Aurora Capital Partners Strengthens Its Strategy & Operations Program With Senior Appointments to Its Executive Board

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Aurora Capital Partners ("Aurora"), a leading middle-market private equity firm, announced the appointments of Neel Bhatia and John Pencak to its Executive Board to further expand the firm's Strategy & Operations Program.

The appointments of Neel and John will enhance Aurora's Executive Board and help drive growth and performance improvement across Aurora's portfolio. Neel's role will focus on expanding organizational development, partnering with management teams as they scale, and leading enterprise-wide talent development initiatives across Aurora's portfolio companies. John's role will focus on portfolio operations, bringing extensive experience in interim management, strategy, performance improvement, M&A integration, and transaction advisory services.

Neel brings over two decades of experience in human capital management within private equity to Aurora. Before joining Aurora, he was an Operating Partner and Senior Advisor at Arcline Investment Management, where he built and led the firm's talent function and helped scale expertise and organizational capabilities across their portfolio. Before that, he was Managing Partner at Green Peak Partners and a leader within the Technology, Media & Telecommunications practice at the Boston Consulting Group. He is a Lecturer at the Wharton School, where he has taught leadership and people strategy for more than a decade. Neel holds an MBA in finance and real estate from The Wharton School and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles.

John has nearly 30 years of experience advising companies on corporate strategy and performance improvement. Prior to joining Aurora, he was a Managing Director at Riveron, where he advised private equity investors, lenders, large multinational corporations, and privately held middle-market companies across a wide range of industries, including industrials, business services, and consumer products. Before that, he was Director of Corporate Advisory Services at Grant Thornton and a leader within the Restructuring and Performance Improvement practice at Stout Risius Ross. John holds a BBA from the University of Michigan Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

"Neel and John both have exceptional track records driving long-term value creation through human capital and operations and contributing to the growth and success of middle-market companies. We are incredibly excited to welcome them to the firm, where their deep expertise in leadership and operational excellence will further strengthen our Strategy & Operations Program," said Josh Klinefelter and Mark Rosenbaum, Partners at Aurora Capital Partners.

These strategic hires underscore Aurora's commitment to building world-class leadership capabilities and deepening the firm's operational, organizational, and talent resources to support value creation across its portfolio.

About Aurora Capital Partners
Aurora Capital Partners is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm with $6 billion in assets under management. Founded in 1991, Aurora builds extraordinary middle-market companies alongside extraordinary management teams. The firm targets platforms with leading market positions, stable industry dynamics, attractive business model characteristics and actionable opportunities for growth in partnership with management. For more information about Aurora Capital Partners, visit: www.auroracap.com.

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SOURCE Aurora Capital Partners