Russell Read, chief investment officer at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, has quit the pension fund after less than two years in the job.

Former BVCA chief executive Peter Linthwaite has joined CT Investment Partners as managing partner.

LGV Capital chief executive Adrian Johnson is to leave the firm.

Kenneth Mehlman has been appointed managing director and head of global affairs at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

Robin Henshall is to head European Islamic Investment Bank’s new private equity and corporate advisory team in London.

Veteran investment banker David Verey has left the Blackstone Group, which he joined in 2003 as a senior adviser in Europe.

The Blackstone Group has appointed Kemal Kaya as a senior adviser in the firm’s Turkey office.

Octopus Ventures has appointed Alliott Cole as an investment manager.

Partners Group has opened an office in Luxembourg to be headed by Jerry Ludig.

BNP Paribas Private Equity has appointed Daphné Dussauge as head of corporate development.

Butler Capital Partners has appointed two new directors to its team.

TowerBrook Capital Partners has recruited John Sinik as a managing director in London.

Lovells’ Italian head of private equity is poised to leave the firm to join Simmons & Simmons in Milan.

Randy Parker has been appointed as a principal at HarbourVest Partners.

Private Advisors has appointed three managing directors to its London office.

Glitnir Total Capital has expanded its London team with the appointments of Paul Brown and Emily Bushby as investment managers.

Lorne Somerville has joined CVC Capital Partners’ London office as head of the firm’s TMT investment activities.

Tony Horspool has joined Weil Gotshal & Manges as a partner in the global restructuring group.

Kevin Dunn has been appointed as 3i’s general counsel and company secretary, following Tony Brierley’s retirement.

Wanching Ang, chief executive of Allianz Private Equity Partners, has resigned from
her position at the firm

HIG Capital has made two turnaround appointments to its recently formed European team.

Vestar Capital Partners has expanded its presence in Europe, opening an office in Germany.

Gresham Private Equity has appointed James Slipper as a partner in its investment team.

DLA Piper’s joint head of private equity is leaving the firm to head Hill Dickinson’s Manchester corporate practice.

Morgan Stanley has recruited Michael Hehn and Eric Fry as managing directors of Morgan Stanley Private Equity,

Sara Halbard, senior fund manager at Intermediate Capital Group’s fund management subsidiary ICML, is to retire from the firm in June 2008.

Foresight Group has appointed Russell Healey and James Livingston as portfolio managers.

Purvi Sapre has joined Octopus Investments’ private equity team as an investment manager.

Baird Capital Partners Europe has promoted Andrew Ferguson to managing director, Dennis Hall to director and Simon Coote to manager.

SVG Advisers has appointed two directors to its London team.

Panu Routila is to succeed Jan Inborr as president and chief executive of Ahlström Capital.

New Venture Partners has recruited David Tennenhouse to head its new Silicon Valley
office.

Pantheon has recruited Dennis McCrary as a partner in its global investment team.

Tim Bunting (pictured), a former vice-chairman of Goldman Sachs, has joined Balderton Capital as a partner.

The BVCA has appointed Simon Walker as its new chief executive with effect from the beginning of November.

SVG Advisors has recruited three new members to its private equity fund selection team.

Duke Street Capital has appointed Thierry Paternot as operating partner in its Paris office.

Sovereign Capital has recruited Tim Whittard from Gresham

HgCapital has made two appointments and two promotions to its renewable energy team.

Livingstone Partners has promoted Alex Sheffield, Richard Fetterman and Phillip McCreanor to partners.

Gerrit Zalm, former deputy prime minister and minister of finance in the Netherlands, is joining Permira as an adviser.

After 15 years as head of investor relations at ECI, Janet Brooks has left the firm to join placement agent Monument Group’s London office

AIG Capital Partners has appointed Serkan Elden as managing director in charge of the firm’s activities in Turkey and the surrounding areas.

Norwegian energy investor HitecVision has recruited Atle Eide as a partner based in its Stavanger office.

Simon Palley has resigned from BC Partners and will leave the firm at the end of September.

Riverstone Holdings has appointed BP veteran Ralph Alexander as a managing director at the firm’s New York office.

David Marchick will join The Carlyle Group as a managing director and global head of regulatory affairs based in the Washington DC office.

Lord Browne, the former chief executive of BP, has taken up a permanent role at specialist US energy investor Riverstone Holdings.

3i’s co-head of Asia, Jamie Paton, has resigned after 20 years at the firm.

3i has also strengthened its healthcare team with the appointment of Peter Chambré as industrialist in residence.

Maurice Moses has joined AlixPartners from Alvarez & Marsal.

BerchWood Partners has recruited Robert Moreland as director

Stephen Aulsebrook is to become the new chief executive at Close Brothers Corporate Finance

The Blackstone Group has hired Goldman Sachs media relations veteran Peter Rose

The Carlyle Group has launched a team in Central and Eastern Europe

Conor Venture Partners has recruited Jari Mieskonen.

Lars Eriksson has joined Riverside and will be based in Stockholm.

Helmut Schühsler (pictured), managing partner of TVM Capital, has been elected as chairman of EVCA.

NBGI Private Equity has recruited former Octopus Asset Managers director Joseph Bergin as a director.

E-Synergy has recruited Sam Richardson as an investment director.

Peter Linthwaite has resigned as chief executive of the BVCA with immediate effect.

Activa Capital has recruited Julien Di Marco as an investment analyst.

A group of Valencia-based businessmen have launched a €40m private equity fund, Tandem Capital Gestión.

Geneva-based asset manager Unigestion has appointed Paul Verhoeven to manage its new Munich office.

Gamma Capital Partners has recruited Horst Gaisbauer as a senior associate and investment manager at its Vienna office.

The Carlyle Group is to set up a financial institutions group to invest in banking, insurance and other financial services sectors.

Inveni Capital has raised more than €20m for the first close of its debut fund, which will make life sciences investments in northern and central Europe.