General Atlantic Announces Promotions to Managing Director and Principal

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Dec 08, 2015, 08:00 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm, today announced the promotions of Jörn Nikolay to managing director and Roni Elchahal, Andrew Ferrer, and Rajat Sood to principal. Mr. Nikolay leads the firm's Munich office. Mr. Elchahal is responsible for the firm's EMEA capital partnering effort based in London, and Mr. Ferrer and Mr. Sood are senior investment professionals in the firm's New York and Mumbai offices, respectively. The promotions will be effective as of January 1, 2016.

"Jörn has significantly expanded our presence in Germany and we are proud to promote him to managing director in recognition of his contributions to the firm," said Bill Ford, CEO of General Atlantic. "We continue to see attractive opportunities in Germany and across Europe, and look forward to deepening our partnerships with innovative entrepreneurs and high-growth companies in the region."

Mr. Nikolay joined General Atlantic's London office in 2008 and moved to Munich in 2012 to open the firm's office in Germany. He led the firm's 2014 investment in Flixbus/MeinFernbus and co-led its 2012 investment in Axel Springer Digital Classifieds, a joint venture with German media group Axel Springer. He also supported the firm's investments in Markit, Citco, and Saxo Bank. Mr. Nikolay currently serves as a member of the board of directors for Axel Springer Digital Classifieds and Flixbus/MeinFernbus.

Prior to joining General Atlantic, Mr. Nikolay worked for TA Associates in London, Bain & Company in Düsseldorf, and Morgan Stanley in Frankfurt/London. Mr. Nikolay is a graduate of WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, and also studied at Sciences Po Paris. He serves as a mentor of Deutschlandstiftung Integration, a foundation supporting young students with immigration backgrounds in Germany, and as a mentor of Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft.

Mr. Ford continued, "We are also pleased to promote to principal three outstanding professionals: Roni Elchahal, Andrew Ferrer, and Rajat Sood. These individuals have provided meaningful contributions to the firm and we look forward to their continued efforts in applying investment acumen and leadership skills to build long-term value for our capital partners and portfolio companies."

Mr. Elchahal, based in London, leads General Atlantic's capital partnering effort in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Elchahal originally joined the firm's New York office in 2007, focusing on investments in the Internet & Technology sector and returned to General Atlantic in 2012. He previously worked at CI Capital Partners, the Boston Consulting Group, and the Parthenon Group. Mr. Elchahal earned an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School. He earned a B.S. in Economics from the Wharton School and a B.A. in History from the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated summa cum laude and was a Joseph Wharton Scholar.

Mr. Ferrer, based in New York, is a senior member of General Atlantic's Retail & Consumer team. He serves on the board of directors of Too Faced Cosmetics, a 2015 investment which he co-led. Prior to joining General Atlantic in 2014, Mr. Ferrer was a principal at Sycamore Partners, where he focused on retail and consumer investments including Kurt Geiger. Prior to that, he worked at Warburg Pincus and Berkshire Partners, where he also focused on retail and consumer investments such as Bare Escentuals. He began his career in the private equity group at Goldman, Sachs & Co. Mr. Ferrer earned an M.B.A. with distinction from Harvard Business School. He earned an A.B. from Princeton University, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Mr. Sood joined General Atlantic's Mumbai office in 2007. He also worked in the firm's New York office from 2009 to 2012 where he focused on investments in the Financial Services sector. Mr. Sood played an active role in General Atlantic's investments in IndusInd Bank, IIFL Wealth Management, and National Stock Exchange in India; Oak Hill Advisors and Pierpont Securities in North America; and Sura Asset Management and XP Investimentos in Latin America. Mr. Sood previously worked at McKinsey & Company based in India, where he worked with clients in the financial services, retail, and health insurance sectors on a range of strategic and operational issues. Mr. Sood earned an M.B.A from the Indian Institute of Management Kolkata where he was a gold medalist, and also studied at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.

About General Atlantic
General Atlantic is a leading global growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for growth companies. Established in 1980, General Atlantic combines a collaborative global approach, sector specific expertise, a long-term investment horizon and a deep understanding of growth drivers to partner with great entrepreneurs and management teams to build exceptional businesses worldwide. General Atlantic has more than 100 investment professionals based in New York, Amsterdam, Beijing, Greenwich, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Munich, Palo Alto, São Paulo and Singapore. www.generalatlantic.com.