Arthur Zuckerman Joins Avista as Partner and Chief Operating Officer

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Avista Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm, announced today that Arthur Zuckerman, the former CEO of The TriCycle Group, LLC, a consultancy focused exclusively on the administrative and operational issues of private equity firms, has joined Avista as a Partner and Chief Operating Officer.

Thompson Dean, Avista's Co-Managing Partner and Co-CEO, said, "We are very pleased to welcome Art to the Avista team.  He brings 25 years of extensive experience applying technology and project management expertise to private equity operations, which will be invaluable to Avista as we advance our initiatives for strategic growth.  Art will be instrumental in ensuring we have the appropriate best-practice back-office capabilities and accounting structure to support these efforts, which include the expansion of our investment focus into the consumer and industrial sectors, our new London office, and our expected mid-2011 registration with the SEC, as well as the general continued growth of the firm."

Mr. Zuckerman said, "I am thrilled to join this A-class private equity team.  I have been close to the team at Avista since our days at DLJ, and am excited to be given the opportunity to help the firm continue to build a strong platform to support Avista's outstanding investment professionals.  In the near term, we are focused on the smooth integration of our new London team, the pending SEC registration requirements imposed by the Dodd Frank Act, and adding to our already strong accounting team. I was attracted to Avista by our shared background at DLJ and the strong commitment from Tom and the other Partners to build an organization dedicated to serving the firm's investors."

Prior to his time at The TriCycle Group, Mr. Zuckerman was a Managing Director and CFO for the private equity group at Evercore Partners (EVR).  Previously, he was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), where he served as the Chief Technology Officer and Anti-Money Laundering Officer for the Alternative Capital Division; prior to that he was the Administrative General Partner and CFO of The Sprout Group, the venture capital affiliate of CSFB (formerly Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ), the firm from which Avista spun out in 2005).  Before joining DLJ, Mr. Zuckerman was an associate at Oxford Venture Partners.  Earlier in his career, he was the Manager of Computer Services for the Investment Banking Division of Lehman Brothers, Kuhn Loeb (later Shearson Lehman Brothers).

Mr. Zuckerman graduated from The University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Botany in 1981 and received an MBA in Finance from Columbia University in 1987.

About Avista Capital Partners

Avista Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm with offices in New York, Houston, and London. Founded in 2005, Avista's strategy is to make controlling or influential minority investments in growth-oriented energy, healthcare, media, industrial and consumer businesses. Through its team of seasoned investment professionals and industry experts, Avista seeks to partner with exceptional management teams to invest in and add value to well-positioned businesses. For more information visit www.avistacap.com.

Contact:

Diana Postemsky, Kekst and Company, 212-521-4805

SOURCE Avista Capital Partners