Adams Street hires another Coller executive

Coller Capital executive Pinal Nicum will soon leave the firm to help build up Adams Street Partners’ secondaries operations in Europe.

Nicum joined Coller in 2001 when it was investing its third fund and has focused on transactions in Europe, India and the Middle East. He has worked on deals including the purchase of portfolios from Abbey National and Deutsche Bank, as well as India’s first two secondary transactions, which were done along with ICICI Venture and ILF&S Investment Managers, according to Coller’s website.

A source close to the situation said Nicum’s departure was amicable, brought about by a desire for fresh challenges at a firm building out its secondary practice.

Nicum will in February join four other secondaries-focused partners at Adams Street. Former Coller colleague Gregory Holden is also based in London, having left Coller for Adams Street in 2006, while the other three are located at Adams Street’s Chicago headquarters.

Adams Street raised its first dedicated secondaries fund in 1988, since which it has closed more than 100 secondary deals, according to its website.

This year it closed its Adams Street Global Opportunities Secondary Fund II with $730 million in commitments, according to an interview with partner Jeff Akers published in August by the Illinois Venture Capital Association. In total, the firm has $3.4 billion of secondary assets under management, Akers said.