Latest news with #Clearlake
Bloomberg
03-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
New World Is a Reminder China's Real Estate Crisis Isn't Over
Welcome to The Brink. It's Trista Xinyi Luo and Pearl Liu, reporters in Hong Kong, where we've been looking at the latest property trouble in Greater China. We also have the latest on Clearlake's Quest Software, Thames Water and Rivian. Follow this link to subscribe. Send us feedback and tips at debtnews@ Greater China's property crisis is back in the spotlight after New World Development 's decision to defer some dollar perpetual bond interest payments rattled global credit investors and reignited concerns about the region's drawn-out real estate crunch.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Zywave Names Software Leaders Christy Dinges as Chief People Officer and Justin Regenwether as Chief Customer Officer
MILWAUKEE, June 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zywave (or the "Company"), a SaaS insurtech provider, announced today that the Company has strengthened its executive leadership team with the addition of Christy Dinges as Chief People Officer and Justin Regenwether as Chief Customer Officer. Zywave is backed by Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Clearlake") and Aurora Capital Partners ("Aurora"). "We are thrilled to welcome Christy and Justin to Zywave's executive leadership team," said Martin Simoncic, Chief Executive Officer of Zywave. "Christy's expertise lies in navigating complex, multi-site, and global environments, delivering impactful results in talent acquisition, organizational development, change management, and workforce strategy. Her experience will be valuable as Zywave enters its next phase of growth. Justin's diverse experience gives him a deep understanding of how insurance organizations can drive organic growth and get the most value from their insurtech SaaS solutions. He will directly benefit our customers by helping them transform their capabilities and amplify impact to move their businesses forward." Dinges, who will oversee all human resource functions at Zywave, brings a wealth of experience aligning human capital strategies with business goals spanning the software, technology, retail, and manufacturing industries. Previously, she led the people functions at Roque Wave Software, Integrate, and Perforce Software. Regenwether will head the Company's customer success, professional services, and support groups. His well-rounded career includes experience in management consulting, product development, customer support and service, and go-to-market leadership. He most recently held both product-focused and customer-centric leadership roles at Vertafore. In addition to his leadership positions in insurtech, Regenwether was previously an executive at NGDATA, BryterCX, Accenture, and Deloitte. "We look forward to partnering with Christy and Justin to further accelerate the growth of the business," said Prashant Mehrotra, Partner and Managing Director, and Erik Hansen, Principal, at Clearlake. "We believe that the addition of Christy's experience in human capital management and Justin's experience driving better SaaS customer outcomes will help support Zywave in executing its strategic plan with a focus on providing innovative, AI-enabled software solutions to current and future customers." "Exceptional leadership with unparalleled domain expertise has been a hallmark of Zywave's success for many years, and we are thrilled to have Justin and Christy join Zywave for its next chapter of growth," said Josh Klinefelter, Partner at Aurora. "Zywave continues to invest on behalf of its valued customers and loyal employees, and we look forward to the near-term positive impacts Justin and Christy will each have on the organization." To learn more about Zywave's leadership team, visit About Zywave Zywave empowers insurers and brokers to drive profitable growth and thrive in today's escalating risk landscape. Only Zywave delivers a powerful Performance Multiplier, bringing together transformative, ecosystem-wide capabilities to amplify impact across data, processes, people, and customer experiences. More than 15,000 insurers, MGAs, agencies, and brokerages trust Zywave to sharpen risk assessment, strengthen client relationships, and enhance operations. Additional information can be found at About ClearlakeClearlake is an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with experienced management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to dynamic businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S.®. The firm's core private equity target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has over $90 billion of assets under management, its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 400 investments, and the firm has deployed over $57 billion in liquid and illiquid credit investments globally. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, with affiliates in Dallas, TX, London, UK, Dublin, Ireland, Luxembourg, Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Singapore. More information is available at About AuroraAurora Capital Partners is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm with $6 billion in assets under management. Founded in 1991, the firm seeks to invest in middle-market companies with leading market positions, stable industry dynamics, attractive business model characteristics, and actionable opportunities for growth in partnership with management. For more information about Aurora Capital Partners, visit: Contact: April View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zywave
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Chelsea squad's mega jackpot for making the Champions League, what club insiders really thought of Enzo Maresca's 'eff off' outburst and Mykhailo Mudryk reveals why he came out of hiding in Wroclaw
Chelsea 's players have enjoyed a lucrative week, with almost all of them triggering automatic pay rises in their contracts thanks to securing Champions League football. Some salaries have been bumped up by as much as by 20 per cent, Confidential has learned, as Clearlake favour issuing deals with incentives based on success.
New York Times
26-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside Chelsea's Champions League qualification: Maresca's speech, ignoring results elsewhere & training standards
The Chelsea players were in the mood to celebrate qualifying for the Champions League in the away dressing room at Nottingham Forest when head coach Enzo Maresca decided to interrupt them briefly with a little speech. Like his press conference, which followed soon after, where he said the critics can now 'F-off', Maresca's tone was defiant. Sources speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships, like all of those spoken to for this article, spoke about how the Italian stressed to the excited group in front of him that after a campaign where they had been written off for being too young and inexperienced, they had proven a point. This had nothing to do with the age of footballers, but having the right mentality, quality and being tough. Advertisement Chelsea's pressurised 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest on the final day secured fourth spot — their highest placing since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over in 2022. They finished 15 points behind champions Liverpool — Chelsea's smallest gap to first since they last won the Premier League in 2017. But Maresca was keen to stress that even if they had fallen short against Nottingham Forest and results elsewhere meant they ended up outside the top five, his view on the season would have been the same. Significant progress had been made, and the players' efforts should be acknowledged. Maresca promised them he would now say something similar to the press. After staying more than true to his word during his media duties, Maresca was seen heading toward the team coach with a big smile on his face and sucking on a yellow lollipop. His first league season in charge at Stamford Bridge has not always gone smoothly, but it certainly had a sweet ending. A month after being appointed Maurico Pochettino's successor, Maresca sat down with reporters on the club's pre-season tour of the United States. He joked about singing to his players every night and revealed his favourite brand of cigar. This was a relaxed, open version of Maresca that has scarcely been seen since. He watched all 38 league games of Pochettino's tenure over the summer to get a better sense of the team he was inheriting, but this has still felt like a voyage of discovery. Look back at Chelsea's starting line-up to face Manchester City on the Premier League's opening weekend: Cole Palmer on the right, Christopher Nkunku on the left, with Enzo Fernandez operating as the No 10 behind Nicolas Jackson. There was no inverting into midfield from either of Maresca's starting full-backs, Marc Cucurella and Malo Gusto. Advertisement Little of it worked. City's decline was not yet clear, and even without injured Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, they cruised to a 2-0 win. Set against an underwhelming set of results in the summer friendlies across the Atlantic that was punctuated by farcical goals conceded and Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti advising Maresca to drop his defensive line, it was a mildly alarming start. A more recognisable version of Maresca's team did not emerge until the 6-2 away win over Wolves a week later, with Palmer shifting infield into the right 'pocket' to expand his attacking influence and create room outside for a true winger — on that day Noni Madueke, who scored a 14-minute hat-trick at Molineux. For much of the first half of the season Chelsea's football in this alignment was fast, fluid and fairly frequently explosive: three goals in 47 minutes away to West Ham, four in 20 first-half minutes for Palmer alone at home to Brighton, and 12 in the first week of December across three wins in a row against Aston Villa, Southampton and Tottenham — the latter of which left the youngest squad in the Premier League as the closest challengers to Arne Slot's Liverpool. Being second was more impressive within the context of off-field events. Maresca fielded uncomfortable questions throughout the final two weeks of August about a 'bomb squad' of players at Cobham deemed expendable. In mid-September, bubbling tensions at board level between co-owners Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly came into public view. Focus has been lost in less trying circumstances but, City defeat aside, Crystal Palace were the only team to take Premier League points off his side during this stretch. Yet through all the winning, Maresca cut an agitated figure on occasion. Behind the scenes, sources noticed how he was a much more intense, serious character than his predecessor. While Pochettino would go out of his way to greet every single member of staff regularly around the training ground, no matter what position they held, Maresca could be so focused on the task at hand that he appeared more aloof at times. It was not taken negatively, but just underlined one of the differences between them. Advertisement In press conferences, he warned his players against becoming embroiled in 'basketball games' full of 'quick attacks', insisted they still had many things to improve and consistently played down any talk of a surprise Premier League title challenge. Those comments exposed the first points of tension with a fanbase that sang his name and chanted 'We've got our Chelsea back' during the Southampton rout. Some of Maresca's comments to the media could lead to some confusion, although one should always remember English is not his first language. In February, he said that the club told him on taking the job that they hoped to qualify for the Champions League in his second season. Yet a week later, he insisted reaching Europe's premier competition was a target for this season. He would go on to clarify on another occasion that there was a change of plan because the club had been in the top five for most of the season. As 2024-25 reached its climax, Maresca also seemed to suggest in consecutive weeks that the club should consider signing more experienced personnel in the summer, although he stressed that the Premier League's youngest team would be better for what they have gone through in 2024-25 too. While not moaning about the club's recruitment policy, Maresca did want more people to realise the Chelsea he was working for was not the same as the one that bought older talent in the past. He said: 'For some games, we have on the bench three or four players [born in] 2006, 2007 or 2008. Do you see that? No. I see that. When [Didier] Drogba was here, and the manager changed Drogba, who was inside? Fernando Torres? Now we change Nico [Nicolas Jackson] with Ty (Tyrique George) from the academy. You see that? I see that.' But this was not a case of Maresca questioning the club's recruitment philosophy. Sources say he was very much in line with the long-term strategy, and the club regarded him as a great fit within their sporting structure. Maresca was also a strong believer that the players he was working with were growing stronger from the challenges they were facing and that would be to Chelsea's benefit going into 2025-26. Chelsea's play did slow down after Christmas. Unfortunately for Maresca, so did their results, igniting the ongoing debate about whether or not getting closer to mastering his heavily structured, choreographed possession football has actually made this team worse. Opponents also adapted, recognising that 'Marescaball' could be made sterile and vulnerable by a well-executed low block and more often setting up accordingly. A run of three wins in 12 matches between December 22 and February 22 dumped Chelsea out of the FA Cup and dropped them to sixth in the Premier League, extinguishing the loose title talk and all but exhausting their margin for error in the Champions League qualification chase. Two limp losses away to Brighton within the space of six days in February represented the nadir. Maresca riled supporters by claiming the first defeat, in the FA Cup fourth round, would allow his players to focus on their two remaining competitions; a 3-0 humiliation in the Premier League rematch left him lamenting the worst performance of his tenure. Advertisement Internally, senior figures at Chelsea drew strong lines of correlation between the team's slump in form and the onset of several key injuries in the winter. Wesley Fofana tearing his hamstring against Villa at the start of December undermined the team's ability to defend high up the pitch. Romeo Lavia's frequent unavailability made the midfield less physical and incisive. Perhaps most significant of all, losing Nicolas Jackson against West Ham on February 3 short-circuited the attack and deprived the struggling Palmer of a key target for passes. One of the caveats was how Maresca's careful management of captain Reece James following his return from injury at the start of the year meant the defender made his most appearances since 2021-22. The number of absences were also fewer than under Pochettino. Still, the issues listed above meant that beyond the individuals, familiar and productive partnerships were disrupted in every area of Maresca's team. There was sympathy for what Maresca was dealing with, and significantly, no talk within the club about Maresca's position despite the increasing scrutiny from outside Stamford Bridge. Despite going through a difficult period, it was noted that Maresca's mood or belief in his methods did not change behind the scenes. The club were convinced things would turn around too. The debilitating effect of those absences raised questions about the quality of Chelsea's recruitment. Of the eight first-team additions in the summer of 2024, only Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho established themselves as reasonably regular Premier League starters, contributing seven goals and 10 assists combined. It did not help that Mykhailo Mudryk (bought in January 2023) was provisionally suspended in December after testing positive for a banned substance. The results of a B sample, which determines what happens next, are still unknown. He has sat out the last five months. Attempts to address the two biggest needs in the squad — goalkeeper and striker — fell short. Filip Jorgensen did not do enough to permanently displace a struggling Sanchez when promoted to the starting XI in February and made one critical error, allowing Marco Asensio's 89th-minute shot to squirm under his body in a 2-1 away loss to Villa. Marc Guiu, while unfortunate that his significant injury absence overlapped with Jackson's, was only just beginning to win over Maresca when he was sidelined and had yet to really contribute in Premier League matches. Renato Veiga and Joao Felix left Stamford Bridge on loan only six months after arriving — two of a startlingly large number of Chelsea players who cast their eyes elsewhere in January. Cesare Casadei was sold to Torino while Axel Disasi joined Villa on loan. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Nkunku also considered their winter options before ultimately staying. Some people in and around the club questioned whether Maresca might have managed certain situations better, noting that none of Chelsea's top-five rivals had quite so many disaffected squad players in January. Maresca admitted to the media that the January transfer noise around certain players had been a 'disaster' for maintaining the focus of his squad. Advertisement Any suggestion of players being unhappy was deemed a reflection of what you get at most clubs when people are not starting as much as others. Others spoke glowingly about him when prompted by the media. Levi Colwill told the BBC in March how the way Maresca thinks about football 'is light years above everyone else' and that 'he is pushing me to understand football in a different way'. Maresca also liked sending a message about the need to maintain standards — for example, if someone did not impress enough in training. Noni Madueke and Nkunku were two to be omitted from a matchday squad for 'a technical decision'. In Madueke's case, it was more than once. During the downturn, Maresca called a meeting with the players and all the support staff at Cobham to emphasise how they all had the same goal of qualifying for the Champions League and each had a role to play to do so. The aim was to generate real unity across the whole camp. As part of his speech, Maresca had a message for the players, something he revealed after the event to the media. He told them: ''There are people behind (you) who you cannot see, who are working every day to help you to reach your target (of qualifying for the Champions League),'' he later revealed he had told them. When it became clear that those words had not improved the trajectory of Premier League form, everyone took greater lengths. Chelsea hired rugby league star Willie Isa from reigning Super League champions Wigan Warriors in a player support role to improve the culture at Cobham. Senior players also stepped up, initiating a frank team meeting two days after the second Brighton loss and following up with a team meal intended to bolster collective spirit. Club captain Reece James played a prominent role in arranging both, in addition to taking greater responsibility for post-match media duties on good days and bad — an encouraging response to Maresca's public challenge for him to show greater leadership. Maresca also showed more flexibility in adversity, deploying Neto up front to better effect after the failed experiment of pairing Palmer and Nkunku as dual false nines, as well as leaning more heavily into Cucurella's ability attacking the back post. Chelsea's attack continued to stutter without Jackson, but when all else failed in the final third, their diminutive left-back could often be relied upon to arrive in the box and finish. None of it particularly improved Maresca's standing with increasingly mutinous supporters, a small minority of whom protested against Clearlake and Boehly before Chelsea's 4-0 win over Southampton in February. Significantly greater numbers loudly told Maresca exactly what they thought of him as he walked across the Craven Cottage pitch trailing Fulham 1-0 at half-time in April, assailing him with chants of 'W****r'. Advertisement Maresca had stoked the fire a week earlier when he appeared to blame Chelsea fans for pressuring Sanchez into going long with a goal kick against Ipswich Town. This decision directly led to the visitors' second goal in what seemed to be a damaging 2-2 draw. Chelsea were also booed into the Conference League semi-finals after losing 2-1 at home to Legia Warsaw in the second leg of their quarter-final tie, but Maresca's strong home form — largely against bottom-half opposition — in the second half of the Premier League campaign for the most part kept the anger in the Stamford Bridge stands fizzing just beneath the surface. It was a different story away from home, where Chelsea picked up just one win and six points in total from 10 league matches on the road between December 22 and May 11 — a torrid stretch that included Maresca's team becoming the only side in the Premier League to lose to relegated Ipswich at Portman Road. Their only victory in that span, courtesy of Neto's 93rd-minute stunner against Fulham at Craven Cottage, sparked the strong finish that revived their faltering Champions League qualification challenge. It was part of a remarkable run of five wins from their last six games, which was deemed by most pundits as the toughest run-in of all the candidates battling for a Champions League spot. The task had been made even harder for the final two fixtures because they had no recognised centre forward available due to Jackson being sent off for violent conduct in the 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United. Maresca arguably saved his best until last. It was telling that the players were sent out at Nottingham Forest purely with the instruction to win the game. Sources say they were not interested in finding out what was going on in the games involving their Champions League rivals. Moments after the final whistle at Nottingham Forest, some of the Chelsea players pushed Maresca in front of the jubilant supporters in the away end so he could get their acclaim. Also on the pitch enjoying the moment were Boehly and Eghbahli, plus the four key facets of the sporting team: co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields and director of global recruitment Sam Jewell. It was a brief moment for everyone to enjoy a lot of hard work paying off. Neither Maresca nor those in the hierarchy see this as a job done. One of the last things Maresca said to his squad is that their minds now have to quickly focus on the task of beating Real Betis in the Conference League Final on Wednesday. While qualifying for the Champions League is a significant achievement, winning a first bit of silverware together is regarded by everyone as another significant step. Advertisement Chelsea sources say Maresca is an improving head coach and can only get better. He had a better return than the more experienced Pochettino managed in the league last season, most notably getting six more points and conceding 20 fewer goals with the youngest ever average starting line-up in Premier League history. Champions League football should help Chelsea get their two main transfer targets of a winger and striker. The same applies for a permanent front-of-shirt sponsor, with Chelsea in a much stronger position to demand a higher sum than was being offered before. However, Chelsea sources insist no one is getting carried away. The goal is to lift the Premier League and Champions League trophies, not get overexcited over coming fourth. There is still a lot of room for improvement to get Chelsea back to being serial winners. But crucially, there is now some tangible evidence to show to everyone they are on the right path. Maresca will certainly tell you that.
Bloomberg
06-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Clearlake Seeks to Triple Assets at Credit Unit to $100 Billion
Clearlake Capital Group is aiming to triple its credit business with the launch of a unit to help the buyout firm grab a bigger slice of the booming asset class. 'In the next five-plus years, I would love to be talking about a $75 to $100 billion platform,' Clearlake co-founder and Managing Partner José E. Feliciano said in an interview. The Santa Monica, California-based firm currently manages about $30 billion in private and liquid credit investments.
