Vestar Promotes Stephens, Funk, Williams
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – February 6, 2017 – Vestar Capital Partners today announced the promotions of John Stephens to co-head of the firm’s Business Services
and Industrial Products Group, Ben Funk to vice president, and Jonathan Williams to senior associate.
John Stephens
“John has brought insightful thinking and outstanding execution to the Business Services and Industrial Products Group,” said Rob Rosner, co-president of Vestar and a founding partner of the firm as well as head of the Business Services and Industrial Products Group. “His promotion to co-head of the Group is a recognition of the value he has delivered to Vestar and our investors.”
Nearly half of Vestar’s investments over time have been in the Business Services and Industrial Products sectors, including business services companies such as Institutional Shareholder Services, Presence Marketing, and Duff & Phelps; industrial and commercial products companies such as Mobile Technologies, Argo-Tech, Prestone, AZ Electronic Materials, and Wabtec; and financial services companies such as Triton and Wilton Re.
John Stephens, a managing director of the firm, joined Vestar in 2006. He has been a member of the Business Services and Industrial Products Group for several years and has also served in Vestar’s Consumer group. He is a director of Mobile Technologies, Presence Marketing, Roland Foods, and St. John Knits, and was previously on the board of Consolidated Container. John also serves as an Investment Committee member of the Colorado Impact Fund and BIGR Ventures. Before joining Vestar, he was a member of the Leveraged Finance Group at Wachovia Securities and also worked at L.E.K. Consulting.
He holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Middlebury College, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society.
Ben Funk
"Ben has shown outstanding performance, diligence, and promise since he joined our firm,” said Brian O’Connor, managing director and co-head of the Consumer Group.
“Attracting and developing talent has always been a hallmark of Vestar and we consider Ben to be a fine example of the depth of our bench and the strength of our teams at every level.”
Ben Funk, most recently a senior associate at Vestar, joined the firm in 2012 as an associate. Previously he was an analyst at Perella Weinberg Partners, where he focused
on a wide range of M&A and restructuring transactions.
He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California with a B.S. degree in Business Administration.
Jonathan Williams
“Since joining Vestar, Jonathan has made a tremendous contribution to the firm and distinguished himself with his energy and dedication,” said Ken O'Keefe, managing
director and COO of Vestar. “He excels as a member of several Vestar teams and provides essential support for the firm’s initiatives. We congratulate him on his welldeserved promotion.”
Jonathan Williams joined Vestar in 2014 as an associate in the New York office. Prior to Vestar, Jonathan was an analyst at Moelis & Company, where he executed a number of M&A and restructuring transactions across a variety of sectors, including healthcare, telecommunications, and consumer/retail.
Jonathan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History.
