Prior to joining Altamont, Joe was the Managing Director of Corporate Development and Strategy at Orchid Underwriters, a specialty property insurance managing general agent and previously was the President of the Commercial Division of Atlas General. Joe spent the first decade of his career in reinsurance underwriting and brokerage.

Commenting on his new role, Joe stated “I was particularly drawn both to Altamont’s deep commitment to investing in the insurance space, as well as their uniquely long-term orientation. I’m looking forward to bringing my many years of operational experience at underwriters and distributors into play both in vetting potential new investments and working with existing portfolio companies.”

Sam Gaynor, a Principal at Altamont, added “with our existing investments in Accelerant Holdings, Embark General, Kuvare Holdings, and, pending regulatory approval, Topa Insurance Group, we have a broad franchise in insurance – across carriers and services entities, life and annuity, and property and casualty – that will undoubtedly benefit from Joe’s skillset. We are looking forward to working with him to both scale our existing investments and develop new platforms.”

Keoni Schwartz, a co-founder and Managing Director of Altamont, elaborated further that “we founded Altamont around the premise of generating superior returns through a combination of deep industry expertise and by driving operational improvements at our portfolio companies – Joe’s addition expands our capabilities on both fronts, and we are thrilled to have him join the team.”

Inclusive of Topa, Altamont has completed 6 platform insurance-related acquisitions since inception and, inclusive of add-on acquisitions to those platforms, 18 overall.

ABOUT ALTAMONT CAPITAL PARTNERS

Altamont Capital Partners is a private investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area with more than $2.5 billion of assets under management. Altamont is focused on investing in middle market businesses where it can partner with leading management teams to help its portfolio companies reach their full potential. The firm’s principals have significant experience building business success stories across a range of industries, including healthcare, consumer/retail, industrials, and financial services. Along with McLarens Global, Celestite Holdings, Embark General, Kuvare Holdings, and Accelerant Holdings, Altamont recently signed definitive documentation to acquire Topa Insurance Group, an AM Best A- rated carrier based in Calabasas, CA.