Custar’s next stand – exclusive

Credit Suisse‘s former global head of secondaries advisory has emerged at Jefferies fund placement group spin-out M2O Private Fund Advisors, Secondaries Investor has learned.

Mike Custar, who left the investment bank’s secondaries unit in January, has joined the White Plains, New York-based boutique placement agent, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

It is unclear whether Custar will focus on fundraising or secondaries.

M2O, which stands for “Made to Order”, provides tailored advisory and capital raising services to private investment managers, according to its website. Formed by three executives who spun out from Jefferies’ fund placement group in 2012, the firm’s team members have raised more than $20 billion over the past decade across more than 40 general partners.

Funds that M2O has helped place include Parthenon Capital Partners V, MVM Life Sciences Partners’ 2013-vintage fund and Comvest Investment Partners V, according to its website.

Custar, who spent 13 years at Credit Suisse’s private fund group, stepped down in January to pursue personal interests, according to an internal bank memo seen by Secondaries Investor.

He was succeeded by Mark McDonald, who took over as the bank’s global head of secondaries advisory in February. McDonald is moving back to the buyside and will be joining Deutsche Bank Asset Management later this month to rebuild its secondaries business after the investment bank’s team spun out in August.

M2O declined to comment. Custar did not return a request for comment.