Former Denham Capital Executives Join Petra as Managing Partners
NEW YORK AND BOSTON; September 8, 2022: Petra Funds Group (“Petra”), a leading independent provider of fund administration solutions, announced today that John Collins and Paul Winters joined the firm as Managing Partners. Mr. Collins and Mr. Winters previously were Partners of Denham Capital Management LP (“Denham”), a Boston-based private equity firm with over $12 billion of invested and committed capital.
This announcement follows the recent news that Petra established a Boston office in August and took on Denham as a client, as well as Trace Capital Management LP, a newly-established energy resources investment firm. Mr. Collins and Mr. Winters formed Petra’s Boston office by bringing over a core team of middle, back-office, and regulatory professionals from Denham, many of whom have worked at Denham for over a decade.
“Attracting executives with John and Paul’s experience to join Petra as managing partners will immensely benefit our existing and new clients as we continue to implement best practices across our service offering,” commented Stephen Coats, Managing Partner. “Our ability to act as a trusted advisor to our clients depends on the deep experience of our team, and we believe adding professionals who have spent their careers working inside of fund managers rather than looking in from the outside provides our clients with a valuable edge.”
Mr. Collins brings over 30 years of private equity experience to Petra, including as a Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Denham for the last 15 years. At Denham, Mr. Collins was responsible for the firm’s business operations, accounting, and administrative functions and was a Valuation Committee member. Mr. Collins commented on joining Petra: “Petra has a unique business model and the expertise the private investment funds industry is increasingly in need of. I look forward to working with Peter and Stephen to continue building a full-service fund administration platform that provides top-tier services to its clients.”
Petra was founded in 2021 and today administers $55 billion in assets and over 200 investment vehicles from 5 offices across the globe. Each office is led by senior executives with in-house experience working for private equity, venture capital, or private debt funds. This unique model gives Petra’s clients a competitive advantage as the firm’s services align with what investment firms need most.
Mr. Winters was most recently Partner, General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer at Denham. In his role at Denham since 2007, Mr. Winters was responsible for all legal and compliance matters affecting the firm, its funds, and its portfolio companies, and along with Mr. Collins, led the organization and growth of the firm's highly regarded back-office team. Mr. Winters shares, “Having known Stephen for over a decade, I am excited to join him and Peter and work with their well-respected team that focuses relentlessly on delivering bespoke client-focused solutions to private equity firms.”
“I am thrilled to welcome John, Paul, and other Denham employees to Petra,” commented Peter Haskopoulos, Managing Partner. “The team joining Petra is well-versed in all aspects of global fund accounting, operations, legal, and compliance. We are excited to leverage their expertise gained through their long tenure at Denham to service other private equity firms in the Boston area and other markets.”
