Who We Are

Ashish is founding partner and managing director of PierCap Partners. He has dedicated over 15 years of his professional career as an investment banker in New York and California, with another five years as an industrial business owner. As a generalist, he has advised dozens of middle-market family-owned businesses, entrepreneurs, private and public companies, multinational corporations, ESOPs and management groups by providing independent advice on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, recapitalizations, capital raising, and strategic assessments.

Ashish started his career in 1992 as an owner and manufacturer of texturized dyed yarn. After an acquisition and many years invested in building the company, he successfully sold his business to a strategic public acquirer. Subsequently, Ashish moved to New York and joined McFarland Dewey & Co, a boutique middle-market investment bank, to start his Wall Street career as an M&A adviser. Thereafter he joined Stout Risius Ross, Inc., a global middle-market investment bank, in their New York office. Over the years, Ashish has held various positions where he led the executions of the firm’s investment banking transactions and supported the business development and marketing activities.

Ashish’s experience encompasses a wide range of industries including industrial and distribution, automotive, specialty materials, healthcare and pharmaceutical, electrical, publishing, packaging, textile, engineered products, education, and technology.

Education

• Master of Business Administration, Banking & Finance, Case Western Reserve University
• Master & Bachelor of Commerce, Banking & Finance/Accounting, Sydenham College of Commerce & Economics

Registration and Affiliations

• Series 7 – General Securities Representative & Series 63 – Uniform Securities Agent State Law
• Registered Representative of IIB Corp., Member FINRA SIPC

Zaheer is founding partner and managing director of PierCap Partners.

In various functional leadership roles over 15 years, Zaheer has supported multiple private equity and corporate acquisitions in excess of $1 billion in transaction value. He has also led technology due diligence and integration efforts, most recently, for a large scale acquisition that resulted in the consolidation of three business units, impacting operations with more than $10 billion in revenues and 800 team members.

Prior to founding PierCap Partners, Zaheer worked at Direct Energy, the nation’s largest energy retailer based in Texas. He has also worked for Denali Partners, a private equity firm based in Minnesota.

With direct experience heading functional areas in strategy, digital marketing, operations, technology, and investment research, Zaheer truly understands how businesses operate, what it takes to achieve growth ambitions while balancing people related implications, and subsequently becoming a catalyst for change. A hallmark of Zaheer’s leadership experience has also been enabling teams to anticipate issues upfront and also highlighting the right times to take action.

Over the last decade, Zaheer has developed deep experience in the energy marketplace, digital marketing technologies to personalize customer experience, decision science capabilities to inform Best-Next-Action and starting up many entrepreneurial initiatives from within a dynamic, corporate environment.

The unique combination of skills and experience provide Zaheer the means to guide business owners in their quest to grow via acquisitions or best position their business for sale to meet personal needs.

Education

• Master of Business Administration, Ohio University
• Master of Arts in Financial Economics, Ohio University
• Masterclass in Digital Leadership, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Registration and Affiliations

• Series 79 – Investment Banking Representative; Series 63 – Uniform Securities Agent State Law
• Registered Representative of IIB Corp., Member FINRA SIPC

Alan’s experience covers a range of investment banking activities including general corporate advisory work on financial strategies, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, public and private financings, venture capital, project financings, tax shelters, securities analysis, and corporate restructurings. He is presently a Director of Excellon Resources, Inc. and has been former Director of Placer Dome, Inc., Foxboro Company, Masonite International Corporation. His civic activities included several decades of service as a Trustee of the Children’s Aid Society of New York City and of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He also served as a founding Director of the World Resource Institute in Washington, DC. In addition, he served as a Chapter Member and Investment Committee Chairman of the Washington National Cathedral. Alan also serves as President of Trustees of St. Andrew’s Dune Church, Southampton, NY and as Trustee of the United States Naval Academy Foundation.

Experience

• Associate, U.S. Court of Appeals for 3rd Circuit
• Drinker Biddle & Reath, general corporate, tax and securities law
• Vice President, Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette
• Managing Director, Lehman Brothers, Lehman Brothers Kuhn Loeb
• General Partner, Lazard Frères & Co.
• Managing Member, McFarland Dewey Company

Education

• L.L.B. Yale Law School
• B.A. Yale College

In addition to his senior advisory role with PierCap Partners, Drummond is president of DCBIII Associates, LLC, a business consulting group, senior advisor (and former CEO) of SafeRide, LLC, and serves as board member of Nanolumens Inc., a digital LED display company. He is also a trustee of The Taft School, board member of ReadWorks.org (NYC), on the advisory board of The Animation Project, board member of NUSEA (National Urban Squash and Education Association),a board member of WineDirect.com, as well as a venture partner at Private Equity Investors.

Previously, Drummond was managing director of FIL Partners, Inc., owners of trademarks, trade names and engineering properties of Fruehauf Trailer International, Director and Chief Executive Officer of Gamewear Team Sports. He was a partner of McFarland Dewey and past director of Dynamic Metal Forming, SDC International, Tubular Corporation of America, The Slater Companies and General Trailers, Ltd. (the largest tractor trailer producer in Europe). Drummond held various leadership positions at USX Corporation (U.S. Steel), Mosbacher-Jacobs Properties Inc., KCS Industries, Inc. (buyout firm that owned Terex, Koehring Cranes and Fruehauf Trailer Corporation), and Fruehauf Trailer. Drummond is a past chairman of the board of Clearpool Inc., a public/private educational program in New York’s inner-city. Throughout his career, Drummond has focused on transportation, manufacturing and real estate operations, as well as restructuring businesses.

Drummond has served on the board of The Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Family House and the Arthritis Foundation of Western Pennsylvania, where he received their Distinguished Service Award, Fairfield Country Day School and WIBO (Workshop in Business Opportunities), an organization that trains entrepreneurs in starting and expanding businesses. He is also a past member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Drummond has received Woodfield Award for distinguished service from Family Services Woodfield (which is a member of The Alliance for Children and Families), and is an elected life trustee of the organization. Drummond has also received the SEO (Sponsors for Educational Opportunities) Award for his embodiment of the professional and philanthropic values of the organization. Drummond is an honoree at National Philanthropy Day for commitment, compassion and spirit of volunteerism. Additionally, Drummond received The Citation of Merit from The Taft School.

Education

• Graduate of The Taft School and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School