Matthew Sparks, Managing Director, is a senior leader on the private equity team at Northleaf Capital Partners. Matthew leads the firm’s North American secondaries strategy and also plays a key role in managing its Canadian fund investment portfolio.

With more than 15 years at Northleaf, he brings deep expertise in evaluating complex deals, building trusted GP relationships, and navigating the fast-evolving secondaries market.

He’s been recognized as a Next Gen Leader by Secondaries Investor and awarded the Emerging Leader Award by The Private Capital Markets Association of Canada as “One to Watch” — a reflection of his thoughtful approach to investing and long-term perspective in a dynamic market.

Before joining Northleaf, Matthew started his career at Monitor Group, where he worked across industries on strategy, M&A, and integration. He holds an H.B.A. with distinction from the Ivey Business School and is a member of Northleaf’s Private Equity Investment Committee.

Disclaimer: The discussion in this podcast is for informational purposes and should not be relied on as investment advice or an offer to sell or a solicitation for an offer to buy any securities. Any opinions expressed are those of the speaker and are subject to change. Any discussion of past performance is provided for informational purposes only, is not track record information and should not be relied upon as a guarantee of future performance. Any information regarding the performance of prior companies was discussed in order to illustrate the experience of the partners of the firm and does not reflect the private equity fund management experience of the partners. It should not be assumed that investments made by Cresta will be comparable in quality or performance to the prior companies.

About Chris Rozzell: Chris Rozzell brings 23 years of investing and operating experience across the infrastructure sector. He co-founded Cresta in 2016 and leads the firm’s transaction sourcing, execution, portfolio management, and overall operations.

Mr. Rozzell currently serves on the boards of LF Bioenergy, Lapis Carbon Solutions, and Braya Renewable Fuels. Before Cresta, he was Chief Executive Officer of Wildcat Midstream Holdings, a middle market energy midstream investment platform. Previously, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Regency Energy Partners, where he directed commercial project development, acquisitions, gas supply, marketing, scheduling, and gas control.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Rozzell held leadership roles in strategic planning, development, and enterprise risk at TXU Corp., and began his career in the Investment Banking Division of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Southern Methodist University.

Scott is Co-Chief Executive Officer and a co-chair of the firm’s Management committee.

Scott’s current and prior directorships include Thermo Fisher Scientific Corp., Agiliti, the Madison Square Garden Company, Experian, Warner Music Group, Houghton Mifflin Co., Fisher Scientific, Univision Communications, Inc., iHeartMedia, Inc., Front Line Management, The Learning Company, PriCellular Corp., ProcureNet, ProSiebenSat.1, Wyndham Hotels, Federal Street Acquisition Corp. and several other private companies.

Prior to joining Thomas H. Lee Partners, Scott was, for more than a decade, managing partner of the affiliate of Harvard Management Company that managed all alternative asset classes for Harvard University’s endowment fund. Before that he was a Senior Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group.

Scott is involved with a number of charitable and non-profit organizations. He is Chairman of MassGeneralBrigham, the Parent of the Harvard teaching hospitals, Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women’s Hospital as well as a number of leading specialty and community hospitals and physicians practice groups. He is Chairman Emeritus of the CitiCenter for Performing Arts and Wang Theater. He is also a member of each of the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors, the Harvard University Committee on University Resources and the Harvard Business School’s Rock Center for Entrepreneurship.

Paul Raphael

Paul is an established investment professional with extensive M&A and financing experience. He was Executive Vice Chairman at UBS from 2018 to 2021. He joined UBS in 2010 initially as Head of Global Emerging Markets and later served as UBS’ Head of Wealth Management for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America where he managed $450 billion of client assets and over 3,000 employees across four continents.

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Before joining UBS in 2010, he spent six years at Credit Suisse, including three years in Hong Kong as Head of Investment Banking for the Asia Pacific region. Prior to this, Paul spent 10 years with Merrill Lynch in London and Paris and eight years at Salomon Brothers in New York in various M&A and capital markets roles.

Paul is a member of the advisory board of LIFE where he was founding chairman and a member of the Special Advisory Council of International Crisis Group. He has a degree in economics from the University of Maryland and an MSC in management from MIT Sloan School of Management.

Neda Vakilian, Partner, Investor Solutions Group at Actis

Neda is a partner of the firm having joined Actis in January 2022 where she was responsible for the coordination and management of strategic investor initiatives, fundraising project management, and product development.

In March 2023, Neda was promoted to Global Head of Actis’ Investor Solutions Group.

Neda has 20 years of industry experience, working across private capital markets, business development, and fundraising.

Before joining Actis, she was Co-Head of Capital Solutions and Investor Relations for Amber Infrastructure. In this role, she was responsible for sales, client servicing, and product development, and was an investment committee member and board director on strategies.

Prior to this, Neda worked at Macquarie Capital and the Green Investment Bank (now the Green Investment Group) where she was a leading member of the team responsible for raising what was, at the time, the largest renewables fund in Europe.

She began her career as a solicitor, working at Clifford Chance and SJ Berwin.

Disclaimer

Risk management seeks to mitigate risk but does not eliminate risk and does not protect against losses.

The statements referenced herein regarding the impact of the United States political office on decarbonisation efforts or the market are as of June 2025 and represent the views of Actis which is not research and should not be treated as research. Historic market trends are not reliable indicators of actual future market behaviour or future performance of any particular investment which may differ materially and should not be relied upon as such. Moreover, there is no assurance historical trends will continue.

As Lincoln’s Chief Executive Officer and a key driver of the firm’s growth from its beginnings, Rob has been instrumental in building its global footprint and a highly desirable culture that prioritizes attracting, retaining and engaging top talent at all levels. As a connected leader within the firm, Rob works closely with Lincoln’s investment banking professionals to help them achieve success. He continues to focus on building long-term relationships with clients and prospects, achieving optimal results through his thoughtful, interpersonal and collaborative approach.

Rob has nearly 30 years of experience advising leading private equity groups, privately owned businesses and large public companies on divestitures, acquisitions and other strategic initiatives. Rob helped start Lincoln’s industrials and consumer practices and led the firm’s business services practice for more than a decade. Accordingly, Rob has a deep understanding of how to best position companies for sale, drive competitive processes and negotiate to successful closings.

As a recognized advisor and thought leader in the investment banking industry, Rob is a frequent guest on WBBM’s Noon Business Hour in Chicago and a speaker and author on mergers and acquisitions-related topics. Rob sits on the board of UNICEF USA and the Dean’s Business Council for the Gies School of Business at the University of Illinois. He is also President of the Board of Regents at Saint Ignatius College Prep in Chicago.

Prior to Lincoln, Rob worked at Price Waterhouse. His diverse experiences include management positions in Price Waterhouse’s investment banking subsidiary and the Transaction Services group.

Rob earned a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Illinois. Rob is a certified public accountant (inactive).

Advice to College Students Montage — Episode Overview

For this special segment, we compiled standout moments from our guests’ responses to one of our favorite questions: “What advice would you give to college students or young professionals just starting out?”

This recurring question has become a listener favorite on the podcast, and in this episode, we’re bringing those insights together into a powerful montage. From timeless career wisdom to honest reflections on failure and resilience, each soundbite delivers real-world guidance for the next generation of leaders.

Featured Guests: This montage includes advice from top executives, investors, and entrepreneurs featured in past episodes, including:

• Sunaina Sinha, Raymond James

• Brad Armstrong, Lovell Minnick Partners

• Greg Belinfanti, One Equity Partners

• Adam Feinstein, Vesey Street Capital Partners

• Devon Kirk, Portage

• Steve Young, HGGC

• Jack Purcell, Ridgemont Equity Partners

• Steve Gord, Hidden River Strategic Capital

• Paul Swaney, Swaney Capital Group

• Mark Strauch, Alpine Investors

• Jeff Jenkins, Bernhard Capital Partners

• Patrick Maciariello, Compass Diversified

• Bogdan Gogulan, NewSpace Capital

• Erik Brooks, Ethos Capital

• Jeff Aiello, Agellus Capital

• Marshall Adkins, Raymond James

• Andrew Weinberg, Brightstar Capital Partners

• Lucy Heintz, Actis

• John Diggins, Platinum Equity

Purpose: This episode aims to inspire college students, recent graduates, and young professionals with tactical advice and encouragement straight from the industry’s top minds. It’s also a great resource to share with interns, mentees, or students exploring careers in finance, investing, or business leadership.

Let us know if you'd like a custom graphic, suggested caption, or LinkedIn blurb to go with it.

John Diggins is responsible for senior level business development activities focused on identifying new acquisition opportunities and has been involved in sourcing many multi-billion dollar deals during his time at Platinum.

Mr. Diggins joined Platinum Equity in 1996. Prior to joining Platinum, he was the co-founder of Ventec Systems with Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores.  Mr. Gores brought Mr. Diggins to Platinum Equity to drive deal sourcing and help shape the firm in its early days of growth. In this capacity Mr. Diggins served as CEO at Platinum Equity portfolio companies Pilot Software and Foresight Software.

Mr. Diggins holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico

As graduation season kicks off, many students and young professionals are stepping into an exciting new chapter — one filled with opportunity, growth, and a few unknowns.

To mark this milestone, we’ve curated a special montage episode featuring timeless advice from nine distinguished Wharton alumni. These leaders have successfully navigated the path from campus to boardroom, and they’re sharing candid insights on mindset, momentum, and making your mark in Private Equity and Investment Banking.

In this episode, you’ll hear from:

• Dave Tayeh – Investcorp

• Marc Leder – Sun Capital Partners

• Neha Markle – Morgan Stanley

• Bob Frost – Lazard

• Jeff Collins – Cloverlay

• Jeff Aiello – Agellus

• Michael Butler – Cascadia Capital

• Jack Purcell – Ridgemont Equity Partners

• Barry Freeman – Lincoln International

Whether you’re just graduating or mentoring the next generation of finance leaders, this episode delivers practical, powerful advice that’s well worth the listen.

We’re excited to share a special episode of the Branch Out Podcast featuring Jeff Henningsen! Jeff has always been curious, creative, and committed to his goals—traits that have fueled his success across a variety of industries.

Jeff’s entrepreneurial journey began early, mowing lawns as a student to earn extra cash. That side hustle eventually grew into a full-fledged business, which he sold at just 22 years old. From there, he moved into the world of private equity and ultimately became the President of Lockton Companies in Texas, a role he’s held for the past 26 years.

In addition to his leadership role, Jeff is also the host of the Private Equity Fast Pitch podcast.

In this conversation, originally recorded on Branch Out, Jeff shares the mindset shifts and habits that have helped him thrive—both professionally and personally.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The key factor that separates “idea men” from successful entrepreneurs.

• Why Jeff is so passionate about the value of coaching.

• What inspired Jeff to launch his podcast—and the surprising outcomes it’s led to.

• The importance of committing to your goals.

• Why Jeff thinks of himself as a (figurative) orchestra conductor.

• How being an introvert can actually be a strength.

• Why doing beats dreaming every time.

Whether you're launching a new venture or looking to lead with more purpose, Jeff’s story is full of insights and inspiration.