Cogent promotes three including ex-Greenpark secondaries man

Cogent Partners has promoted former Greenpark Capital professional Dominik Woessner to the position of director in the firm’s London office.

In addition, the private equity-focused investment bank also promoted Chris Bonfield to director in the Dallas office and Briac Houtteville to vice president in London.

Woessner joined Cogent in 2007 from secondaries firm Greenpark, where he performed due diligence and analysis on secondary private equity transactions. Bonfield joined Cogent in 2007 from Bank of America, where he was involved in underwriting and monitoring debt transactions for public and private media and telecommunications clients. Houtteville joined in 2009 from Ernst & Young, where he advised private equity firms and corporate clients on finance, transaction support and restructurings.

Cogent has gone through some recent personnel changes in recent months. One of the firm’s co-founders, Scott Myers, stepped back from day-to-day activities, reducing his role to that of a senior advisor. Also, the co-heads of the firm’s research department, Katita Palamar and Bill Farrell, announced late last year they were leaving to launch an alternative assets firm.

Cogent also won some large mandates in 2011, assisting public institutions in selling off portions of their private equity portfolios. Cogent worked with New Jersey’s and North Carolina’s state pension systems in sales of their private equity holdings.

The firm was formed in 2002 by several executives from Crossroads Group, a Dallas-based private equity firm that was acquired by Lehman Brothers and now is part of Neuberger Berman. The firm was founded by Colin McGrady, Stephen Sloan and Myers, and associates Ian Charles, who is now a partner with Landmark Partners, and Brian Mooney.