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Gary Fuhrman
Mr. Fuhrman is Chairman and CEO of GF Capital Management & Advisors, LLC.

Prior to founding GF Capital in 2001, Mr. Fuhrman was part of the senior management of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder, Inc. ("A&SB"), which he joined in 1984. Mr. Fuhrman was a member of the Board of Directors of A&SB and shared oversight of the corporate finance and asset management businesses.

Mr. Fuhrman is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

Erik Baker
Co-Founder and Managing Director

Mr. Baker is responsible for initiating, structuring and managing private equity investments for the GF Capital Private Equity Fund, a private equity fund sponsored by GF Capital, which is dedicated to making growth capital, recapitalization and buyout investments in the media and branded consumer products sectors. Prior to co-founding GF Capital in 2001, Mr. Baker was a Senior Vice President of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder, where he was employed in the corporate finance group in addition to working on A&SB’s corporate development activities. Prior to A&SB, Mr. Baker was employed at Gleacher & Co.

Mr. Baker is a board member of Trade Service Corporation, Jonathan Adler Enterprises, Airborne Inc., Blue Man Group and RSMG Insights.

 

Neil Shapiro
Co-Founder and Managing Director

Neil Shapiro is involved in originating, structuring, documenting and monitoring private equity investments initiated by GF Capital. He has extensive experience working with consumer products companies to grow and develop the global brands. Prior to co-founding GF Capital, Mr. Shapiro was a Vice President in the corporate finance department of Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder, Inc. structuring and closing private equity, M&A and financing transactions for multinational and domestic clients. Before joining A&SB as an equity research analyst, Mr. Shapiro was a Senior Auditor with KPMG Peat Marwick. Mr. Shapiro is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the New York State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Shapiro holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from the University of Wisconsin - Madison School of Business. and is a member of The Wisconsin Business Alumni Board of the Wisconsin School of Business.

Mr. Shapiro is a board member of Airborne, Inc. and Bite Tech, Inc.

 

Brian Anderson
Director

Mr. Anderson joined GF Capital in 2007 from Mansueto Ventures, a venture firm that owns and operates business-themed websites and monthly periodicals, where he was a Senior Vice President responsible for the firm's new venture initiatives. Prior to Mansueto Ventures, Mr. Anderson was a Vice President and Head of Business Development at CNBC, NBC's business-centric cable network. Mr. Anderson began his career as an investment banker, having the roles of Vice President in the Media and Entertainment Group at RBC Capital Markets and Associate at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette/Credit Suisse. Mr. Anderson has earned a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and a B.S. in Accounting from Indiana University.

He is a board Member of Bite Tech, Inc.

 

Christina Hull
Director

Ms. Hull joined GF Capital in 2003. Prior to joining GF Capital, Ms. Hull worked for Goldman, Sachs & Co. as an Investment Banking analyst in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group, where she focused on transactions in the retail and consumer products industry. Her transaction experience includes advising Garan in its merger with Berkshire Hathaway, initial public offerings and various other financing and strategic alternatives. Ms. Hull graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Trinity College in Connecticut.

Ms. Hull is a board member of Jonathan Adler Enterprises, LLC

 

Christopher Kim
Associate

Mr. Kim supports the day-to-day management of current GF Capital portfolio companies and evaluates prospective private equity investment opportunities. Prior to joining GF Capital, Mr. Kim worked in the Investment Banking Division at Citi, where he focused on transactions in the media and telecommunications industry. Mr. Kim received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Accounting from the New York University Stern School of Business.

 

Mike Margarite
Analyst

Mr. Margarite works in various aspects of the deal process for the GF Capital Private Equity Fund, including analysis, financial modeling and valuation of potential investments and deal structuring, as well as providing ongoing monitoring and support of the firm’s existing portfolio companies. Mr. Margarite joined GF Capital after receiving an MBA from Columbia Business School, concentrating in entrepreneurship, finance and marketing, and completing his MBA internship in Young and Rubicam’s BrandAsset Valuator group. Mr. Margarite also holds a BA with Honors from Columbia College.

 

Daniel J. Brestle
Senior Advisor

Mr. Brestle most recently served as vice chairman and president of Estee Lauder Companies Inc. North America, a position he retired from in June 2009 after spending more than 30 years in leadership positions within the Lauder organization and its family of brands. During his tenure, he held numerous positions including chief operating officer and group president of Lauder's high growth specialty brands. Prior to these positions, he was president of the Estee Lauder, Clinique and Prescriptives brands. Prior to Estee Lauder, Mr. Brestle held various positions of increasing responsibility in distribution, manufacturing and operations at Johnson & Johnson and served in the United States Air Force. Mr. Brestle has served on the board of Airborne Inc. since October 2009, Bite Tech, Inc since October 2010. He is on the board of DineEquity, Inc.

 

Alex Zubillaga
Senior Advisor

Mr. Zubillaga is Founder and Managing Partner of SPA, a venture capital firm specializing in the consumer internet space. Prior to joining SPA, Alex was Executive Vice President Digital Strategy and Business Development for Warner Music Group, where he was responsible for developing and overseeing WMG's global digital business. Through a series of ground breaking partnerships, Alex established WMG as the clear digital leader in the industry. Before joining WMG, Alex was a co-founder of Lexa Partners. In 2003, Lexa Partners led the buyout of WMG from Time Warner. From 1995 to 2000, Alex was founder and chairman of Net Uno, a leading Venezuelan cable television and telephone operator.

 

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