Affinity recruits Australia head, re-hires executive from Quadrant

Speer joined Riverside in 2014 and rose through the ranks to become a managing partner alongside Simon Feiglin, the longstanding incumbent. He previously spent nearly a decade at Catalyst Investment Managers, exiting around the time two of the founders stepped back and the firm decided against raising a fund.

Based in Sydney, Speer will lead Affinity's eight-strong Australia and New Zealand team. He succeeds Sam Johnson, who took on the role in 2020 following the departure of Brett Sutton. Johnson left the firm towards the end of last year after 17 years of service, according to a source close to the situation.

Chudek began his private equity career with Affinity in 2013 and participated in investments such as Velocity Frequent Flyer, healthcare software provider MedicalDirector, and deli meats business Primo Group. He also played a role in deals outside of Australia such as Hong Kong-headquartered garment label manufacturer Trimco Group and recruitment platform JobKorea.

Chudek moved to Quadrant in 2021 as a director under the firm’s flagship buyout strategy. He led the acquisition of a majority stake in Aidacare, a healthcare equipment distributor, and was involved in add-on acquisitions for several Quadrant portfolio companies.

Affinity currently has one active investment in Australia and New Zealand – debt and trade finance provider Scottish Pacific, which it acquired in 2018. The firm’s most recent exit in that market is MedicalDirector, which was sold to Telstra Health in 2021.

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• Topics
• Australasia
• People
• GPs
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Appointments
• Affinity Equity Partners
• The Riverside Company
• Quadrant Private Equity