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Kara Partners
Partner Profiles
Rajiv Ramchandran
CEO & Chairman
Rajiv Ramchandran is the CEO and Chairman at Kara Partners LLC fa boutique advisory firm focused on driving business strategy and deal structuring for cross-border capital investment in Energy (Oil & Gas, Renewables), Infrastructure, Software, Real Estate and Life Sciences sectors. The firm maintains a network of partnerships spanning Financial Advisors, PE bankers, Wealth Advisors and Business Owners worldwide through personal connects and prior working relationships.
Mr. Ramchandran has played senior executive roles for Fortune 500 firms and led international operations across US, India, Mexico and Brazil. He has over 30 years of business leadership and expertise in M&A, corporate finance, strategic leadership, organizational change management, business development, and global operations, and has gained success as a management consultant, corporate executive, startup mentor, and business advisor.
Mr. Ramchandran is also a co-founder of global advisory firms in areas of healthcare, real estate, sports, media & entertainment, software and oil & gas, and has sourced deals ranging from $500k to over $10B for funding targets in US, LATAM, Africa and Asia.
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Mr. Ramchandran is currently the Head of Asset Monetization operations for the Zangari Family Office for in-ground assets ranging from $300M to $1Trillion in valuation. Previously, Mr. Ramchandran was the Regional Director for Rainwater Business Advisers where he drove sell-side and buy-side M&A Advisory for the lower middle market firms, and a Partner at ONE to ONE Corporate Finance, a international M&A Advisory firm focused on global cross-border transactions for the middle market.
Rajiv has an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and Master’s degrees in Computer Science and Space Sciences from the Florida Institute of Technology. He has varied interests ranging from astronomy to leading book discussions, ancient history, and music. He currently resides in Spring, Texas.​
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Doug Young
Managing Director, US
Since 2005, Mr. Young has owned and operated the Business Owners Network, LLC, a Texas limited Liability corporation which has successfully placed over $800 million in private equity for project financing, working capital, and capital expenditures in companies with revenues ranging between $2 million-200 million.
Prior to starting the Business Owners Network, LLC, Mr. Young was an investment advisor and financial planner to some of the largest medical foundations in Texas. He was responsible for advising and investing over $500 million in assets for foundations, trusts, and family portfolios.
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Over the past 35 years, Mr. Young has worked in the financial services industry as a financial consultant to business owners, private foundations, and corporate executives. Mr. Young has co-founded several private corporations in the chemical manufacturing, agricultural, and environmental clean-up industries. Mr. Young has actively participated in the management process as a board member, investor, and consultant.
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Mr. Young is a Certified Financial Planner Licensee and holds series 7 and 63 securities licenses. He received a BBA degree from the University of Texas, at Austin, and has advanced certifications in the areas of financial markets analysis and portfolio strategies.
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Mr. Young currently resides in Spring, Texas. He has three grown children and lives with his wife of 49 years; he served his country in Vietnam, and attained the rank of Captain.
Phyllis Koessler-Collins
Managing Director, Europe
Phyllis. Koessler-Collins has been appointed Managing Director for Switzerland for Kara Partners where she will setup and manage the European HQ in Lausanne, Switzerland and spearhead regional operations for cross-border investment, partnerships and alliances, and UHNWI client relations.
Previously, Ms. Koessler-Collins played the role of Chief Operating Officer at Luxury Capital Partners where she was responsible for overseeing contract negotiations, global investments in real assets, and facilitating joint venture development projects. Subsequently, Ms. Koessler-Collins was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors at Loyal Capital Partners (LCP Group Holding), where she oversaw three subsidiary companies: all part of LCP Group Holding formerly known as Luxury Capital Partners LLC. In addition to her responsibilities, Ms. Koessler-Collins has been requested to assume the role of Chief Marketing Officer for La Maison Shield within the group.
Ms. Koessler-Collins’s extensive professional experience includes roles such as Director Global Sales & Business Development for Fairquote Travel Cooperative in Geneva, Vice President Asia Pacific & Middle East for RADIUS Global Travel Company in Washington, D.C., and Director Regional Sales & Marketing Asia Pacific for Atraxis S.A., a subsidiary of the former Swissair Group. Additionally, she served as General Manager Quality & Operation Standards Asia Pacific for Rosenbluth International in the United States.
Prior to her current position, Ms. Koessler-Collins held roles as Marketing Manager for Air China, Gulf Air Central Europe, Emirates Airlines in Switzerland and Germany, Ansett New Zealand Airlines, and Westpac Bank Travel in New Zealand. She is also a cross-cultural corporate trainer and facilitator and has been invited as a guest speaker at various international conferences and professional seminars. Notably, she holds the distinction of being the first Swiss female national to receive an MBA from the University of Hull in the United Kingdom.
Ms. Koessler-Collins is a citizen of both Switzerland and New Zealand and possesses a comprehensive linguistic proficiency in English, German, Mandarin, and several Chinese dialects, Malay, and Japanese (only written Japanese). She also enjoys traveling, gourmet cooking, entertaining at home, reading, painting, mountain climbing, and listening to music.