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Weekly People Roundup: 10 August 2005

All the week's most important people stories from across the globe. Essential reading for those who need to keep up-to-date with the private equity industry's key staff moves.

Michael D Peck has joined Open Prairie Equity Partners, a Midwest-based early-stage venture capital fund headquartered in central Illinois, as a general partner. Peck comes to the partnership after serving as vice president of Investments for the Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation. He will lead the new OPE Partners office in the Kansas City area. OPE Partners will launch fundraising efforts for its second venture fund later this year.

Fred Conforti and Paul Coughlin have joined the Advisory Board of Chicago-based private equity firm WHI Capital Partners. They will focus their efforts on enhancing the firm's deal origination, investment due diligence and portfolio company oversight. Conforti is one of the founders of residential smoke detector manufacturer First Alert. Coughlin is currently a partner Grisanti, Galef & Goldress, an Atlanta-based turnaround and crisis management firm. WHI Capital Partners invests in mid-size companies with revenues of $10-100m.

The British Venture Capital Association has appointed Peter Linthwaite as its chief executive, with effect from 1 September 2005. He will succeed John Mackie who is stepping down after five years in the job. Linthwaite has been actively involved in the private equity industry for 15 years.

Prior to his appointment as chief executive he was a founding director of Royal London Private Equity, a UK mid-market private equity house. Previously Linthwaite has served as executive director of Murray Johnstone, during which time he was managing director, Murray Johnstone Asia, Singapore, from 1995 to 2001 and director, Murray Johnstone Private Equity, London, from 1990 to 1995.

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