Top 50: Americas Private Equity Dealmakers

“Distinction in Dealmaking”

Published exclusively by Global M&A Network, the 9th annual list spotlights 50 most accomplished, influential, and creative private equity dealmakers from the North and the Latin Americas. 126 firms and 645 professionals were evaluated for the current A-list.

All transactions are truly a team effort. Inclusion in the A-list also recognizes the firms’ leadership, investment focus and skills for executing growth transactions irrespective of deal size. We have range of identifiable criteria for making the often-hard editorial decisions.

Congratulations: Top 50 Private Equity Dealmakers, and firm’s they represent!


Pablo is a member of the Investment Committee and oversees the firm’s Investor Relations and fund-raising activities. Pablo serves in numerous Corporate Boards as well as in the Board of the Mexican Private Equity Association and is a Member of the Board of Regents and Vice Chair of the Investment Committee of his alma matter, the Mercersburg Academy.

Pablo holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Management of Technology from Vanderbilt University and has an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

What he most enjoys about his career... I enjoy having the opportunity to make an impact in my community. Our firm is a social impact investor that focuses on creating wealth and opportunities in Latin America, a region which is in deep need of private capital to continue its development.


Patrice Etlin

Patrice joined Advent in 1997 and started the firm’s investment operations in Brazil. As one of Advent’s global Managing Partners, he helps oversee the firm’s strategic direction and investment activities, with a particular focus on Latin America. He has worked on 26 Advent investments, including Caldic, GrupoBIG (formerly Walmart Brazil), Grupo CRM, International Meal Company, Merama, Terminal de Contêineres de Paranaguá and Tigre. Before joining Advent, Patrice was a partner at International Venture Partners in São Paulo.

Patrice received an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of São Paulo, a master’s in industrial engineering from École Centrale de Paris and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.


Gabriel Felzenszwalb

Gabriel has been a member of the Board of Directors of several companies in the Vinci portfolio, such as Burger King, Unidas and Cecrisa, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Austral, CBO, Le Biscuit, Vero and Agibank. He joined the Private Equity group of UBS Pactual Gestora de Investimentos Alternativos in 2007. From 2008 to 2010, he was assigned to portfolio company InBrands, where he acted as CEO and CFO. Prior to that, he worked as an analyst at Banco BBM venture capital operations, as a management consultant at McKinsey & Co., as a M&A manager at Vivo and as an associate at GP Investimentos.

Gabriel holds a degree in Engineering from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and an MBA from Harvard Business School.


Álvaro Goncalves

Álvaro has extensive experience in the private equity industry and as an executive of important national and international companies. He has played a key role in the execution of the funds, leading important investments that directly contributed to the Group’s expressive track record.

Álvaro holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from FEI, with an extension in Business Administration from FGV-SP and an M.B.A. from IMD-International (Switzerland).


Matías Gutierrez

Matías joined Linzor in 2007. He serves or has served on the board of directors of the dental care chain Inversiones Dental Salud SpA (Uno Salud), the fiber-to-the-home provider Pacifico Cable SpA (Mundo), the post-secondary education providers Universidad Insurgentes Holding and Santo Tomás S.A., the apparel retailer Komax S.A., the white goods retailer and consumer finance provider EFE Holding S.A. (EFE, Curacao and Financiera Efectiva), the healthcare conglomerate Cruz Blanca Salud S.A., and the healthcare providers Integramédica, Clínica Reñaca, Clínica Antofagasta and Clínica Arica.

Matías holds an Industrial Engineering degree from Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and M.B.A from Stanford University.


Farah started her career at L Catterton focused on North American growth equity and buyout investments. Prior to joining L Catterton, she was a Vice President at Sandler Capital Management where she focused on growth equity, leveraged buyouts and financings of middle market companies. Prior to Sandler, Farah worked at Apax Partners, where she focused on growth capital and leveraged buyouts in the retail and consumer product sectors. Prior to Apax, she worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs, where she focused on corporate finance and M&A coverage of retail, media and technology companies based in both New York and Menlo Park.

Farah is a Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a B.A. degree in Economics and Mathematics. She received an M.B.A. from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.


Jose Miguel Knoell

Jose Knoell serves on the Board of Directors of the following ACON fund portfolio companies: Amfora Packaging, Citla Energy, Credivalores-Crediservicios, CryoHoldco de Latinoamerica, Grupo Biosidus, Salesland and Vitalis. Prior to joining ACON in 1998, he was a Vice President with the Blackstone Group, where he was responsible for the firm’s investment and advisory business in Latin America. Before Blackstone, he was an Associate and Founding Member of GBS Finanzas, a privately-owned investment banking boutique based in Madrid, Spain.

Jose received a B.A. with Honors in Economics from Harvard University.


Fernando Marques Oliveira

Fernando has over 25 years of experience in the Brazilian and Latin American private equity market. He has led more than 70 successful investments in the region in various sectors. Before joining H.I.G., Fernando was a partner at General Atlantic, the Head for Brazil & Latin America and Member of its Global Council. Prior to that, he spent a number of years at Icatu, a leading Brazilian family office, where he was a partner and Head of Private Equity & Illiquid Strategies.

Fernando received his B.B.A. from Fundação Getúlio Vargas in São Paulo, with highest honors, J.P.C. Vieira scholar, and ranking first in his class.


Ricardo Leonel Scavazza

Ricardo is primarily responsible for overseeing all the Latam Private Equity strategy at Patria. Before taking over as CEO & CIO for Private Equity Latam, he served as the Head of Private Equity Strategy in Brazil. Ricardo joined Patrimônio in 1999, became a partner in 2005 and has worked on several new investments and acquisitions for the portfolio companies of Private Equity Funds I, II, III, IV and V. In addition, he also worked as Chief Executive Officer at Anhanguera between 2009 and 2013, and as Chief Financial Officer at DASA, in 2001, and at Anhanguera from 2003 to 2006.

Ricardo holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV) and an M.B.A. from Kellogg Scholl of Management, Northwestern University.


Nicolas Wollak

Nick has nearly 20 years of private equity investment experience in South America. Prior to founding the Axxon Group in 2001, he was a Partner of BISA and TCR South America, two private equity firms that were sponsored by the Bemberg Group, one of Latin America’s leading industrial conglomerates. Nicolas joined BISA in 1994 and was responsible for leading investments in small and mid cap companies across a wide variety of industries.

Nicolas received an A.B. degree, cum laude, from Harvard University.