Cohesive, Seasoned and Diverse Team

Bernard Aronson is a Founder and Managing Partner of ACON Investments. Prior to co-founding ACON in 1996, Mr. Aronson was International Advisor to Goldman Sachs for Latin America. From 1989 through 1993, Mr. Aronson served as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs under Presidents Bush and Clinton. Following his tenure, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, the State Department’s highest honor. Mr. Aronson serves on the Board of Directors of Sequitur Energy Resources, an ACON fund portfolio company. Mr. Aronson has previously served on numerous boards of ACON fund/investment vehicle portfolio companies, including among others, Mariner Energy (NYSE:ME) and Northern Tier Energy (NYSE:NTI). Mr. Aronson previously served on several public company boards, including Hyatt Hotels, Royal Caribbean International and Liz Claiborne. He currently serves on the board of Lindblad Expeditions Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LIND). In addition, Mr. Aronson is a Director for the National Democratic Institute and the Amazon Conservation Team. He is a Member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomats. In February 2015, Mr. Aronson was asked by President Obama to serve as U.S. Special Envoy for the Colombian peace process. Following his service, he was again awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Mr. Aronson has published opinion pieces in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Huffington Post, among other publications.

Mr. Aronson holds a B.A. with Honors in Humanities from The University of Chicago.

Mo Bawa is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2005, Mr. Bawa was an Associate with Constellation Commodities Group, where he was responsible for origination, structuring, evaluation and negotiation of the firm’s principal investments. Mr. Bawa has also held investment banking and principal investing positions with Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, Enron Capital & Trade Resources and Banc of America Securities. Mr. Bawa serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Diverzify+, Kept Companies, Pine Environmental Services, ProEnergy, Sequitur and Energy Resources.In addition, Mr. Bawa serves on the Board of WattBridge, a developer and operator of peaking power solutions enabling renewable energy growth. Mr. Bawa is also an observer on various ACON portfolio company boards. Previously, Mr. Bawa has served on other ACON portfolio company boards, including among others, Chroma Oil & Gas and Milagro Oil & Gas.

Mr. Bawa holds a B.A. in Economics, Management and Public Policy from Rice University and an M.B.A. from The Anderson School at UCLA.

Teresa Young Bernstein is the Chief Operating Officer, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2013, Ms. Bernstein worked at Perseus, a Washington, DC-based middle-market private equity firm, where she was Chief Legal Officer and Chief Compliance Officer. Ms. Bernstein joined Perseus in 2006 as Vice President for Legal Affairs. Prior to joining Perseus, Ms. Bernstein was an Associate in the Corporate and Securities group of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman’s Washington, DC office, focusing on M&A, private equity and regulatory matters relating to private and public pooled investment vehicles. Before Pillsbury, Ms. Bernstein was a Corporate Associate in the New York City office of Paul Weiss. There, Ms. Bernstein focused on private equity fund formation, private equity investments and M&A. Outside of ACON, Ms. Bernstein serves on the National Board of Out Teach, a teacher-development nonprofit focused on activating STEM education via outdoor experiential learning.

Ms. Bernstein received a B.A., magna cum laude, in Comparative Literature from Cornell University and a J.D., magna cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law. Ms. Bernstein is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and the District of Columbia.

Ken R. Brotman is a Founder and Managing Partner of ACON Investments. Prior to co-founding ACON in 1996, Mr. Brotman was a Partner of Veritas Capital, a New York-based private equity investment firm. Prior to joining Veritas, Mr. Brotman was an Associate at Bain Capital and served as a Principal of Wasserstein Perella Management Partners. Mr. Brotman serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Atlantic Sustainable Catch, Bargain Hunt, Beauty by Imagination, Diverzify+, FTI, Kept Companies, New Era, Novipax, ProEnergy and SUZOHAPP. In addition, Mr. Brotman serves on the Board of WattBridge, a developer and operator of peaking power solutions enabling renewable energy growth. Mr. Brotman has previously served on numerous boards of ACON fund/investment vehicle portfolio companies, including Carulla Vivero, Fairway Media Group, Fiesta Mart, Florimex International, Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO), GBarbosa Comercial, Grupo Sala, idX, Igloo Products, Refac/U.S. Vision, Spencer Spirit (Spencer’s Gifts and Spirit Halloween) and SAE Towers. Outside of ACON, Mr. Brotman was a member of the Board of Directors of Foundation Carulla, one of Colombia’s most successful early childhood development and education non-profits for underprivileged children, and previously served as its chairman. The Foundation was funded with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Carulla Vivero, a prior ACON fund portfolio company.

Mr. Brotman received a B.S.e, cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Matthew Campanelli is a Vice President, Capital Formation and Investor Relations at ACON Investments. Mr. Campanelli joined the firm in 2020 as a Treasury and Operations Manager. Prior to this, Mr. Campanelli was the Chief Operating Officer at Limiar Capital Management, a Virginia-based investment management firm focused on global emerging markets. Prior to that, he was the head of Investment Operations at Dyson Capital Advisors, where he was responsible for implementing both the firm’s trading and reporting platforms. Previously based in New York, Mr. Campanelli primarily focused on the treasury function at multi-strategy hedge fund managers BlueMountain and BlueCrest Capital. He began his career at Mount Kellett Capital Management (now part of Fortress Investment Group).

Mr. Campanelli earned his B.A. in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Korah Cerna is a Senior Fund Accountant at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2022, Ms. Whitley was a Senior Associate at IQ-EQ, a global fund administration and institutional investor services firm, where she was responsible for fund accounting, financial reporting and investor services for various private equity funds and managers.

Ms. Cerna earned both her B.S. and M.S. in Accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington.

CJ Cimino is the Director of Finance at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2015, Mr. Cimino was a Vice President at The Rock Creek Group, a DC-based asset management firm, where he managed the overall tax function. Prior to joining Rock Creek, Mr. Cimino was a Tax Manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers in its Asset Management practice, focusing primarily on private equity clients.

Mr. Cimino earned his B.S. in Accounting and his B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Alfonso Corcuera is a Principal at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2018, Mr. Corcuera was an Associate at Rothschild & Co in the Investment Banking division based in Mexico City, where he participated in M&A, restructuring and capital raising transactions across various sectors, including retail, consumer, infrastructure and financial services. Mr. Corcuera serves on the board of Cryoholdco, a current ACON portfolio company.

Mr. Corcuera holds a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, with a concentration in Finance from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), where his thesis was awarded an honors distinction by the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV).

Mauricio Cortés is a Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2009, Mr. Cortés worked as a Senior Associate with GP Investments, one of the largest Brazilian private equity firms, and as an Associate in Citigroup’s Latin America Investment Banking Group in their New York and Mexico City offices. Mr. Cortés worked previously at Protego Asesores and at Booz Allen in Mexico City. Mr. Cortés serves on the Board of Directors of Corporación Actinver, Citla Energy, Commando and Grupo GMI, each ACON fund portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Cortés served on the boards of Waldo’s Dólar Mart de Mexico, which merged into Grupo Vizion, a current ACON portfolio company, and Hidrotenencias, a former ACON portfolio company. Outside of ACON, Mr. Cortés served on the board of AMEXCAP, the Mexican Association of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds.

Mr. Cortés holds a B.S. with Honors in Industrial Engineering from Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and an M.B.A. from Stanford University.

Santiago Delgado is an Operating Partner who works directly with certain portfolio companies of funds sponsored by ACON Investments providing advice on a range of operational issues. Mr. Delgado began working with ACON in 2018. Prior to commencing to consult for ACON and with ACON portfolio companies, he was a Vice President at Thomas H. Lee Partners where he was responsible for developing and implementing operational improvement, cost reduction and revenue enhancement programs for portfolio companies. Prior to Thomas H. Lee Partners, Mr. Delgado was a Consultant at Bain & Company with a focus on increasing the value of companies in the technology, industrial and retail industries. Mr. Delgado started his career at National Instruments, with roles in engineering, product management and corporate development.

Mr. Delgado received a B.S., summa cum laude, in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from the University of Nebraska, and an M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Gino Dellomo is a Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2006, Mr. Dellomo was an Associate with the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Investment Banking Group at Friedman Billings Ramsey, where he was responsible for executing the firm’s M&A advisory and underwriting activities. Mr. Dellomo has also held corporate finance and principal investing positions with MCG Capital Corporation and Deutsche Bank Securities. He serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Bargain Hunt, FTI and Pine Environmental Services. Mr. Dellomo previously served on the boards of Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO), Peter Piper and Refac/U.S. Vision, each realized ACON fund portfolio companies.

Mr. Dellomo holds a B.S. in Finance from Georgetown University.

Jorge Dickens is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2008, Mr. Dickens was a Vice President at Darby Overseas Investments, an international private equity firm and affiliate of Franklin Templeton Investments. In that capacity, he was responsible for investing and managing private investment funds in Latin America. Previously, he was an Investment Banking Associate with Banco Santander, where he advised clients in corporate finance and cross-border M&A assignments. Mr. Dickens manages funds that invest in Latin America and serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Corporación Actinver, Citla Energy, Commando, Grupo GMI, and Waldo’s Dólar Mart de Mexico. Mr. Dickens previously served on the boards of Betterware de Mexico, Hidrotenencias and InverCap, each prior ACON fund portfolio companies. Outside of ACON, Mr. Dickens served two terms as member of the board of AMEXCAP, the Mexican Association of Private Equity and Venture Capital Funds.

Mr. Dickens received a B.S.c. in Industrial Engineering from Universidad Anahuac and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Gustavo Fontecha is an Analyst at ACON Southern Europe Advisory. Prior to joining ACON Southern Europe Advisory in 2024, Mr. Fontecha was an M&A Off-Cycle Analyst at Deloitte, where he contributed to numerous corporate transactions, primarily in the services, transportation, healthcare, consumer goods and industrial sectors. Previously, he was an M&A Analyst at Grupo Intra, a family-owned company where he focused on the HVAC sector and worked in Chile and Spain, participating in the sale of its Chilean subsidiary.

Mr. Fontecha received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and he has completed all coursework to earn a Master of Corporate Finance, Private Equity and Project Finance at the International School of Business and Finance (ISBIF) in Madrid (diploma pending).

Rayo Estela Barbosa Gallardo is an Administrative Manager at ACON Investments. Ms. Barbosa joined ACON in 2021 and supports the Mexico office.

Ms. Barbosa is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Rodrigo Galvão is a Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2014, Mr. Galvão spent two years with 3i Group, the international private equity fund manager, most recently as a Partner, based in São Paulo. From 1998 to 2011, he worked with Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity in São Paulo and London, where he was promoted to Managing Director. Mr. Galvão started his professional career in Merrill Lynch’s Latin America Investment Banking Group in New York. He serves on the board of Sapore, an ACON fund portfolio company and he previously served on the boards of Dori and Conexão, former ACON fund portfolio companies. Mr. Galvão has also served on the Board of Directors of Buscapé, Euromedic and Integrated Dental Holdings. In addition, Mr. Galvão has been involved with private equity investments in Debenhams, Dominet Bank, Juncadella Prosegur, Procomp and Rexel.

Mr. Galvão holds a B.S. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Jonathan Ginns is a Founder and Managing Partner of ACON Investments. Prior to co-founding ACON in 1996, Mr. Ginns was a Senior Investment Officer at the GEF Funds group. Previously, Mr. Ginns was a Management Consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton. Mr. Ginns often serves on the board of ACON fund/investment vehicle portfolio companies. Among his current positions, Mr. Ginns serves on the board of Sequitur Energy Resources. Mr. Ginns has also previously served on the Board of Directors of several public companies including Mariner Energy (NYSE:ME) and Northern Tier Energy (NYSE:NTI), each realized ACON fund portfolio companies and Optimal Group (NASDAQ:OPMR). In addition, Mr. Ginns served on the Board of Directors of ACON S2 Acquisition, a strategic sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition company that was publicly traded (NASDAQ: STWOU) prior to completing a business combination with ESS Inc. (NYSE: GWH).

Mr. Ginns received a B.A. in History from Brandeis University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Fernanda Gomes is an Executive Assistant at ACON Investments. Ms. Gomes joined ACON in 2015 and supports the Brazil office.

Ms. Gomes is bilingual in Portuguese and English.

Gabriela Grossmann is an Analyst at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2024, Ms. Grossmann was a Growth Equity Investor Analyst at Crescera Capital, where she participated in investments in tech-enabled companies. She covered sectors such as healthcare, micromobility, education and SaaS in Brazil.

Ms. Grossmann holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP).

Alejandro Hanono W. is an Executive Partner at ACON.  Mr. Hanono has been an operating executive for more than 25 years focusing on business development and public and private equity investments and has held leading executive roles. He currently serves as chairman of the investment committee and a member of the board of directors of Grupo Assa (a Central American public insurance company), a member of the board of directors of PRIMA Sociedad de Inversion Inmobiliaria, S.A. (a Panamanian public REIT) and has previously served as a director of other private equity portfolio companies in the food processing, financial and light industrial sectors. Mr. Hanono spent 15 years as founder, president and CEO of Hidrotenencias, a former ACON fund portfolio company in Panama.  

Mr. Hanono received a B.S. in Civil Engineering with a minor in Business Administration from Tulane University and an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In addition, Mr. Hanono has completed Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management Program. 

Alberto Hernandez is a Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2013, Mr. Hernandez was a Managing Director with the manager of Arco Capital Corporation from 2007 to 2013, where he was responsible for its investments, which included companies in Colombia and Eastern Europe. Prior to joining Arco, Mr. Hernandez was a Director in the European Mergers and Acquisitions group of UBS in London. From 1997 to 2006, Mr. Hernandez was an investment banker for JP Morgan Chase focused on mergers and acquisitions advice for clients in Latin America, Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa. Mr. Hernandez serves on the Board of Directors of Amfora Packaging, Banco Credifinanciera, Biosidus, Salesland and Vitalis, each ACON fund portfolio companies.

Mr. Hernandez received a B.Sc., summa cum laude, in Finance, Investments and Economics from Babson College. Mr. Hernandez also completed a concentration in economics and political sciences at the London School of Economics as a general course student.

Weiyan Huang is a Controller at ACON Investments. Ms. Huang originally joined ACON in 2017 as a Fund Accounting Manager supporting the Latin American and European fund platforms, and subsequently worked at DC Energy, a proprietary trading firm that invests in the energy and commodity markets, as an Accounting Manager. In 2020, Ms. Huang rejoined ACON as Assistant Controller and was promoted to Controller in 2022. Ms. Huang began her career at Digital Intelligence Systems, LLC (DISYS), a global staffing and IT consulting services company, where she managed the accounting operations for the U.S. parent entity as well as over 10 international subsidiaries. She also worked as a Senior Accountant at DC Investments Management, an investment and trading firm based in the DC metro area.

Ms. Huang earned her Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literacy from Shanghai International Studies University in China and her Master of Accountancy from The George Washington University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in New York.

Kenneth Hurley is a Senior Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2021, Mr. Hurley was an Analyst at UBS Investment Bank, where he worked on leveraged finance transactions across a variety of industries.

Mr. Hurley holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance and a Master of Finance with a concentration in Asset Management from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park. Mr. Hurley is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Maryland.

Diana Isunza is an Administrative Director at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2019, Ms. Isunza was the Regional Finance Controller at Colony Capital in Mexico City. Prior to joining Colony Capital, Ms. Isunza worked at Dalus Capital, a Mexican venture capital firm, where she was the Controller for its Mexican publicly listed vehicle known as CKD (Development Capital Certificates).

Ms. Isunza holds a B.S. in Finance from Universidad del Valle de México.

Daniel Jinich is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2000, Mr. Jinich was a senior investment professional with Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst, based in Dallas. Prior to Hicks Muse, Mr. Jinich was an operating executive at a diversified industrial conglomerate based in Mexico City, and prior to that he worked for the Merchant Banking Group at Bankers Trust Company in New York City. Mr. Jinich serves on the Board of Directors of IWP (Chairman).. and previously served on the boards of BioMatrix, Impremedia, Magic Media, Peter Piper, Radiovisa and RMH Franchise Holdings,  and several other prior ACON fund/investment vehicle portfolio companies. In addition, Mr. Jinich served on the Board of Directors of ACON S2 Acquisition, a strategic sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition company that was publicly traded (NASDAQ:STWOU) prior to completing a business combination with ESS Inc. (NYSE:GWH). He is a Member of the YPO Gold U.S. Capital Chapter.

Mr. Jinich received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Anjali Jolly is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2017, Ms. Jolly was the founder of DuMonde Management, LLC, an advisory firm that provided strategic and corporate development services to middle market companies and private equity firms. Previously, Ms. Jolly was a Managing Director and Member of the Investment Committee of Perseus, a $1.6 billion middle market private equity firm. Ms. Jolly was at Perseus for 10 years where she led the sourcing, execution, management and sale of several control growth equity and buyout investments. She also served as a board director of seven Perseus portfolio companies. Prior to joining Perseus, Ms. Jolly worked at JPMorgan Partners (now known as CCMP Capital), the $15 billion direct private equity investment division of J.P. Morgan. Ms. Jolly serves on the Board of Directors of Beauty by Imagination, and Pine Environmental Services, each ACON fund portfolio companies. Previously, she served on the boards of BioMatrix and IIMAK/IIMED, prior ACON fund portfolio companies.

Ms. Jolly graduated summa cum laude from the dual-degree Management & Technology Program (“M&T”) at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned a B.S.E. from The Wharton School, a B.A.S. from Penn Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Emily Joo is a Tax Senior Manager at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2020, Ms. Joo was a Senior Tax Manager at KPMG in its Business Tax Services group where she worked on a variety of clientele with a focus on private equity. She began her career in the audit practice at KPMG.

Ms. Joo earned her B.S. in Accounting and her B.S. in Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Ryan Khosravi is an Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2023, Mr. Khosravi was an Analyst at Solomon Partners, where he worked on mergers and acquisitions and strategic advisory engagements across the consumer and food retail sectors.

Mr. Khosravi holds a B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Jose Miguel Knoell is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 1998, Mr. Knoell was a Vice President with the Blackstone Group from 1994 to 1998, where he was responsible for the firm’s investment and advisory business in Latin America. Prior to joining Blackstone, he was an Associate and Founding Member of GBS Finanzas, a privately-owned investment banking boutique based in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Knoell started his professional career as an Analyst in the mergers and acquisitions group of S.G. Warburg in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Knoell serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Amfora Packaging, Citla Energy, Credivalores-Crediservicios, CryoHoldco de Latinoamerica, Grupo Biosidus, Salesland and Vitalis. Mr. Knoell also serves on the board of Fundación Carulla, one of Colombia’s most successful early childhood development and education non-profits for underprivileged children. The Foundation was funded with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Carulla Vivero, a prior ACON fund portfolio company. Mr. Knoell previously served on the board of Carulla Vivero, Fybeca, Grupo Sala, SAE Towers and Vetra Energia, among other ACON fund/investment vehicle portfolio companies.

Mr. Knoell received a B.A. with Honors in Economics from Harvard University.

Adam Kriger is an Executive Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2017, Mr. Kriger was the Senior Vice-President and Head of Global Strategy for McDonald’s Corporation, where he was responsible for developing shareholder value building efforts in a number of areas, including international expansion, unit optimization, pricing, innovation, competitive positioning, operations, franchising, organization, new business development and portfolio management. Previously, Mr. Kriger was also Senior Vice-President and Head of Global Strategy for Starwood Hotels and Resorts and Vice-President, Strategic Planning for The Walt Disney Company. Mr. Kriger has also held financial analyst positions for Brentwood Capital and First Boston. Mr. Kriger serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Atlantic Sustainable Catch and Novipax. Previously Mr. Kriger served on the board of Funko (NASDAQ:FNKO) and RMH Franchise Investments, each ACON fund portfolio companies. In addition, Mr. Kriger served on the Board of Directors of ACON S2 Acquisition, a strategic sustainability-focused special purpose acquisition company that was publicly traded (NASDAQ:STWOU) prior to completing a business combination with ESS Inc. (NYSE:GWH). Outside of ACON, Mr. Kriger also serves as a Director of the Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.

Mr. Kriger holds a B.A. with Honors in Quantitative Economics from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.

Suma Kulkarni is a Managing Partner at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2008, Ms. Kulkarni was a Senior Associate with the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Investment Banking Group at Friedman Billings Ramsey focusing on the Business Services and Financial Technology sectors, where she was responsible for executing the firm’s underwriting and M&A advisory activities. Ms. Kulkarni serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Atlantic Sustainable Catch, Beauty by Imagination, New Era, Novipax and SUZOHAPP/Pay Complete. Previously, Ms. Kulkarni served on the boards of Fiesta Mart and Igloo Products, former ACON portfolio companies.

Ms. Kulkarni holds a B.S. in Finance from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Marcos Llado is a Managing Partner and co-founder of ACON Southern Europe Advisory. Prior to co-founding ACON Southern Europe Advisory, Mr. Llado acted as an advisor on a number of private equity transactions including Magnum Capital Industrial Partner’s acquisition of Orliman. Prior to that, he spent seven years at The Riverside Company (Europe) where he was a Partner responsible for investment activity in Spain, Portugal and Italy, in addition to managing four portfolio companies (and exiting two of them). Before Riverside, Mr. Llado spent eight years at Espiga Capital, a Spanish mid-size private equity firm, where he focused on small-sized enterprises in the Spanish and Portuguese markets. While at Espiga, the firm invested in 14 platform companies and realized six exits – Mr. Llado served on the board of five of these companies. Before that, he was a Senior Consultant at the Monitor Company. He started his career at HSBC and Lloyds Bank, where he spent seven years in corporate banking and structured finance. Mr. Llado serves on the Board of Directors of Alsur, Contenur, Formación Alcalá, Germaine de Capuccini and Quimi Romar, each ACON Southern Europe portfolio companies.

Mr. Llado earned a B.A., cum laude, in Economics from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds an M.B.A., with Honors, in International Business from the Maastricht School of Management.

York Lu is a Principal at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2023, Mr. Lu was a Vice President at LNC Partners, where he was responsible for structuring, evaluating and executing new investment opportunities. He also served as a board director and observer of multiple LNC portfolio companies. Previously, Mr. Lu was an Associate at American Capital, where he evaluated international power and infrastructure investments. Prior to that, he was an Analyst with Citigroup Global Markets Corporate and Investment Banking Division in Houston, TX.

Mr. Lu holds a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Washington University in St. Louis.

Emiliano B. Machado is an M&A Director at Sapore S.A., an ACON fund portfolio company, and also acts in an advisory capacity to ACON Brazil, an ACON affiliate company, on fund and administrative matters. Prior to starting these roles in 2022, Mr. Machado was a Director of ACON. Prior to joining ACON in 2009, Mr. Machado was an Associate with Credit Suisse’s Latin America Investment Banking Group in New York. Prior to that, Mr. Machado was an Associate with FM&Co., a cross border M&A advisory boutique in New York. Mr. Machado worked previously at MTN Capital Partners, a private equity firm in New York as well as in the principal investments division of FUNBEP pension fund in Brazil. Previously, Mr. Machado has served on the board of Dori Alimentos, an ACON fund portfolio company, and of Conexão, a prior ACON fund portfolio company.

Mr. Machado holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from UTP/PUC-Pr in Curitiba, Brazil and an M.B.A. from Cornell University.

Pedro Mariani is an Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2021, Mr. Mariani was an Equity Research Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he covered publicly listed Latin American companies across the healthcare, education and transportation sectors.

Mr. Mariani holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-EAESP).

Jaime Marin is an Investment Director for ACON Southern Europe Advisory. Prior to joining ACON Southern Europe Advisory, Mr. Marin was an Investment Manager at SWC. Prior to SWC, he was a Senior Analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group of Espírito Santo Investment Bank in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Marin started his career as an Analyst at Arcano Partners, a privately-owned investment banking boutique based in Madrid, Spain. Mr. Marín serves on the Board of Directors of Alsur, Contenur, Formación Alcalá, Siex and Quimi Romar, each ACON Southern Europe portfolio companies.

Mr. Marín earned a B.A. in Business Administration from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and completed a Specialized Program in Business Valuation at Instituto de Estudios Bursatiles. Mr. Marin speaks Spanish, English and German fluently, and speaks French conversationally.

Aranzazú Martínez Galeana is the Director of Sustainability and ESG at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2023, Ms. Martínez Galeana worked at ERM, the largest global pure play sustainability consultancy, in their Mexico City office. There, she coordinated Mexico’s Sustainable Finance/ M&A Team, was Project Manager in Social Performance projects and led the ERM Foundation in Mexico. Previously, Ms. Martínez Galeana worked at Integralia Consultores, also in Mexico City, as a Social Impact Consultant. Prior to joining Integralia Consultores, she participated in a volunteering program at Seva Mandir in Rajasthan, India, in its Evaluation and Monitoring Unit. Before Seva Mandir, Ms. Martínez Galeana worked for the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI), as Events and Memberships Manager. Prior to COMEXI, Ms. Martínez Galeana joined a volunteering program at Yspaniola, in the Dominican Republic, in its Microfinance and Human Rights Team. Before that, she was Assistant of the Representative of the Organization of American States (OAS).  Ms. Martínez Galeana has a combined experience of nine years in sustainability and social performance. Key industry sectors include power, O&G, agribusiness, mining and construction.

Ms. Martínez Galeana received a B.A. in International Relations from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) in Mexico City. In addition, while an undergraduate, she was chosen to participate in Yale University’s Visiting International Students Program (Y-VISP) for one year.

David Menges is a Controller at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2020, Mr. Menges led the finance, tax, treasury and corporate shared services functions at Indigena Capital, a privately held investment firm specializing in partnering with Indigenous Nations. In addition to his responsibilities at the corporate level, Mr. Menges played a key role in building out the operations of several portfolio companies across multiple industries, including agriculture, renewable power, real estate, and infrastructure. Prior to that, Mr. Menges was a Vice President and Controller with Fortress Investment Group and Mount Kellett Capital Management, working on global multi-strategy funds with an emphasis on special situations and opportunistic investing across a diverse range of investment products and geographies. Mr. Menges began his career with PwC in the New York Asset Management Practice.

Mr. Menges holds a B.S. in Accounting Information Systems and an M.S. in Accountancy, concentration in international taxation, from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).

Elena Minguez is a Finance & Administrative Manager for ACON Southern Europe Advisory.  Prior to joining ACON in 2021, Ms. Mínguez was the lead ESG ratings coordinator under the Executive Chairman’s Office of Banco Santander. Prior to joining Santander, Ms. Mínguez was an Associate at Valor Advisors LLC, a family office serving ultra-high net worth clients across Latin America.  Before that, Ms. Mínguez worked as a Client Service Specialist on J.P. Morgan private bank’s Latin America team, as a Credit Analyst for KBC Bank and as a Junior Auditor for Deloitte focused on the financial services industry.

Ms. Mínguez received Bachelor’s degrees in International Business from Universidad Pontificia de Comillas (ICADE) in Spain and Centre d’Études Supériueres des Entreprises et Management (CESEM) in France.

Laquise Murphy is an Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2024, Mr. Murphy was an Analyst in the Transportation and Logistics Group at Harris Williams, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions for private-equity backed and founder-owned companies in the sector.

Mr. Murphy holds a B.S., summa cum laude, in Accounting with a Minor in Business Analytics from Old Dominion University.

João Nazareth de Sousa is a Principal at ACON Southern Europe Advisory. Prior to joining ACON Southern Europe Advisory in 2023, Mr. Nazareth de Sousa was an Associate Director at Magnum Industrial Partners, a Spanish private equity firm, and an Associate at The Boston Consulting Group’s Madrid offices. Mr. Nazareth de Sousa started his career as an Analyst at Explorer Investments, a private equity firm based in Lisbon, Portugal. Mr. Nazareth de Sousa serves on the Board of Directors of Alsur and Quimi Romar, each ACON Southern Europe portfolio companies.

Mr. Nazareth de Sousa earned a B.S. in Economics from Nova School of Business & Economics and an M.S. in International Finance from HEC Paris.

Deanna O’Donnell is a Fund Accountant at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2023, Ms. O’Donnell was a Fund Accountant at StepStone Group, a global private markets firm, where she was responsible for fund accounting, financial reporting and investor services for various private equity funds. Previously, she was a Tax Associate at RSM US, where she worked primarily on partnership and individual tax returns within the real estate and private client services industries.

Ms. O’Donnell holds an M.S., summa cum laude, in Accounting from Loyola College. She also earned her B.S. in Accounting from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Ashley Patten is a Senior Fund Accountant at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2023, Ms. Patten was a Manger at IQ-EQ, a global fund administration and institutional investor services firm, where she was responsible for working interdepartmentally to maintain client satisfaction and manage fund accounting, financial reporting and investor services for various private equity funds and managers.

Ms. Patten earned her B.B.A. in Accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington.

Daniel Peña is an Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2024, Mr. Peña was an Investment Banking Associate at BTG Pactual in Bogotá, where he focused on mergers & acquisitions and restructuring advisory covering healthcare & pharma, industrials and infrastructure. Earlier in his career, Mr. Peña was an Analyst at Vistra Advisors, a Colombian investment banking boutique, where he participated in multiple transactions across various sectors, including agro, industrials, retail and IT, among others. 

Mr. Peña studied Corporate Finance with a minor in Applied Mathematics at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Monica Pol-Espinoza is an Executive Assistant at ACON Investments. Ms. Pol-Espinoza joined ACON in 1999 and supports the Washington, DC office. 

Ms. Pol-Espinoza is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Santiago Polo is a Managing Director at ACON Investments. Prior to commencing to consult for ACON in 2014, Mr. Polo was a Senior Associate at Altra Investments, a private-equity firm focused on middle-market investing in the Andean region. While at Altra, among other responsibilities, Mr. Polo actively participated in the acquisition of a leading port and logistics service provider in Colombia and monitored a multinational business process outsourcing company on behalf of Altra. Previously, Mr. Polo worked in the Corporate Finance Group of the main telecommunications firm in Bogotá and also worked as an Investment Analyst in the private equity unit of Corficolombiana, a leading Colombian merchant bank with assets in excess of $3.0 billion. He has served on the board of several companies in various industries, including infrastructure, manufacturing, hospitality and business process outsourcing. Mr. Polo serves on the Board of Directors of Amfora Packaging, Biosidus, Salesland and Vitalis, each ACON fund portfolio companies.

Mr. Polo holds a B.S. in Finance from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and an International M.B.A. with Honors from IE Business School in Madrid, Spain.

Jessica Redburn is an Operations and Administrative Manager at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2022, Ms. Redburn was an Operations Manager at Little Ambassadors' Academy in Northern Virginia, where she was responsible for budget and office management, general school operations, external communications and supervision of teaching staff. Previously, she was a Program Coordinator at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology Directorate (S&T) Office of University Programs (OUP), where she handled deliverables monitoring and grant and regulatory compliance for multi-year projects. Prior to that, she was a Client Relations Executive with Institutional Shareholder Services in London, where she performed annual due diligence reviews and was involved in internal risk management and day-to-day communications with Fortune 50 and 500 clients.

Ms. Redburn holds a B.S. in Family Science from the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Colleen Rodriguez is a Finance Senior Manager at ACON Investments. Ms. Rodriguez originally joined ACON Investments in 2015 and managed ACON’s corporate finance and private fund platforms. Prior to re-joining ACON in 2022, Ms. Rodriguez worked at LNC Partners, an SBIC licensed growing middle-market private equity firm, as VP of Finance. Ms. Rodriguez began her career at SEAF, a global impact private equity investment group, where she managed accounting operations for private equity funds investing in Asia and Europe, as well as government grant programs overseas.

Ms. Rodriguez earned her Bachelor’s in Accounting from Zhongnan University of Economics and Law in China and her M.B.A. from The George Washington University. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Virginia.

David Sandler is a Director of Treasury and Operations at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2022, Mr. Sandler was the Chief Compliance Officer and Controller at Poetic Group LLC, an investment manager of private equity funds employing structured finance strategies. Previously, he was an Assistant Vice President at State Street within the fund accounting administration team servicing real estate focused private equity clients. Prior to this, Mr. Sandler was a Managing Director at Fortress Investment Group and Mount Kellett Capital Management, where he managed a team primarily responsible for operations, treasury and management reporting that supported a global multi-strategy investment management business. Mr. Sandler began his career at the Royal Bank of Scotland where he was an Assistant Product Controller supporting the fixed income and derivatives businesses.

Mr. Sandler received a Bachelor of Finance degree from St. John’s University in New York. He is also a CFA Charterholder.

Drew Scielzo is an Operating Partner. Mr. Scielzo works directly with certain portfolio companies of funds sponsored by ACON Investments providing advice on a range of operational issues. Mr. Scielzo began working with ACON in 2013. Prior to commencing to consult for ACON and with ACON portfolio companies, he was an Operating Partner with Monomoy Capital where he was responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive profit improvement programs for portfolio companies. Prior to Monomoy, Mr. Scielzo was a Principal at Allied Capital and the Director of Portfolio Management and Analysis at the Riverside Company. Mr. Scielzo began his career at McKinsey. Mr. Scielzo served on the Board of Directors of Refac/U.S. Vision, a prior ACON fund portfolio company.

Mr. Scielzo received a B.S.e, summa cum laude, in Finance and Accounting from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University.

Marcos Semmler is a Managing Partner and co-founder of ACON Southern Europe Advisory. Prior to co-founding ACON Southern Europe Advisory, Mr. Semmler was a Partner at SWC. Prior to SWC, he spent nine years at Demeter Partners, a French clean technology fund, where he was a Partner and Country Manager responsible for investments in the Iberian Peninsula. Before that, Mr. Semmler was a Managing Partner at GED Capital, a Spanish mid-size private equity firm. He joined GED Capital from the Spanish public company AESA, which belongs to the SEPI Group, where he was the Finance Director. He started his career with five years in investment banking at Hill Samuel and WestLB, focusing on Spain and Portugal. Mr. Semmler serves on the Board of Directors of Alsur, Contenur, Formación Alcalá, Germaine de Capuccini and Siex 2001, each ACON Southern Europe portfolio companies.

Mr. Semmler earned a B.S.B.A. in International Business from the University of Colorado Boulder, a Master in Finance from IE Business School and has completed the General Management Program (PDG) for directors and senior managers at IESE Business School. Mr. Semmler speaks Spanish, English and German fluently, and speaks French conversationally.

Fernando Tena is an Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2022, Mr. Tena was an analyst at Nexxus Capital in the Private Debt division based in Mexico City, where he participated in different transactions across various sectors, including financial services, information technology, telecommunication and real estate.

Mr. Tena holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

Meena Thever is a Partner, Head of Capital Formation and Investor Relations at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2021, Ms. Thever was a Partner at Bridge Investment Group, a $26bn real estate private equity firm. Previously, Ms. Thever served as a Director in the BlackRock Alternative Specialists group where she was a senior product and distribution specialist focused on private equity and real assets. Prior to BlackRock, Ms. Thever led the North America pension and insurance distribution efforts within JPMorgan Alternative Investment Strategies. She began her career in investment banking in the JPMorgan Financial Sponsor Group executing leveraged buyouts and other capital markets transactions for leading private equity firms.

Ms. Thever holds a B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics from Tufts University, an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a Fulbright Scholar and published author.

Melissa Truongis a Principal at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2016, Ms. Truong was an Analyst at Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions transactions across a variety of industries. Ms. Truong serves on the Board of Directors of FTI, an ACON fund portfolio company.

Ms. Truong holds a B.S. in Finance from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park and a B.S. in Physiology and Neurobiology from the College of Computer, Mathematical and Natural Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Marta Valentí Herrero is an Office Manager at ACON Southern Europe Advisory, where she has been supporting the Madrid office since 2019. Throughout her career, she has had extensive experience providing accounting and administrative support to private equity firms and the senior management teams of their portfolios. Prior to ACON, Ms. Valentí fulfilled the role of Global Controller for Haystack Ventures for three years, was Office Manager at The Riverside Company for seven years, and also served as Office Manager at MCH Private Equity for two years, each in their respective Madrid offices. She began her career as an accountant supporting her family business for 13 years. 

Ms. Valentí studied Accounting and holds a Master's in Financial Management from Centro de Estudios Financieros (CEF) in Madrid.

Monica Vivanco is an Executive Assistant at ACON Investments. Ms. Vivanco joined ACON in 2000 and supports the Washington, DC office. 

Ms. Vivanco is bilingual in Spanish and English.

Masumi Waida is the Chief Financial Officer of ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2019, Mr. Waida was a Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Mount Kellett Funds at Fortress Investment Group, which he joined from Mount Kellett Capital Management, a global multi-strategy investment management firm focused on special situations and opportunistic investing. Prior to that, he was a Vice President at Lehman Brothers where he was responsible for overseeing various private equity and hedge fund products. Mr. Waida began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he worked in assurance in New York and Canada serving a range of industry-leading clientele, including private equity and hedge funds, fund of funds, mutual funds, and consumer and industrial products and services companies.

Mr. Waida received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and holds a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant designation from the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

Brett Weidemeyer is a Senior Associate at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2022, Mr. Weidemeyer was an Analyst on the Mergers & Acquisitions team at Ahold Delhaize, one of the world’s largest food retail groups. Previously, he was an Analyst at Deutsche Bank, where he worked on M&A and leveraged finance transactions in the consumer and retail industries.

Mr. Weidemeyer holds a B.S., summa cum laude, in Finance and a B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Diogo Yano is a Director at ACON Investments. Prior to joining ACON in 2014, Mr. Yano was an Associate in 3i Group plc’s São Paulo office, where he worked on a variety of transactions in a wide range of industries. Prior to 3i, he worked in the investment banking division of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, where he worked on transactions involving mergers and acquisitions as well as equity and debt issuances.

Mr. Yano holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV–EAESP).