State of M&A Panel

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Charlie Gifford, Senior Partner, New Heritage Capital

Charlie co-founded New Heritage Capital in 2006, and has been investing private equity in founder-owned, lower middle market businesses for 25 years. Charlie leads the firm’s origination practice, focusing his efforts on generating new investment opportunities and developing and maintaining intermediary relationships.

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Nishen Radia, Founder of FocalPoint Partners, Former Co-head of M&A at B. Riley Securities

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Jason Richardson, Executive Managing Director, PGIM Private Capital

Jason Richardson is an Executive Managing Director, overseeing PGIM Private Capital’s Dallas, Mexico City*, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sydney** Global Corporate Finance offices. Prior to this role, Jason oversaw the private placement and mezzanine activity in PGIM Private Capital’s U.S. Southwestern territory (including Hawaii). Jason is also a Partner of PGIM Capital Partners, the middle-market mezzanine debt and equity fund management business sponsored by PGIM Private Capital. He joined PGIM in 2001. 

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Anant Patel, Partner, GHJ Capital (Moderator)

Anant Patel, CPA, CM&AA, is the Advisory Services Practice Leader at GHJ. Anant has over 30 years of accounting and advisory services experience, with much of his career spent in a leadership capacity. Under his purview are the practices that make up GHJ’s advisory services offerings, including client accounting and advisory services, data and analytics, forensic services, profit participation services and transaction advisory services.

In his client-facing role, Anant delivers financial due diligence services for mergers and acquisitions, assisting on buy- and sell-side deals ranging from $20 million to $1.2 billion. Anant advises privately held companies in all aspects of exit planning, preparedness and execution.

In addition, Anant works closely with private equity firms, venture capitals and institutional investors across industries, with a specialization in food and beverage, entertainment, media and technology, manufacturing, wholesale/distribution, consumer products and real estate.

Beyond his role at GHJ, Anant is the Global Capabilities Leader within HLB International, a global advisory and accounting network. He serves on the Board of Directors of Step Up on Second and was previously its Board Chairman. He is also a member of CalCPA and the AICPA. Due to his impact in the community and accounting industry, Anant has been recognized as a Los Angeles Business Journal Leader of Influence: Minority CPA and Private Equity, as well as an LA Times Banking and Finance Visionary. 

Prior to joining GHJ in 2000, Anant worked at a national accounting firm in England associated with HLB. He also previously owned and operated a number of family-owned retail grocery businesses.

Anant graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Leeds, England. He is also a CPA and Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA).

Anant and his family reside in Valencia, located in Santa Clarita. He is an avid sports fan, especially soccer and golf, and enjoys a wide variety of music.