Good morning Hubsters. Michael Schoeck here from the New York newsroom with the US edition of the Wire.
Congratulations to the Women in PE: The class of 2025!
Each year, the special report from PE Hub and Buyouts showcases 10 individuals who stand out in the private equity industry. For the next few days in the US Wire, we’ll feature these profiles in alphabetical order.
Today, we’re shining the spotlight on Beth Holzberger from the Wisconsin Investment Board, Neha Jatar from EQT and Allison Klazkin from Cortec Group.
And we’ll wrap up with a deal announcement involving a logistics company I predicted would be acquired by Audax Private Equity.
But first let’s dive into the Women in PE series.
A varied industry
A leader of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board’s private equity strategy, Beth Holzberger’s career is representative of the growing importance of private equity in pension fund portfolios, writes Alfie Crooks.
Starting her career in real estate, first at CoStar Group before moving on to Fidelity Investments, Holzberger returned to her home of Wisconsin and joined SWIB’s private equity investment team in 2006 and hasn’t looked back.
“Private equity is so varied in just the industries and the parts of the world that you get to think about, especially if you consider the different approaches to investment, whether it’s growth or buyout or distressed; I think it’s a lens into basically every part of the economy,” Holzberger says.
Upgrade to the premium version of the Wire to read more about Holzberger.
Making connections
Neha Jatar is an expert in connections. As the co-lead of EQT’s US transportation and logistics sector, it is simply part of her day job. But the significance of connections within her professional circle clicked quite late into her career, writes Nina Lindholm.
Now a managing director within EQT’s value-add infrastructure advisory team, Jatar began her career in Morgan Stanley’s secondaries PE group. While she enjoyed her work, Jatar felt a pull toward the operational aspects of managing investments. Via roles at Barclays and Monomoy Capital Partners – where she gained experience in the industrials and consumer segments – she landed at EQT in 2018.
Her work has been instrumental in expanding and driving the success of EQT’s real assets business in North America. Jatar has contributed to 10 platform and add-on deals since joining the firm.
For more about Jatar, upgrade to the premium version of the Wire.
First of a kind
Allison (Allie) Klazkin has been “first” many times in her career at Cortec Group. She joined the firm as its first female investment associate in 2009, and in 2023 became its first, and only, female partner, writes Sophie Rose.
Being first can be lonely. When asked if Klazkin had a female mentor going into Cortec, she says, “No. There were very few senior women in PE when I entered the industry. Today, there is a growing number of senior women in private equity who can serve as mentors.”
Find out more by subscribing to the premium version of the Wire.
We’ll continue Showcasing outstanding women in PE in tomorrow’s US Wire - and next month at PEI Group’s Women in Private Markets Summit North America 2025, taking place May 13-14 =in New York. Hear from Nicole Musicco, managing partner, Square Nine Capital, and former CalPERS executive, who will be speaking with PE Hub editor-in-chief MK Flynn.
Last-mile delivery
Over the past year confidential sources have briefed me on companies coming up for sale or currently in the market. Many of those scoops have been rolled up into monthly compilations called On the block, focused on multiple companies in one sub-sector coming to market.
On Monday, Audax Private Equity announced an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Lanter Delivery Systems from Equity Group Investments (EGI) for undisclosed terms.
Subscribers to the premium version of the Wire can access our March 19 exclusive on Audax set to acquire Lanter, and On the block series story from February.
That’s a wrap for me. Keep an eye out for the Europe edition of the Wire tomorrow from Craig McGlashan and the US edition from Rafael Canton.
Cheers,
Michael
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