AXON taps ex-Aberdeen head to boost secondaries origination

AXON Partners is looking to ramp up its secondaries deal origination with the appointment of Aberdeen Standard Investments’ former head of primary funds Europe.

William Gilmore, who joins the Swiss advisory firm’s UK office as partner and head of origination, was brought in to bolster its placement agent capabilities and originate new secondary transactions, according to a statement.

Gilmore spent 18 years at Aberdeen, where he led an eight-strong team responsible for sourcing, executing and monitoring investments in European private equity funds. He previously spent 10 years investing directly in UK lower mid-market buyout and growth capital transactions at Glasgow fund manager Murray Johnstone.

Gilmore is AXON’s second hire this month after the appointment of Vincent de Boursetty as principal at its Zug office. De Boursetty, a former corporate finance advisor, will focus on fund placement and secondaries advisory in the French private equity market.

Since its formation in 2003, Axon Partners has been involved in more than 30 private fundraises and advised on secondaries transactions worth more than €3.5 billion, according to the statement. The firm has offices in Zug and London.