Lightyear

Jay Comerford is a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2007. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Banc of America Securities, focusing on M&A, leveraged buyouts, and capital raises, and earlier held roles as an Investment Specialist at PIMCO Advisors and as an equity options trader at Cohen, Duffy & McGowan. He holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Rochester.

Mark Vassallo is Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at Lightyear Capital. His areas of focus include tax structuring, legal aspects of private equity, investor relations, IT, human resources, cash management, and budgeting and forecasting.

Max Rakhlin is an Operating Partner at Lightyear Capital, a firm that partners with companies across financial services and technology, healthcare, and business services. He previously spent 39 years at UBS and its predecessor firm PaineWebber, most recently as Co-President of UBS Global Wealth Management and President of UBS Americas, and served on the Executive Board of UBS Group AG. His earlier senior roles at the firm included Group CFO and Group COO.

Michael Langer is a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2022. He was previously a Partner at Five Arrows Capital Partners focused on healthcare investments, and earlier held roles at Diamond Castle Holdings, DLJ Merchant Banking Partners, and Leonard Green & Partners, beginning his career in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. He holds a B.S. in Finance from Boston College and an M.B.A. from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Natalie Ings is a Partner and Head of Portfolio Solutions at Lightyear Capital, where she also sits on the Investment Committee and Management Committee. She joined the firm in 2016, having previously worked as a Private Equity Controller at Och-Ziff Capital Management and as Senior Vice President and Head of Finance for Macquarie Infrastructure Partners Inc. She began her career as an auditor at Horwath Australia (now Deloitte Australia) and holds a B.Com. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Sydney and an M.Fin. from INSEAD.

Stewart Gross is a Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2005. He previously spent 17 years at Warburg Pincus as a Partner and member of the Operating Committee, and began his career as an M&A investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley. He holds a B.A. in Government from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Trevor Pieri is a Partner at Lightyear Capital. His completed private equity transactions span the insurance, banking, financial services, and software and payments sectors, including Hamilton Insurance Holdings, BMS Group, Anchor Bancorp Wisconsin, Pearl Capital, Vehlo, and PayByPhone. He has served on the boards of companies including PayByPhone, King Risk Partners, Inszone, PracticeTek, ProfitSolv, Partners&, Prestige Insurance Holdings, and Portfolio Group Holdings.

Kevin Mullaney is a Principal in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2021. He previously worked on financial services private equity as a Vice President at Reverence Capital, was an Associate at Sageview Capital, and began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Consumer and Retail group at Morgan Stanley. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Notre Dame.

Noah Liff is a Principal in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2017. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at J.P. Morgan. He earned a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University.

Alex Culwell is an Associate in Investments at Lightyear Capital, joining the firm in 2026. He previously worked as an Associate at Genstar Capital in San Francisco and as an Investment Banking Analyst at Lazard in New York covering TMT clients. He earned a B.S. in Finance from Auburn University.

Alexa Feinman is an Executive Assistant at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2024. She previously worked as an assistant to a co-founder at Centerview Partners, where she started her career. She earned a B.A. in Communication with a business minor from Marist College.

Bob Lyon is Vice President, Controller at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2022. He previously held roles as Vice President at Sanne Group, Fund Accounting Manager at AEA Investors, and Senior Fund Accountant at WL Ross and Co., and began his career auditing banks and private equity funds at Ernst & Young LLP. He is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a B.S. in Accounting from the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Brendan Lenhard is a Senior Associate in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2023. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Nomura Securities International. He holds a B.S. in Management with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from Boston College's Carroll School of Management.

Brittany McCollum is an Associate in Fundraising and Investor Relations at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2022. She previously worked as an Executive Assistant at FitzWalter Capital. She holds a B.S. in Hospitality Management from Florida State University.

Christian Fleming is a Vice President in Investments at Lightyear Capital, where he has worked since 2018. Before joining the firm, he was an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He earned a B.S. in Business Management from Babson College.

Daisy Hackett is a Senior Associate in Fundraising and Investor Relations at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2022. She previously worked as an Investor Relations Assistant at Centerbridge Partners, L.P. She holds a B.A. in Art History and Political Science from Denison University and an M.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from Fordham University's Gabelli School of Business.

Daniel Quiring is a Legal and Compliance Analyst at Lightyear Capital, with prior experience as a legal administrative assistant and paralegal across the financial services, information technology services, and real estate industries. He holds a Paralegal Certificate in Paralegal Studies from the University of California, Irvine, and has skills in legal writing, data analysis, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Excel.

Daniel Stencel is Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer at Lightyear Capital. His areas of focus include tax structuring, legal aspects of private equity, investor relations, IT, human resources, cash management, and budgeting and forecasting.

Doug Chiciak is a Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer at Lightyear Capital, where he oversees the firm's compliance, technology, and artificial intelligence programs. Before joining Lightyear in 2018, he served as Deputy Chief Compliance Officer at New Mountain Capital and Chief Compliance Officer at Saba Capital Management, and earlier held compliance roles at the D.E. Shaw Group. He holds a B.A. in Government and Creative Writing from Hamilton College.

Gavin Poole is Chief Financial Officer of PracticeTek, a healthcare software platform backed by Lightyear Capital, where he oversees finance, legal, business intelligence, M&A, and enterprise transformation. He also serves as an Operating Partner at Lightyear Capital, advising portfolio company leadership on finance transformation, strategic planning, and performance improvement, and previously held CFO roles at Therapy Brands and financial leadership positions during 15 years at Henry Schein, following an earlier career at Deloitte. He holds degrees from the University of Cape Town and is a Chartered Accountant in South Africa and the United Kingdom; he is also the founder of Mersey Craft Spirits and lives in Birmingham, Alabama.

Ina Leonova is a Vice President and Controller at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2019. She was previously an Accounting Manager at WPP Group, handling accounting and SEC reporting, and began her career at KPMG LLP serving financial services clients. She is a Certified Public Accountant and holds a B.S. in Accounting from Rutgers University.

John Chen serves as Vice President of Tax at Lightyear Capital. He previously worked as a Tax Director in the Asset and Wealth Management group at PricewaterhouseCoopers, spent time at Rothstein Kass from 2010 to 2012, and began his career as a tax generalist at Pustorino, Puglisi & Co LLP. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from Hofstra University.

John Slattery is an Associate at Lightyear Capital, where he works in private equity. He holds a degree from the Boston College Carroll School of Management, where he majored in Finance and Business Analytics.

Josh Chawla is a Vice President in Portfolio Solutions at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2020. He previously worked as an Associate in the Economic and Valuation Services group at KPMG. He earned a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond.

Josh Lim is an Associate in Portfolio Solutions at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2022. He previously worked as an Analyst supporting the Private Credit team at Goldman Sachs, focused on its BDC and CLO entities. He earned a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Business Analytics and an M.S. in Corporate Finance from Rider University.

Kristy Crossan is an Executive Assistant at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2005. She previously worked at 4Kids Entertainment as a Marketing Manager in licensing and media, and earlier as an Executive Assistant there and at its subsidiary Summit Media Group. She holds a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Pennsylvania State University.

Lena Brzezinski is an Associate in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2025. She previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Technology, Media & Telecommunications group at Wells Fargo. She holds a B.A. in Economics with a minor in History from Georgetown University.

Liza Terkoski is a Legal and Compliance Analyst at Lightyear Capital, with prior experience as a legal administrative assistant and paralegal across the financial services, information technology services, and real estate industries. She holds a Paralegal Certificate in Paralegal Studies from the University of California, Irvine.

Lori Forlano is a Managing Director, General Counsel, and Chief Administrative Officer at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2005. Before Lightyear, she was a Managing Director of Business and Legal Affairs at the convertible arbitrage hedge fund Context Capital Management, an attorney for private equity and hedge funds at Morgan Stanley, and an associate in the mergers and acquisitions department at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. She holds a B.A. in English from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Max Kunzmann is a Senior Associate on the investment team at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2023. He was previously an Investment Banking Associate at Greenhill & Co. and started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Global Industrials Coverage group at Deutsche Bank. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

Paul Balestrieri is a Vice President in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2020. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and started his career as a Private Equity Analyst at Watermill Group. He earned a B.S. in Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University.

Sarah Berning is a Vice President in Fundraising and Investor Relations at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2026. She previously spent six years at the Raine Group, holding roles in investor relations and fundraising as well as in growth equity and M&A advisory, and began her career in investor relations at ICR. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Economics from Southern Methodist University and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Sheetal Lochan is an Executive Assistant at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2021. She previously worked as a Human Resources Generalist at Richemont North America. She holds an Associate Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Trinidad & Tobago.

Tara Devine is an Executive Assistant on the Fundraising and Investor Relations team at Lightyear Capital, which she joined in 2025. She previously worked as a Senior Executive Assistant at Cornell Capital and as an Executive Assistant at RTW Investments. She earned a B.A. in Communications from the University of California, Davis.

Tom Naratil is an Operating Partner at Lightyear Capital, a firm that partners with companies across financial services, technology, healthcare, and business services. He previously spent 39 years at UBS and its predecessor firm PaineWebber, where his roles included Co-President of UBS Global Wealth Management, President of UBS Americas, Group CFO, and Group COO, and he served on the Executive Board of UBS Group AG.

Wilmer Guzman is an IT Coordinator at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2022. He previously worked as an IT Support Engineer at CI Capital Partners, a Senior Desk Engineer at IPSoft Inc., and a Desktop Support Engineer at Onsite In 60 Inc. He earned a B.A. in Telecommunications Engineering from PUCMM.

Zach Lavin is a Vice President in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2021. He previously worked as an Investment Banking Associate in the Financial Institutions and Fintech Group at Guggenheim Securities and began his career as an Investment Banking Analyst in the Acquisition Finance and Financial Sponsors Coverage Group at Mizuho Securities. He holds a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations with a minor in Business from Cornell University.

Zach Meyer is a Vice President in Investments at Lightyear Capital, which he joined in 2021. Before that, he worked as an M&A Advisory Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group at Perella Weinberg Partners, and started his career as an Investment Banking Analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. He holds a B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.