Former Salomon Smith Barney and Deutsche Bank veterans expand Cogent Partners team and open firm's New York office.

Cogent Partners, a specialized private equity investment bank, today formally announced the appointment of two Managing Directors -- William Murphy and Patrick Shattenkirk. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Shattenkirk, who together bring more than 40 years of investment banking and alternative asset expertise, will open and manage Cogents New York office and will be primarily responsible for advising clients on liquidity solutions for large private equity portfolios and structuring and executing transactions.

Cogent Partners, a specialized private equity investment bank, today formally announced the appointment of two Managing Directors -- William Murphy and Patrick Shattenkirk. Mr. Murphy and Mr. Shattenkirk, who together bring more than 40 years of investment banking and alternative asset expertise, will open and manage Cogents New York office and will be primarily responsible for advising clients on liquidity solutions for large private equity portfolios and structuring and executing transactions.

Cogent Partners provides sophisticated advisory and investment banking services and has developed the most innovative solutions and approaches to helping institutional investors optimize their alternative asset portfolios," Shattenkirk said. The firms track record and dedication to its clients have earned it a reputation for providing the industrys premium transaction services and expert advice, and I look forward to building on the firms success," added Murphy.

Mr. Murphy joins Cogent from Salomon Smith Barney, where he held various senior positions in the firms Private Equity and Real Estate groups. At Salomon, Bill led private equity new product development and provided liquidity solutions to investors through the securitization and secondary sale of private equity portfolios. During his tenure, he led sell-side advisory assignments and real estate transactions with a combined value in excess of $12.6 billion. Bill earned an MBA from the Columbia Business School and a BA from the University of Pennsylvania.

Bill is a leader and innovator in developing alternative liquidity solutions for institutional private equity investors. Adding a professional with Bills depth of industry insight and transaction experience to our team enhances our ability to provide clients with unique solutions," said Cogent Partners Managing Director Scott Myers.

Pat Shattenkirk was formerly a Director of Deutsche Banks Private Equity group where he was responsible for serving key institutional investor relationships as well as providing private equity intelligence to limited and general partners. Pat received an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and an AB from Brown University.

Pat has an exceptionally in-depth understanding of the needs and issues facing todays institutional marketplace that will help us better serve our clients and expand our relationships with non-traditional buyers of private equity secondary interests," said Stephen Sloan, a Managing Director at Cogent. We are delighted to have Pat and Bill as part of the Cogent team and to have them join our efforts to best serve and advise our institutional clients."

About Cogent Partners

Cogent Partners is a private equity investment bank that specializes in private equity secondary transactions and related products for tax-exempt organizations, financial institutions, corporations and family offices. Among its services, Cogent provides advisory and transaction expertise during private equity secondary and securitized transactions. The firm is headquartered in Dallas, TX, with offices in New York, London and Tokyo. For more information about Cogent Partners and the private equity secondary market, please visit www.cogent-partners.com.