The Blackstone Group has appointed Tom Kelly, formerly of KEMA Partners, to head its new private capital fundraising service for businesses. The service will include private placements of equity and debt for privately-held and publicly-traded corporate clients.
“We believe that this is a very opportune time to enter this business,” says Ivan Brockman, a senior managing director at Blackstone and head of the firm’s west coast advisory business. “Current markets are dislocated, or even shut, for conventional public financings. Clients are looking to their advisers to help them raise capital in innovative and non-traditional ways. We expect that this will be both an area of growth and opportunity for Blackstone.”
Before joining Blackstone, Kelly was a managing director at KEMA Partners, a boutique investment banking firm focusing on emerging growth companies. He also previously headed Montgomery & Co’s private capital group and, before that, led west coast private equity placements for Banc of America Securities.
As a managing director in Blackstone’s corporate advisory group, Kelly will be based in the firm’s office in Menlo Park, California.
“I am delighted to be joining the exceptional team of professionals at Blackstone,” says Kelly. “Its independence, reputation and global capabilities uniquely position it to assist corporate clients in accessing the private capital markets.”
D.C.