Cooke, Inc., a diversified group of companies. Ms. Ku also held various risk management positions at Nestle USA, Inc., Lowe Enterprises, and Johnson & Higgins (acquired by Marsh, Inc.). Ms. Ku earned a B.A. from University of California Irvine and a M.B.A. from Loyola Marymount University of Los Angeles.
Operations
Managing Director
Mr. Leclercq is responsible for portfolio company oversight and controls, as well as operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Leclercq was CFO for BT Global Services where he played a central role in the turnaround of the business as a result of the implementation of significant cost reductions, new financial controls and new arrangements with suppliers and customers. Prior to this Mr. Leclercq was the CFO of Openreach, the Access Services Division of the BT Group, were he contributed to the carve out and set up of this unit as a standalone unit as required by a settlement between BT plc and the UK Telecommunications regulator, OFCOM. Previously Mr. Leclercq was the Deputy Managing Director of Onetel and held senior financial positions in One2One, a cellular phone operator. Mr. Leclercq also held positions in Coopers and Lybrand in both the UK and South Africa.
Mr. Leclercq is a South African Chartered Accountant and has a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Managing Director
Mr. Guagliano is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Guagliano was a Managing Director with Moelis & Company where he led the M&A execution for transactions across various industries including consumer and retail, media, healthcare, biotechnology and government services. Prior to joining Moelis, Mr. Guagliano was an investment banker at UBS where he led the execution on a variety of assignments, including mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt security underwritings, and other advisory assignments. Mr. Guagliano also previously worked as the Director of Finance at Nomadix, Inc and was an investment banker at DLJ. Mr. Guagliano received his Bachelor of Arts, Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Associate M & A
Mr. Clegg is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities in Europe. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Clegg was an Analyst at Houlihan Lokey in London in the Corporate Finance Group, where he focused on various M&A, financing and restructuring transactions. Mr. Clegg graduated from the University of Bath with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Administration.
Senior Vice President, Business Development
Mr. Fredston is responsible for leading the deal origination efforts in North America and Europe for The Gores Group. Prior to joining The Gores Group, Mr. Fredston founded Long Green Capital, a hedge fund based in Los Angeles. Mr. Fredston began his full-time career at Goldman Sachs in 2005 after graduating from Bates College with a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies.
Operations
Vice President, Corporate Finance
Mr. Oh is responsible for executing corporate finance and capital markets transactions for Gores portfolio companies, as well as maintaining relationships with the firm's corporate finance providers. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Oh was a Vice President in the Loan Originations and Loan Sales & Syndications groups at Wells Fargo Capital Finance. In this capacity, Mr. Oh originated, structured, executed, and syndicated senior credit facilities for acquisitions, recapitalizations, growth capital, refinances, and working capital needs for financial sponsors and various companies across a variety of industries. Prior to Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Mr. Oh was an Associate at a private equity firm in Los Angeles and a Senior Associate in the Transaction Services Group at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Oh earned a B.A. in International Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. Mr. Oh is a Certified Public Accountant.
Managing Director, Operations
Consumer Practice Leader
Mr. Bird is responsible for portfolio company oversight and leading operational due diligence efforts, as well as leading The Gores Group's operational efforts in the consumer sector. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Bird was Group President at Nike, leading Nike's portfolio of Affiliate brands (Bauer, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley, Starter, and Umbro), Nike's M&A efforts, and operating as a member of Nike's Executive Committee. Prior to Nike, Mr. Bird was a senior officer at Gap Inc., where he served in multiple executive roles including EVP of New Business Development, Chief Operating Officer of Gap's flagship brand, and Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer of Old Navy. Before Gap, Mr. Bird served as Vice President of Finance & Operations for Gateway's Consumer Division. Prior to Gateway, Mr. Bird served in numerous leadership roles in finance, operations and strategy with Honeywell, and Ford Motor Company. Mr. Bird started his professional career with BayBanks, where he was an Assistant Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer. Mr. Bird earned a B.S. in Finance from Ithaca College, and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the M.B.A. program at the Olin Graduate School of Management at Babson College.
Operations
Vice President, Fund Counsel
Mr. Abrams is responsible for supporting the legal affairs of Gores' portfolio companies. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Abrams was an associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Los Angeles where he worked on mergers and acquisitions, corporate securities transactions and other general corporate matters, including matters for Gores and its portfolio companies. Mr. Abrams began his career as a corporate and securities associate with DLA Piper in Washington, DC. Mr. Abrams earned a B.A. degree from Tufts University, and both a J.D., cum laude, and an M.B.A. degree from American University.
Associate
Mr. Erickson is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Erickson spent nearly five years at Charter Communications, the nation's 4th largest cable provider, where he managed programming strategy and major product launches. Mr. Erickson earned a B.S. in Business Administration, cum laude, from California Polytechnic State University's Orfalea College of Business and an M.B.A. in Finance, with honors, from Pepperdine's Graziadio School of Business and Management.
Operations
Vice President, Finance
Mr. Rahmati is responsible for portfolio company financial oversight and controls as well as leading financial due diligence activities. Before joining Gores, Mr. Rahmati was a Financial Operating Partner at Graham Partners, a mid-market buyout firm focused on control investments in manufacturing and manufacturing services related companies. Prior to his work at Graham Partners, Mr. Rahmati held several senior executive roles at companies owned by private equity firms. Mr. Rahmati has held positions in Finance, Corporate Strategy and Operations at companies such as Solectron, Isola Group, Bright Now Dental and Activant Solutions. Mr. Rahmati attended New York University as an Economics and International Business major, the Executive Supply Chain program at Stanford University and is currently pursuing his M.B.A from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Managing Director
Mr. Johnson is responsible for leading the execution and negotiation of certain Gores' acquisitions and divestitures in the U.S. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Johnson was a Managing Director and Investment Committee member of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III and IV, and DLJ Growth Capital Partners I. Prior to joining DLJ, Mr. Johnson worked for E.M Warburg Pincus & Co, LLC., The Boston Consulting Group and Chevron Corporation. Mr. Johnson has served on many Boards over his 17 year’s in Private equity, among those include Wastequip, CRC HealthCare and most recently Landis and Gyr. Mr. Johnson has a Bachelor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Winkle is responsible for portfolio company oversight and operational due diligence activities. Prior to joining Gores Operations Group, Mr. Winkle worked at Bain & Company where he performed strategy consulting for the hospitality and wireless industries, as well as investment due diligence across multiple industries as part of Bain’s private equity practice. Mr. Winkle has also worked in the Turnaround and Restructuring practice at Alvarez and Marsal and in operations and business development for Station Casinos. Prior to his time at Station, Mr. Winkle owned and operated an underground utilities contractor in Las Vegas, NV. Mr. Winkle holds an A.B. with honors from Duke University, and earned an M.B.A. from UCLA Anderson, where he was recognized as a Carter Fellow (top 2% of class).
Associate
Mr. Bansal is involved in the evaluation and execution of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Bansal was an Analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York in the Natural Resources Group, where he focused primarily on M&A and financing transactions in the power, utilities, oil and gas sectors. Mr. Bansal received his Bachelor of Arts, Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.
Associate
Mr. Lazarus is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Lazarus was an Analyst at Citi in the Global Industrials Group and Financial Entrepreneurs Group, where he was involved in a variety of M&A and financing transactions. Mr. Lazarus earned a B.S. in Economics, cum laude, with a dual concentration in Finance and Management from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Associate
Mr. Barkhorn is involved in the evaluation and execution of potential Gores opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Barkhorn was an Analyst at Citigroup in the Global Industrials Group and at Sagent Advisors in the M&A Group, where he was involved in a variety of M&A and financing transactions primarily in the packaging, defense & government services and building products sectors. Mr. Barkhorn graduated with Honors in Management from Washington University in St. Louis with a B.S. in Business Administration and majors in Finance and Accounting.
Operations
Associate
Mr. Dawson is responsible for financial and operational due diligence activities as well as portfolio company improvement. Prior to joining Gores in 2011, Mr. Dawson was a Senior Associate with the Chicago and Mumbai offices of Bain & Company with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, capital and liquidity management, performance improvement, and private equity due diligence. He has experience in telecom, consumer products, and retail industries, as well as extensive emerging market experience. Mr. Dawson graduated from the University of Illinois in 2008 with a BS in Civil Engineering and a minor in Business Administration.
Associate
Business Development
Mr. Peterson is responsible for identifying, originating, and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Peterson spent 5 years in trading platforms and prime brokerage at Cantor Fitzgerald and Bear Stearns. Mr. Peterson earned a B.A. from Franklin College Switzerland and an M.B.A. from the USC Marshall School of Business after interning at Goldman Sachs.
Associate Director
Mr. Terner is responsible for identifying, originating and qualifying new investment opportunities. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Terner worked for Saddle Point Asset Management, a Los Angeles based hedge fund. Prior to Saddle Point, Mr. Terner was a management consultant to the Brotman Medical Center specializing in financial and operational issues. Before that Mr. Terner was an executive at Prospect Medical Holdings where he was employed in various functional areas including operations, business development, M&A and strategy. Mr. Terner received his BA from Harvard College, and his MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Shim is responsible for operational due diligence and portfolio company improvement. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Shim worked at LG Mobile where he led the business strategy, product strategy, and market intelligence functions for the North American mobile market. Before his role at LG, Mr. Shim was Senior Vice President at Pacific Theatres. Mr. Shim also served as Director of Strategy and Sales Operations at Gateway. While at Gateway, Mr. Shim successfully led the launch of Windows XP across Gateway’s entire product portfolio. Prior to Gateway, Mr. Shim spent four years at McKinsey & Company in the United States and South Korea as an Engagement Manager in the high technology, consumer goods, and retail industries. At McKinsey, Mr. Shim led studies in corporate strategy, operations, and M&A. He was also a Senior Analyst at R.B. Webber & Company. Mr. Shim received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Marketing from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director/Chief Financial Officer
Ms. Scanlon is responsible for financial due diligence, deal originating, structuring and negotiation of transactions, and overseeing portfolio company exits. Prior to joining Gores Small Capitalization Group, Ms. Scanlon was a Managing Director at Global Equity Capital, LLC where she led due diligence efforts and provided transaction oversight and portfolio company management. Previously, since 1996, she held various finance positions within The Gores Group and its portfolio and was involved in a significant number of transactions, both purchases and sales, with responsibility for financial due diligence, deal structure and negotiation. While with Gores, she was responsible for the financial management and corporate tax matters of portfolio companies and acted as the firm’s chief financial officer. Ms. Scanlon has extensive experience in international tax matters and structuring complex transactions. Prior to joining Gores, Ms. Scanlon spent 13 years in public accounting and was a partner with Freedman & Goldberg, a certified public accounting firm located in Detroit, Michigan. Ms. Scanlon earned her B.S. in Accounting from Western Michigan University.
Small Capitalization Group
Senior Vice President, Operations
Mr. Adkins is responsible for portfolio company oversight and controls as well as operational due diligence activities.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Adkins was President and CEO of MPC Computers which was acquired by a Gores Affiliate from Micron Technology in 2001 and later acquired by Hyperspace Communications in 2006. Mr. Adkins spent 15 years at Micron Technology in various management roles including President of Micron Systems Integration and MicronPC’s Executive Vice President of Operations and Sales. Mr. Adkins has extensive experience in acquisitions, operations, supply chain management, corporate governance, sales and marketing.
Mr. Adkins attended Coppers Cove, Texas Community College studying criminal justice and later Boise State University College of Business.
Small Capitalization Group
Senior Operations Advisor
Mr. Aston is responsible for portfolio company oversight and controls as well as operational due diligence activities in Europe.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Aston was President of Europe at Encore Real Time Systems. Mr. Aston has extensive experience in technology development, sales, management and executive management in both startup and turnaround environments.
Small Capitalization Group
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Mr. Byrne is responsible for Human Resources activities for all portfolio companies and is a member of the operating due diligence team.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Byrne was a Vice President, Human Resources for The Gores Group and The Learning Company. Mr. Byrne also worked in Human Resources in banking in Northern California later joining Broderbund software. Prior to joining The Gores Group Mr. Byrne was with a startup company for NBC.
Mr. Byrne received a BA from San Francisco State University.
Small Capitalization Group
Associate
Mr. Hageman is responsible for analyzing potential investments and performing operational due diligence
Prior to joining the Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, in 2008, Mr. Hageman was an Analyst in the Business Development Group at Lafarge North America with a focus on mergers and acquisitions and corporate strategy. Mr. Hageman was previously an Associate at The Decatur Group, a Denver-based private equity firm where he worked on middle-market transactions. Mr. Hageman began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst with Stifel Nicolaus where he was actively involved in several middle-market M&A and equity advisory assignments across a broad range of industries. He also served as a business consultant in the U.S. Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa.
Mr. Hageman graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a B.A. in Finance and French and received his MBA with highest honors from the University of Denver, Daniels College of Business.
Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director - Operations
Mr. Hirano is responsible for leading Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group's operational due diligence efforts and its oversight of portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Hirano held position as Sr. Vice President of Finance and Operations of The Gores Group and CFO of Artem’s International Solutions Corp. Mr. Hirano also served as COO/CFO of CUSA, Inc., a publicly traded company on NASDAQ that developed and distributed software solutions in the credit union marketplace
Mr. Hirano earned an M.B.A. from Pepperdine University and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.
Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director, Legal
Mr. Waldman is responsible for the legal aspects of the negotiation and execution of certain portfolio transactions and acts as general counsel to the Small Cap portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Waldman was a partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP in the private equity practice group. Previous, Mr. Waldman was a partner at Riordan & McKinzie, which merged with Bingham in 2003. In his law practice, Mr. Waldman handled mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations and divestitures, securities law matters, venture capital financings, structured equity investments and private equity fund formation matters.
Mr. Waldman holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Small Capitalization Group
Managing Director, Finance
Mr. Wynter is responsible for financial due diligence and other aspects of oversight of portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Wynter held senior finance positions with The Gores Group and The Learning Company. Mr. Wynter also held finance roles in the consumer software business with Mindscape, Broderbund and Mattel, both in Europe and the US. He gained his accountancy qualification with Deloitte.
Mr. Wynter is a Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, and the Association of Corporate Treasurers.
Small Capitalization Group
Senior Associate
Mr. Regan is responsible for analyzing potential investments and performing operational due diligence.
Prior to joining the Gores Operations Small Capitalization Group, Mr. Regan served as the Director of Development for Diagnostic Health Corporation with significant focus on roll-up acquisitions and divestitures. Mr. Regan was previously a Strategic Marketing Manager at Idexx Laboratories where he focused primarily on competitive intelligence and new product development. Prior to that, Mr. Regan was a Project Manager at MedcoHealth where he oversaw multi-partner federal disease management programs.
Mr. Regan earned a BS in Biology from the University of Maine and an MBA in Finance, Summa Cum Laude, from The Whittemore School of the University of New Hampshire.
Operations
Vice President, IT and Systems
Mr. Cottey oversees IT activities for portfolio companies in addition to actively participating in due diligence on new investment opportunities. Mr. Cottey joined the Gores’ team in 2011 with extensive experience in large systems delivery, system architecture, software development, IT operations and support, and implementation. Mr. Cottey was an executive partner at Accenture where he was responsible for client delivery and for a team of technology architects. Most recently, Mr. Cottey was Chief Information Officer of Accretive Health, Inc. where he was responsible for customer-facing applications, internal applications, and IT operations. Mr. Cottey holds a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Hilgers focuses on the manufacturing and supply chain efficiencies aspects of due diligence and portfolio company improvement. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Hilgers served as VP of Operations at Vincotech a Gores portfolio company where he was responsible for the implementation of Lean Manufacturing and global sourcing strategies. Prior to that, Mr. Hilgers served five years as Plant Manager and Supply Chain Manager of Faurecia Interior Systems. Mr. Hilgers spent the prior ten years with Autoliv in various roles including Head of Logistic Center for Eastern Europe. Mr. Hilgers earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Operations from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Munich/Germany and an Intermediate Diploma for Educational Studies from the University of German Federal Armed Forces in Munich/Germany.
Operations
Vice President, Finance
Mr. Vassoly is responsible for financial due diligence and portfolio company financial improvement. Before joining Gores, Mr. Vassoly was a Senior Director responsible for Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis at KLA-Tencor Corporation, a leading provider of process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor industry. Prior to his work at KLA-Tencor Corporation, Mr. Vassoly served as an Audit Manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. Vassoly attended The College of Management in Tel Aviv, Israel as a Business Administration major, concentration in accounting. Mr. Vassoly is also a Certified Public Accountant, (Isr.).
Vice President, M & A
Mr. Brooks is involved in the execution and negotiation of certain Gores acquisitions and divestitures. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Brooks was a Vice President in the Private Equity Group of Cerberus Capital Management in Los Angeles, where he participated in the sourcing, execution and portfolio management of a number of equity and debt investments. Prior to joining Cerberus, Mr. Brooks was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley and prior to that Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin. Mr. Brooks earned a B.S. in Business Administration, cum laude, from the University of Southern California.
Operations
Principal
Ms. Vyas is responsible for operational due diligence and portfolio company improvement. She brings over 25 years of successful, cross-functional, multi-industry experience in areas ranging from process engineering, investment valuation, and management consulting to CEO & Board roles at private equity-backed portfolio companies and major non-profits.
Before joining Gores, Ms. Vyas was Director, Portfolio Management Office at Kamylon Capital, LLC where she drove portfolio operations improvement initiatives. Prior to Kamylon, Ms. Vyas was CEO & Vice Chairman of the Board of Signature Brands (“Mr Coffee”, “HealthOMeter”, etc.), a private equity- backed consumer products company that, post turnaround, was sold to Sunbeam Corporation. Ms. Vyas was General Manager of GE Appliances’ Range Products, a $1 Billion business unit with 5 national brands & Sears Private Label, and over 2000 employees. At GE, Ms. Vyas also facilitated a number of continuous improvement initiatives at several GE divisions (Lighting, Medical Systems, Plastics) and led GE’s IT Outsourcing Initiative to India. Ms. Vyas also worked at Exxon Chemical, and the investment firms Fisher Brothers and McKinsey & Co. Ms. Vyas holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a MBA in Finance from Columbia University. Ms. Vyas has also held key leadership roles in non-profit organizations: CEO & Vice Chairman of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) - India and Vice President of the Living Oceans Program at The National Audubon Society.
Small Capitalization Group
Senior Associate
Mrs. Armstrong is responsible for operational due diligence and portfolio company improvement. Prior to joining Gores, Mrs. Armstrong was a project leader at The Boston Consulting Group focused on operational improvement programs, post-merger integration, due diligence and corporate strategy in consumer goods, technology, media and healthcare sectors. Prior to The Boston Consulting Group, Mrs. Armstrong was an associate with O'Melveny & Myers and Dewey & LeBoeuf. Mrs. Armstrong received a B.A. from Columbia University, JD from the University of Chicago Law School and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Operations
Vice President
Mr. Sznewajs is responsible for financial and operational due diligence and portfolio company improvement. Prior to joining Gores, Mr. Sznewajs was a Manager at Bain & Company in Chicago concentrating in Private Equity, Real Estate and Special Situations (Turnaround). Mr. Sznewajs also worked as an M.B.A. intern with Fortress Investments in the Special Situations group. Mr. Sznewajs holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University and an M.B.A. from The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
