Trilantic North America

The firm is led by Chairman Charlie Ayres and Managing Partner Chris Manning, both Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking alumni who orchestrated the 2009 spinout. Investment decisions are made by the partnership's investment committee, which draws on sector-dedicated deal teams. Ayres previously co-headed the global merchant banking division at Lehman, and Manning served as a senior partner in the same group.

Trilantic North America is the successor to Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking, the private equity arm of Lehman Brothers. When Lehman filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, the merchant banking team negotiated a management buyout of the division, closing the transaction in 2009. The firm rebranded as Trilantic Capital Partners and later split into separate North American and European entities, with Trilantic North America operating independently from its European counterpart.

Trilantic pursues buyout, growth equity, corporate divestiture, management buyout, recapitalization, and spin-off transactions. The firm writes equity checks between $50M and $300M for control positions in middle-market businesses. It is stage-agnostic but focuses on mature companies undergoing operational transitions — often founder succession events or non-core subsidiary carve-outs from larger corporations.