Castle Hall Hires Kosta Segounis

Castle Hall Alternatives, a provider of hedge fund operational due diligence, has hired Kosta Segounis as Senior Manager, he will supervise a team of analysts responsible for operational due diligence on numerous hedge funds.

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to join Castle Hall's team." Kosta said, "Operational due diligence has become an increasingly important element of managing a hedge fund portfolio, and Castle Hall offers a unique solution for investors who wish to work with an external partner to enhance their due diligence program."

Kosta previously held the position of Senior Consultant, Compliance, at Standard Life in Montreal. Kosta is a member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and is also a CFA (chartered financial analyst) charterholder.

Chris Addy, Castle Hall's President and CEO, said "we are extremely pleased to add Kosta to our growing team of due diligence professionals. His knowledge and experience will be a great asset to our firm, particularly with respect to compliance best practices in the hedge fund industry."

Castle Hall Alternatives helps investors identify better hedge fund managers - firms which not only have attractive performance but also match operational best practices. Castle Hall's team of due diligence professionals uses a proprietary methodology to prepare a detailed operational assessment for each fund under review.

Blackstone Launches CleanTech Investment Arm

Alternative investment manager, The Blackstone Group, has launched a new business group focused on investments in the cleantech energy sector and will provide advice on renewable energy strategies across Blackstone’s asset base.

The team is being led by James D. Kiggen, who has joined the firm’s Corporate Private Equity group as a Senior Managing Director. Also joining as Principals from AllianceBernstein are Walter C. Vester and Richard L. Troyer.

“Jamie and his team’s understanding of rapidly evolving technology applications in solar and wind power generation, carbon sequestration, next generation ethanol, and other renewables will be a key input in Blackstone’s investment decisions." Garrett Moran, Senior Managing Director of The Blackstone Group, said, "We look forward to working with the new team across both conventional energy investments and new developments, including those at our portfolio company Sithe Global Power, as well as several other sizeable investments that we are currently evaluating.”

Blackstone's alternative asset management businesses include the management of corporate private equity funds, real estate funds, hedge funds, funds of funds, debt funds, collateralized loan obligation vehicles (CLOs) and closed-end mutual funds. The Blackstone Group also provides various financial advisory services, including mergers and acquisitions advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and fund placement service. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.