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NorCal Cannabis appoints PE veteran Albert to board

California-based NorCal Cannabis, a vertically integrated cannabis operator, has named Kevin Albert to its board of directors. Currently, Albert is a partner at Pantheon.

OPTrust taps SSGA's Peter Lindley as president and CEO

Canadian pension fund manager OPTrust has appointed Peter Lindley as president and CEO, effective September 16. Lindley joins from U.S. asset manager State Street Global Advisors Ltd (SSGA), where he most recently served as president and head of investments in Canada. He worked at SSGA for 14 years. Lindley replaces Hugh O’Reilly, who resigned as president and CEO of OPTrust in March. With assets of about $20 billion, Toronto-based OPTrust invests and manages OPSEU Pension Plan. It invests in private equity and infrastructure through OPTrust Private Markets Group.

Goodman, GSO Capital co-founder, is retiring from Blackstone

Blackstone said Aug. 29 that Bennett Goodman, co-founder of GSO Capital Partners LP, is stepping down at the end of this year. He will remain chairman of GSO’s business development company and will serve as a senior adviser to the firm. Dwight Scott, who was named president of GSO in 2017, will continue to oversee the management of the business.

Penha named CFO of Verdemed

Verdemed Holdings Inc said Aug. 29 that Alexandre Penha was named chief financial officer, while David Beatty was appointed as a member of its board. Verdemed is a Canadian medical cannabis company that raised $12 million in venture funding April, PitchBook said.

HGGC announces promotions, 12 hires

HGGC said Aug. 29 that it made 12 new hires across its operations and investment divisions, while also promoting several executives.

RLH appoints Smiley to MD

Riordan Lewis & Haden | Equity Partners has appointed Ryan Smiley as managing director. Prior to joining RLH, Smiley had six years of experience spanning investment banking, operations finance and private equity.

CoolSys recruits Dunlap as CFO

CoolSys, a refrigeration and HVAC services company, has named Ed Dunlap as its new chief financial officer. Previously, he was CFO at Trojan Battery Company. CoolSys is backed by Ares Management.

iCapital Network expands exec team with four new hires

iCapital Network, an fintech platform focused on alternative investing, has added four to its executive team. Joining the company are Michael Kushner as chief financial officer; Jennifer Ashley as chief people officer; Diane Frankenfield as chief marketing officer and Stephen Jacobs as general counsel.

WestBridge appoints Barkley as investment director

UK-based private equity firm WestBridge has named Peter Barkley as an investment director. Previously, he worked at Dow Schofield Watts.

Gitlitz joins Hilb Group

Ellen Bohn Gitlitz has joined The Hilb Group LLC, which has acquired her book of business. Gitlitz is a property and casualty insurance specialist. Hilb is a portfolio company of Abry Partners.