NEW YORK – J.F. Lehman & Company (“JFLCO”), a leading middle-market private equity firm focused exclusively on the aerospace, defense, maritime, government and environmental sectors, is pleased to announce a series of new additions and promotions throughout its organization. Last month, Zachary R. Mattler and Nicole Kim joined a group of other new hires over the last year, which included Nandit Gandhi, Michael J. Greenspan, Karina Perelmuter, Scott K. McKnight, Nathaniel O. Heagney and Sarah J. Cabrera. In addition to welcoming its newest team members, the firm recently announced the promotion of both Scott K. McKnight and Michael W. Cueter to Vice President.
“The ongoing augmentation of our team has been an essential element in our efforts to support the growth of our portfolio and opportunity pipeline,” said Louis N. Mintz, Partner. “At the same time, we remain committed to fostering collaboration among our team’s many complementary skillsets and perspectives – all of which further contribute to JFLCO’s unique culture and outstanding record of employee retention.”
Recent Promotions
Michael W. Cueter, Vice President. Prior to joining the firm in January 2018 as a Senior Associate, Mr. Cueter was an Associate at Olympus Partners, where he focused on private equity investments across several sectors. He began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Harris Williams & Co.’s Consumer Group. Mr. Cueter graduated from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, where he earned a B.B.A. with concentrations in accounting and finance.
Scott K. McKnight, Vice President. Prior to joining the firm in April 2019 as a Senior Associate, Mr. McKnight was an Associate at Odyssey Investment Partners, where he focused on private equity investments in aerospace and industrials. Previously, Mr. McKnight worked as a Senior Investment Banking Analyst at MHT Partners. He began his career in management consulting at Dean & Company. Mr. McKnight graduated from Dartmouth College, where he earned an A.B. in philosophy and English with a minor in Japanese.
New Hires
Zachary R. Mattler, Vice President. Prior to joining the firm in February 2020, Mr. Mattler was a Senior Associate at Harvest Partners, where he focused on private equity investments across several sectors. Previously, Mr. Mattler worked as an Associate at J.H. Whitney Capital Partners. He began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Global Industrials Group. Mr. Mattler graduated from Pomona College, where he earned a B.A. in economics.
Nicole Kim, Senior Associate. Prior to joining the firm in February 2020, Ms. Kim was an Associate at The Carlyle Group, where she focused on private equity investments in aerospace, defense and government services. Previously, Ms. Kim worked as an Analyst at Cartica Capital. She began her career as an Investment Banking Analyst in Lazard’s Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Ms. Kim earned a B.S. in operations research and information engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business.
Nandit Gandhi, Managing Director – Portfolio Operations. Prior to joining the firm in July 2019, Mr. Gandhi was a Partner at American Infrastructure Partners, where he was responsible for leading investments, managing portfolio companies, directing strategic and operational due diligence for new acquisitions and serving as CEO for Agspring. Previously, Mr. Gandhi served as a Senior Vice President at Platinum Equity, where he also served as CEO for GeesinkNorba Group. He started his career in manufacturing, progressing into operations and financial consulting, and held many business leadership roles across diverse industries and companies, including at Ingersoll Rand, Lucent Technologies, TRW and Delphi Automotive. Mr. Gandhi earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Babson College.
Nathaniel O. Heagney, Associate. Prior to joining the firm in July 2019, Mr. Heagney was an Investment Banking Analyst in Wells Fargo Securities’ Middle Market Group. Mr. Heagney graduated from Vanderbilt University, where he earned a B.A. in economics with a minor in English.
Michael J. Greenspan, Vice President – Portfolio Operations. Prior to joining the firm in a newly created position in April 2019, Mr. Greenspan was a Manager in Alvarez & Marsal’s Private Equity Services Group and a Senior Associate at HBR Consulting. Mr. Greenspan graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a B.A. in economics.
Karina Perelmuter, Vice President – Investor Relations & Marketing. Prior to joining the firm in a newly created position in April 2019, Ms. Perelmuter served as a Vice President in Lazard’s Private Capital Advisory practice, where she joined after spending nearly four years in Investor Relations at Tiger Global. Previously, she worked as a Fund Accountant at Mount Kellett and began her career at Ernst & Young. Ms. Perelmuter graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Finance and Accounting from American University.
Sarah J. Cabrera, Assistant Controller. Prior to joining the firm in a newly created position in February 2019, Ms. Cabrera served as Director of Accounting for Politico and worked for a public company with SEC filing requirements. Ms. Cabrera is a Certified Public Accountant and graduated from Strayer University, where she earned a B.S. in accounting.