Palatine Invests in the Future with Four New Promotions

We have made several promotions including the appointment of two new partners as we continue to grow and invest in our people.

James Painter and Tom Wildig, who both joined the Buyout team in Manchester 2016 have been promoted to Partners, while in the Impact team Greg Holmes has been promoted to Senior Investment Director and Connor Fazakerley has moved up to Associate in the Growth Credit team.

James Painter, a key member of our Technology team, led our investment into Bluprintx, a fast-growing global digital transformation services provider, and supported the investment into tech-driven logistics provider Fulfilmentcrowd. Over his career at Palatine, James has supported management teams at Bluprintx, Fournet and Verdant in identifying and completing strategic acquisitions to support their growth strategies and has been involved in multiple exits, including Verdant, Veincentre, and TTC.

Tom Wildig, who specialises in Business Services deals recently led the successful transformation of NRG Group, which saw the company split into two market-leading standalone businesses, NRG Riverside and Direct Tyre Management, both of which we exited in 2024, having delivered strong growth following a major investment in people, systems and sustainability activity. Tom was also heavily involved in Suntera, a corporate services provider to the financial services sector, which was recently successfully exited to Valeas Partners.

Greg Holmes joined our Impact Fund in 2020 and has played a key role in investments such as Cura Terrae, a Sheffield-based environmental services business, and Papilo, a Manchester-based total waste management solutions provider, where he has since supported the completion of six strategic acquisitions that have helped drive strong growth in both companies. Greg was awarded Private Equity Professional of the Year Award at the Insider North West Young Professionals Awards in 2024 and Changemaker at the Rainmakers 2025 Awards in recognition of the work he does at Palatine and as a trustee of Manchester Young Lives.

Gary Tipper, co-founder and Group Managing Partner at Palatine said: “Our people and culture are our greatest asset at Palatine so it’s great to see James, Tom, Greg and Connor rising through the ranks across all three fund strategies. Their promotions recognise their excellent contributions to Palatine and our faith in them as the next generation of our business.

“2025 was a milestone year for Palatine as we raised our biggest-ever Buyout fund, completed several new investments, executed multiple portfolio bolt-on deals and several successful exits. We begin 2026 with a strong investment pipeline across Buyout, Impact and Growth Credit and look forward to another successful year of working in partnership with exceptional management teams to create value and, deliver sustainable growth.

James Painter, said: “I’m delighted and proud to become a partner at Palatine after a rewarding ten-year journey with the firm. It’s been a fantastic place to develop and I’m excited about what lies ahead, working alongside ambitious management teams in high growth sectors to create value and scale.”

Tom Wildig, added: “Palatine is a great place to work – and I am really pleased to be taking this next step in my career. As an investor, it’s fantastic to work with exceptional business leaders helping them deliver growth and achieve success. The 2025 fund-raise for our Buyout Fund V was a huge vote of confidence in our approach to doing business the right way, and I’m really looking forward to continue to work with outstanding management teams in the years to come.”