IPI PARTNERS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chief Compliance Officer & Associate Counsel
Alan Chen joined IPI in June 2022 and serves as IPI's Chief Compliance Officer and Associate Counsel. Prior to joining IPI, Alan held various legal and compliance roles at TPG, Morgan Stanley, and MUFG.
Alan earned a BA from the University of Houston summa cum laude and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law-Newark.
Job Titles:
- Head of Capital Solutions
Alexa Singer joined IPI in 2023 and serves as a Director and Head of Capital Solutions. Prior to joining IPI, Alexa was a Director at PJT Partners on Park Hill Real Estate's team in New York, where she advised leading, global real estate sponsors on capital formation, product development and fundraising execution.
Alexa earned a BS in Urban and Regional Studies from Cornell University.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director, Capital Markets
Alexey Teplukhin joined IPI in 2021 and serves as a Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets. Prior to joining IPI, Alexey was a Director at Deutsche Bank where he led the bank's data center principal investment team globally.
Alexey earned a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with First Class Honors in Economics from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
Job Titles:
- Director at IPI
- Director, AI / ML
Ayla is a Director at IPI where she leads hyperscale development of AI/ML data centers. She has 17 years of experience investing in and developing real assets. Ayla joined IPI from Google, where she most recently led data center strategy and growth planning for the Americas. While at Google, she oversaw multi-GW development portfolios and negotiated acquisitions, leases, utility upgrades, power supply and economic incentive deals. Ayla's earlier career experience includes 5 years of renewable energy development (Lightsource BP, HgCapital) as well as Analyst/Associate roles with private equity real estate platforms investing in emerging markets (Tishman Speyer, Das Equity). Ayla earned her MBA from London Business School and has a BA in Economics & Environmental Sciences from Columbia University.
Benno Houben joined IPI in 2023. Previously, he worked at CBRE Investment Management, the real estate investment arm of CBRE Group, across different roles in transactions, asset and portfolio management. In his last role he was focused on investments in funds, joint ventures, club deals and co-investments. Prior to CBRE Investment Management, Benno worked as a consultant at PwC in Real Estate Corporate Finance.
Benno earned an MSc in Real Estate Finance from the University of Amsterdam and an MSc in Real Estate Management & Development from the Eindhoven University of Technology.
Job Titles:
- Head of ESG
- IPI in 2022 As Head
Bethany Brantley joined IPI in 2022 as Head of ESG, overseeing all aspects of the firm's responsible investment practice, and serves as Chair of the ESG Committee.
Bethany has over a decade of experience driving corporate action and investment strategy on climate change mitigation and adaptation and ESG integration in portfolio decision-making. Prior to IPI, Bethany was a senior vice president and Head of Investor Accountability at Orion Infrastructure Capital, where she led the firm's investor relations and ESG efforts. Before Orion, she was a vice president at Energy Impact Partners and Head of Fundraising and oversaw ESG and impact measurement programs. Earlier in her career, Bethany was a technical analyst in renewable energy and sustainability-focused roles at S&P Global, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Bethany has published research for DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). She has been recognized for her influence as a sustainability thought leader in the digital real estate industry, most recently as a 2022 iMason's IM100 award recipient.
Finally, Bethany is a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at New York University's Center for Global Affairs. Her research centers on complex ESG risk and opportunity areas within private equity, emphasizing infrastructure investment supporting environmental and social justice and the transition to a low-carbon digital economy.
Bethany earned her master's in environmental management and sustainability from Harvard University and a bachelor's in finance and marketing from Texas Christian University, summa cum laude.
Blanca Guzman joined IPI in 2017 and serves as the Firm's Chief of Staff. Prior to joining IPI, she was a Team Coordinator at Sterling Partners, responsible for talent acquisitions, investor relations, and capital markets. Prior to Sterling Partners, she was a Senior Administrative Assistant at BMO Capital Markets.
Blanca is fluent in Spanish.
Brad Berkley joined IPI in 2021 and serves as IPI's Chief Financial Officer. In this role, he is responsible for the firm's finance and accounting functions. Brad was previously the Chief Financial Officer of Artemis Real Estate Partners (Artemis) and was one of the firm's founders in 2009. While at Artemis, he was a member of the investment committee and a key member of the senior management team responsible for building an investment platform that managed in excess of $5 billion of equity AUM across several co-mingled funds and separately managed accounts. Prior to Artemis, Brad served in a variety of roles at JER Partners, including Director and CFO of JER's European Investment Platform located in London, England, as well as positions in acquisitions and portfolio management. Prior to JER, he worked for Arthur Andersen in Washington, D.C.
Brad received a bachelor's degree from Washington & Jefferson College and an MBA from The College of William and Mary. He is a Certified Public Accountant (inactive).
Brandon Bertolino joined IPI in 2023. Prior to IPI, he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at J.P. Morgan where he focused on M&A within real estate, gaming, and lodging.
Brandon earned a BS in Applied Economics & Management with a concentration in Finance from the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.
Chris Jensen joined IPI in 2019 and serves as a Managing Director responsible for acquisition and investment management activities. He was previously the Managing Partner of Anderson Pacific Corporation, a Chicago-based private investment firm focused on communications infrastructure. While at Anderson Pacific, Chris was responsible for sourcing, funding, and advising portfolio companies focused on the data center, fiber, tower, and spectrum related verticals. He has invested in or co-founded numerous successful companies including most recently Neutral Path Communications (a regional fiber company acquired by Zayo Group in 2018) and Digital Capital Partners (a Chicago-based data center acquired by CIM / 1547 in 2018).
Chris is active in the Midwest technology start-up community as an angel investor and sits on the board of Hyde Park Angels. He earned a BS from Indiana University.
Chris Wang joined IPI in April 2021. He was previously a Senior Associate at Two Sigma where he focused on investing in asset-intensive and data-rich sectors through acquisitions and de novo platforms. Prior to Two Sigma, Chris held positions at CVC Capital Partners and Citi in the Investment Banking Group.
Chris earned a BSc in Accounting and Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Finance and Accounting
Cindy Hua joined IPI in 2023. Cindy previously worked as a Senior Associate at Fortress Investment Group within the Real Estate Fund group, focused on operations, investor reporting, and valuations. Prior to Fortress, Cindy was an Audit Associate at KPMG.
Cindy holds a CPA and earned a BS in Accounting from The University of Texas and MS in Accounting from The University of Texas at Arlington
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Capital Solutions
Claire Benken joined IPI in 2022 and serves as a Vice President on IPI's Capital Solutions team. Prior to IPI, she was a Senior Associate on the Investor Relations team at Harrison Street Real Estate Capital, where she assisted with fundraising and relationship management for the company's various real estate and infrastructure strategies. She began her career with LaSalle Investment Management as a Senior Financial Analyst on the Asset Management team.
Claire earned a BBA in Real Estate & Marketing from the University of Cincinnati.
Connor Chin joined IPI in 2022. Prior to IPI, he was an associate in the Digital Infrastructure group at Harrison Street Real Estate Capital where he focused on data center acquisitions and asset management. He began his career as an analyst at Digital Realty.
Connor earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Babson College.
Job Titles:
- Legal & Compliance Officer
Courtney Briggs joined IPI in 2021. Prior to IPI, Courtney worked as an OGC Coordinator with Sterling Partners. Previously, she was an Office Manager and Senior Paralegal with the firm Beam and Raymond.
Courtney earned an MBA and BS in Business Administration and Management from University of Phoenix.
Dane Chodos joined IPI in February 2020 and is responsible for business development and build-to-suit activities. He has focused on the data center industry for more than five years. Prior to IPI, he was an Analyst in the Portfolio Management Group at Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR) where he was responsible for asset management as well as evaluating development and leasing opportunities. Before that, he provided real estate finance advisory services as a Senior Associate at Equity Center Real Estate and as an Associate at Barrington Capital Corp.
Dane earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.
Devin Donnelly joined IPI in September 2018. Devin has focused on the data center industry for more than seven years with expertise in strategic finance and publicly traded REITs. Before joining IPI, he was a Vice President of Strategic Planning & Investments and Head of FP&A and Investments at QTS Data Centers. Prior to QTS, he was a Vice President of Global REITs at Brookfield Investment Management, specializing in data centers and other technology and connectivity-related assets. He began his career on the Acquisitions Team at Walton Street Capital.
Devin earned a BS of Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Job Titles:
- Director, Capital Markets
Diana Liu joined IPI in July 2021 and serves as a Director on IPI's Capital Markets team, responsible for origination and investment underwriting for development and M&A opportunities. Diana joined IPI from Deutsche Bank's Global Markets division, where she focused on principal debt investments within the digital infrastructure sector.
Diana earned a BSE from Princeton University with a concentration in Operations Research and Financial Engineering and certificates in Applications in Computing and Finance.
Drew Goldsmith joined IPI in March 2023 and serves as a Vice President. Previously, Drew was a Vice President and the Head of Acquisitions and Asset Management for The Olnick Organization. Prior to Olnick, Drew was an Associate on the Acquisitions and Capital Markets team at LeFrak. He started his career with Wells Fargo (CMBS) and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (Real Estate Banking), where he focused on originations and underwriting.
Drew earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in Finance from the University of Washington.
Emily Menz joined IPI in 2023 and serves as an Associate on IPI's ESG team. In this role, she is responsible for supporting the implementation of all aspects of IPI's ESG strategy, with a dedicated focus on environmental and climate initiatives. Emily joined IPI from Nasdaq's ESG Advisory team, where she helped corporate clients develop first time climate strategies. Prior to Nasdaq, Emily was a Sustainability Associate at Findlay Park Partners, a $15 billion U.S. public equities fund based in London where she created the fund's physical climate risk management framework and led climate target development.
Emily earned an MSc in Environmental Economics and Climate Change from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BS in Economics and BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Washington.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Capital Solutions
Erik Hanson joined IPI in 2023 and serves as an Associate on IPI's Capital Solutions team. Prior to IPI, he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Citi in the technology group in New York City. While at Citi, he advised software clients on M&A as well as public and private capital raises. Before that, he worked as a Corporate Banking Analyst at Citi in the industrials group.
Erik earned a BBA in Finance with a Computer Science minor from the University of Miami.
Erik van den Berg joined IPI's Amsterdam office in July 2021. He was previously an Associate Director at PGGM, focused on global private equity investments in TMT Infrastructure.
Erik has over 9 years of industry experience and holds an MSc in International Business & International Law from the University of Sydney, and an MSc in Finance and BSc in Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Gabe Golob joined IPI in 2023. Prior to IPI, he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Jefferies where he focused on M&A and capital raising within real estate, gaming, and lodging.
Gabe earned a MS in Management from Wake Forest University School of Business and a BS in Real Estate from New York University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Development Optimization and Risk Management
Gavin Flynn joined IPI in April 2023 as Director of Development Optimization and Risk Management. Gavin was previously a Regional Vice President with Linesight, who provide professional construction consultancy services and strategic support, to the Data Center sector. He specialized in the development of scalable controls processes, to help improve the performance of his clients Data Center development portfolios. Previous to that, Gavin worked as a Commercial Lead for a Contractor in Europe, focused on the financial management of complex Pharmaceutical facility projects.
Gavin received a BSc in Construction Economics and Management from Technological University Dublin, in Ireland, and is a Professional Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) since 2018.
Geert Jan Hoogteijling joined IPI in 2022. Prior to IPI, Geert Jan worked as an investment banking associate at Nomura in London and Amsterdam, executing M&A and leveraged finance transactions across EMEA, mainly in the digital infrastructure sector.
Geert Jan earned a MSc in Finance and BSc in Business Administration from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Jack Markman joined IPI in 2017. Prior to IPI, he was an Analyst at Walton Street Capital, a private equity real estate investment firm based in Chicago where he underwrote and executed commercial real estate transactions across all property types.
Jack earned a BBA in Finance from The University of Texas at Austin.
Jack Viellieu joined IPI in July 2019. He was previously a Private Equity Associate at Madison Dearborn Partners where he evaluated and managed investment opportunities across six industry verticals, including telecom and technology services. Jack started his career as an Analyst at Credit Suisse in the Retail & Consumer Products Investment Banking Group.
Jack earned an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate
- IPI in 2019 As an Analyst
Jacob Kestenbaum joined IPI in 2019 as an analyst. Prior to IPI, he worked as an investment banking analyst at Credit Suisse in the Global Industrials Group.
Jacob earned a BS in Finance from NYU - Stern School of Business. He is fluent in Hebrew.
Job Titles:
- Director, Capital Markets
James McDonald joined IPI in May 2023 and serves as a Director in Capital Markets. He previously led TPG's foreign exchange and hedging activities as part of the Treasury and Capital Markets functions. Prior to his time at TPG, James worked for Bloomberg, where he was a derivatives and fixed income specialist.
James earned an MBA from the Texas McCombs School of Business and a BBA in Finance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is a CFA Charterholder.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor
- Senior Advisor at IPI
Jim Smith is a Senior Advisor at IPI. A veteran in the data center development & technology space, most recently he was an Advisor & Managing Director for Equinix, leading the Hyperscale Infrastructure Team. Jim also served in various leadership roles at Digital Realty Trust, including Chief Technology Officer.
Jim's decades of experience span his roles as Chief Technical Officer at Colo.com, Founder and General Manager of ATMnet, which was acquired by Verio in 1997, and General Manager at 360networks.
Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Fort Lewis College and a Master of Business Administration degree from London Business School.
Josh Friedman joined IPI in 2017 and serves as a Partner responsible for acquisition and investment management activities. He was previously a Principal at Sterling Partners where he evaluated and managed investment opportunities in the business services sector, including the data center space. Josh has extensive experience in the data center industry, having invested in, managed and led equity and debt capital markets transactions for private companies in the space. Prior to Sterling, Josh was an Associate at Versa Capital Management, where he evaluated and managed distressed and special situations investment opportunities across asset classes. He began his career in the Financial Restructuring Group at Houlihan Lokey.
Josh earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and a BS in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Job Titles:
- Analyst, Capital Solutions
Justin Walsh joined IPI in 2023. Prior to IPI, Justin worked as an Analyst at Champlain Advisors where he led marketing efforts for private equity funds.
Justin earned a BA in Organization and Management Studies from Gettysburg College.
Job Titles:
- Director, Finance and Accounting
Katie (Milleville) Abouzahr joined IPI in May 2023 and serves as a Director based in Dallas, TX. She was previously Vice President and Head of Finance at Ascentris, a real estate private equity firm headquartered in Denver, CO. At Ascentris, Katie was responsible for all financial activities of the firm, strategic portfolio and firm analyses and portfolio management, all of which included financial reporting, accounting, treasury, tax, corporate profitability, long-range strategic planning, risk evaluation, performance measurement, and investor relations. Katie was also responsible for the development and oversight of Ascentris' ESG program and served in several industry roles to promote ESG in the private real estate sector, including co-chair of the NCREIF ESG Committee and the NCREIF PREA Reporting Standards ESG Task Force. Prior to Ascentris, Katie worked at Ernst & Young, serving clients in the Capital Markets and Asset Management industries.
Katie earned a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Mississippi, is a Certified Public Accountant, and belongs to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
Katie Wingate joined IPI in 2022. Prior to IPI, she was an Executive Assistant at Stronghold Investment Management.
Katie earned a BA in Environmental Studies and Cinema and Media Studies from Wellesley College.
Keith Chinwuba joined IPI in 2021. Prior to IPI, he was an analyst at Tishman Speyer, focusing on acquisitions, development, and asset management. He began his career as an associate at Heitman, focusing on equity and debt transactions across property sectors.
Keith earned a bachelor's degree in Economics & Political Science from the University of Illinois. He is fluent in Igbo.
Lauren Sullivan joined IPI in April 2018 and serves as a Managing Director. She was previously a Vice President at Chicago Pacific Founders where she evaluated and managed investment opportunities in the health care services sector. Prior to Chicago Pacific Founders, Lauren was an Associate at Sterling Partners where she focused on investments in the health care and business services sectors, including the data center space. She began her career in the Consumer & Retail Investment Banking Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Lauren earned a BBA in Finance from the University of Notre Dame.
Job Titles:
- Head of Marketing & Communications
Lee Lesley joined IPI in 2017 and serves as Head of Marketing & Communications. Lee was previously a partner and founder at Timpson Cove Partners, LLC ("Timpson Cove"), a strategic advisory firm providing outsourced investor relations to alternative investment managers. Prior to Timpson Cove, she was a Principal and the Head of Investor Relations & Marketing at JMI Equity ("JMI"), a growth equity firm focused on investment in enterprise software companies. At JMI, she was responsible for leading all aspects of investor relations and marketing and led and participated in the fundraisings for the firm's 2014 and 2010 growth equity funds, respectively, which collectively raised $1.9 billion. Prior to JMI, she was a Principal and investment professional at Allied Capital, where she primarily focused on private equity and debt investments in the business services sector.
Lee earned an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in English and Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Liam Fleming joined IPI in 2021. Prior to IPI, Liam worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at Barclays in the real estate, gaming, and lodging group in New York City. While at Barclays, he advised traditional real estate clients on M&A as well as public and private capital raises.
Liam earned a bachelor's degree in Finance and Financial Management Services from Georgetown University.
Luke Gilpin joined IPI in June 2017 and serves as a Managing Director in IPI's development group. Luke was previously an Associate at Sterling Partners, where he evaluated and managed investment opportunities in the business services sector. Prior to joining Sterling in 2012, he was an associate at KPMG in the Economic and Valuation Services practice, where he focused on business valuations.
Luke received a BS in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University with a minor in music, and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Matt A'Hearn is the Managing Partner of IPI and the Chair of the firm's Investment Committee. In this role, Matt leads all aspects of the firm's investment activities and is responsible for executing IPI's long-term growth strategy. Under his leadership, IPI has raised more than $5.25 billion in total equity capital commitments and built one of the largest private data center portfolios in the world. Matt has more than 20 years of experience in the telecommunications, media, and technology (TMT) industry and immediately prior to IPI, headed the global investment banking practice in the communications infrastructure sector at Moelis & Company. During his tenure at Moelis, he advised on a wide range of corporate finance transactions, including over $7 billion of mergers and acquisitions and over $3 billion of debt and equity financings. Prior to joining Moelis in 2009, Matt was a Principal in the investment banking group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch where he advised corporate and private equityclients in the telecom, media and technology ("TMT") industries. Prior to joining Bank of America Merrill Lynch in 2005, he worked in the TMT investment banking groups at UBS and, prior to that, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette.
Matt earned a BS in Finance and International Business from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Matt Weisberg joined IPI in July 2020 and serves as a Managing Director in IPI's development group. He was previously a Senior Director at Tribune Real Estate Holdings (TREH) and a key member of the senior management team that developed and implemented the strategy to reposition and harvest a $1+ billion real estate portfolio comprised of 8 million square feet of office and industrial buildings and urban infill land. Matt oversaw joint venture structuring and underwriting activity for the national portfolio and redevelopment activity for the East Coast assets. Prior to TREH, he was at Navigant Consulting, Inc. where he advised institutional investors, owners, and lenders on matters related to transactions, asset management, and restructuring. He started his career at LECG.
Matt earned a BA in Economics from The University of Texas at Austin. He holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.
Max von Rommel joined IPI in March 2023. Prior to IPI, he worked as a Real Estate Investment Analyst at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Max earned a BS in Real Estate and Finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Job Titles:
- Associate General Counsel
Megan Pirooz joined IPI in March of 2022 and serves as Associate General Counsel. Prior to IPI, Megan was a corporate finance attorney at Winston & Strawn LLP where she regularly represented financial institutions, private equity firms, portfolio companies, and public companies.
Megan earned a BA with distinction from the University of Michigan, a J.D. from the Michigan State College of Law cum laude, and an LLM in Law and Entrepreneurship from Duke University.
Melissa Kennedy joined IPI in 2023 and serves as a Director on IPI's Accounting team. In this role, she oversees the accounting and reporting functions of IPI's investment vehicles. Prior to joining IPI, Melissa was a Fund Manager at the Bass Companies and has worked closely with IPI since its inception in 2016. Melissa has more than 15 years of private equity experience and prior to IPI held positions at Texas Pacific Group (TPG) and Washington Mutual.
Melissa received her Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Texas Woman's University.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Office Coordinator
Michelle Mucerino joined IPI in 2023. Prior to joining IPI Michelle served as an Executive Assistant for C-level executives at several companies including Aparium Hotel Group and Related Midwest.
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate, Portfolio Management
Job Titles:
- Paralegal and Executive Assistant
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant / Office Coordinator, EMEA