Effective Dec. 31, Tom Dean will transition from co-managing partner and co-CEO to chairman of Avista Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on healthcare. David Burgstahler, who co-founded Avista with Dean in 2005 and has been serving alongside him as co-managing partner and co-CEO, will serve as the firm’s sole managing partner and CEO, also effective Dec. 31.
As chairman of Avista, Dean will continue to serve as co-chairman of Avista’s investment committees, providing insight and strategic guidance to the leadership team and Avista’s broader organization. He will also remain involved in sourcing transactions and in the coverage of his existing investments. Dean currently serves on the boards of Acino International AG, eMolecules, National Spine & Pain Centers and Vision Healthcare and he will serve on the board of Cooper Consumer Health when that investment closes later this year.
Burgstahler’s position represents a continuation of the firm’s overall leadership strategy, as he was named president in 2009, co-managing partner in 2016 and co-CEO in 2018. As sole managing partner and CEO, Burgstahler will continue to oversee all aspects of Avista’s operations and investment activity. He serves as a director of Arcadia Consumer Healthcare, Cosette Pharmaceuticals, Inform Diagnostics, Osmotica Pharmaceuticals, United BioSource, XIFIN and other private boards. Prior to forming Avista, Burgstahler was a partner at DLJ Merchant Banking.
Avista also expanded its partner group with promotions across all levels of its investment team and the hiring of several new professionals that recently joined the firm’s ranks.
Josh Tamaroff and Alex Yu were both named partners. Tamaroff joined Avista in 2009 and previously worked as an analyst in the leveraged finance group at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital. Yu joined Avista in 2017 from the private equity group at Goldman Sachs. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, he worked as an associate at Fenway Partners and as an analyst in the technology group at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital.
These two promotions bring the total number of partners in the firm to six, as they join Dean, Burgstahler, Robert Girardi, who has been with the firm for 11 years and has been a partner since 2016, and Sriram Venkataraman, who has been with the firm for 14 years and has been a partner since 2011.
Garrett Lustig and Ryan Moran, who joined Avista in 2015 and 2018, respectively, were promoted to principals, effective Sept. 1. Zach Kushner, who also joined the firm in 2018, was promoted to vice president, effective July 1.
Akbar Mirza joined Avista’s investment team as a vice president and Beibhinn George, Gillian Gude and Will Sauser joined as associates.
“Avista’s success reflects, in large measure, the uniquely beneficial partnership that David and I have enjoyed for more than 25 years across 40 healthcare transactions,” Dean said. “This dynamic remains unchanged as David assumes his new role as sole managing partner, while, as chairman, I will focus on ensuring Avista builds on our track record of combining superior investment talent with industry experts to source, evaluate and execute attractive investments.”
“We are pleased that our team and investors will continue to benefit from Tom’s vision and keen investment acumen in his new role as chairman,” Burgstahler said. “Likewise, we are delighted to announce a series of well-deserved promotions, including Josh and Alex as new partners, reflecting Avista’s growth and momentum, as well as their individual contributions to the firm’s success moving forward.
“The new additions and promotions throughout our investment ranks continue to advance Avista’s ability to pursue new and compelling investment opportunities with an unparalleled opportunity set. We are proud of our team’s dedication and the depth of talent across our platform.”
