The ABRY Team

The ABRY team has more than a century of collective media investing experience. This extensive industry knowledge and focus on media investing give ABRY and its portfolio companies a significant competitive advantage. ABRY's senior investment team includes:

Andrew Banks, Chairman, co-founded ABRY in 1989 with Royce Yudkoff. Prior to forming ABRY, he was a partner at Bain & Company, an international management consulting firm, where he shared responsibility for Bain's media practice with Mr. Yudkoff. Mr. Banks has served on the TELCO board of the National Association of Broadcasters, and has been a director of numerous media companies. He frequently speaks about the media industry before banking and investor groups. Mr. Banks is a graduate of Harvard Law School, a Rhodes Scholar with a Master's degree from Oxford University, and an honors graduate of the University of Florida.

Royce Yudkoff, President, co-founded ABRY in 1989 with Andrew Banks. Prior to forming ABRY, Mr. Yudkoff was a partner at Bain & Company, where he shared responsibility for the media practice with Mr. Banks. He created Information Partners, a joint venture that invests in emerging business information and media companies. Prior to that, he formed, operated and successfully sold a small market radio group that focused on acquiring underperforming radio stations in the northeast United States. Mr. Yudkoff graduated as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School, and is an honors graduate of Dartmouth College.

Peggy Koenig, Managing Partner, joined ABRY in 1993. She has been responsible for the sourcing, negotiation and oversight of numerous private equity transactions throughout the media sector, including radio broadcasting, business-to-business magazine and directory publishing, and couponing. From 1988 through 1992, Ms. Koenig was a partner and member of the board of directors of Sillerman Communications Management Corporation, a merchant bank making investments principally in the radio industry. She also has extensive media financing experience in industries including feature film production, cable television, and magazine publishing. Ms. Koenig received her MBA from the Wharton Business School, and an undergraduate degree from Cornell University.

Jay Grossman, Managing Partner, joined ABRY in 1996. He has sourced, negotiated and underwritten investments throughout the media sector, including television and radio broadcasting, cable television, rural telephone, and home communications. Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Grossman was Managing Director and co-head of the Media and Entertainment Group at Prudential Securities, Inc. Previously, he was a member of the corporate finance department of Kidder, Peabody & Company, specializing primarily in media and entertainment companies. Mr. Grossman received an MBA from Harvard Business School and is an honors graduate of Dickinson College.

Peni Garber, Partner, joined ABRY in 1990. In her years with ABRY, Ms. Garber has evaluated, organized, negotiated or underwritten numerous private equity, mezzanine, high-yield bond and bank transactions throughout the media sector. Areas of focus have included telecommunications towers, television broadcasting and business-to-business media companies. Ms. Garber is a director of numerous media companies. Prior to joining ABRY, she worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Ms. Garber is a summa cum laude graduate of Bryant College.

John Hunt, Partner, joined ABRY in 2004 with 14 years of private equity investment experience.  Mr. Hunt has sourced, negotiated, monitored and sold numerous private equity investments across various media and communications sectors.  Areas of focus have included cable television, business-to-business media and telecommunications companies.  Prior to joining ABRY, he was a General Partner at Boston Ventures Management, a media and communications-focused private equity fund, where he worked from 1990-2004.  He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. 

Erik Brooks, Partner, joined ABRY in 1999 with eight years of private equity investment experience. Mr. Brooks has been integrally involved in the acquisition, oversight and divestiture of media and entertainment companies, including television broadcasting, business-to-business media, monitoring and telecommunications entities. Prior to joining ABRY, he was Vice President at NCH Capital, a private equity investment fund, from 1995 to 1999. Mr. Brooks received an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated as a Bennett Scholar, magna cum laude, from Brown University.

Robert MacInnis, Partner, joined ABRY in 1998. Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. MacInnis was Chief Financial Officer of Weather Services Corporation, an ABRY portfolio company, where he directed acquisitions. From 1991 to 1997, he was associated with PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was a senior manager in the Merger and Acquisition Group. Mr. MacInnis is a Certified Public Accountant, received an MBA summa cum laude from Boston University and is a summa cum laude graduate of Merrimack College.

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Roger Marrero, Principal, joined ABRY in 2004 with six years of private equity experience. Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Marrero was a principal at Apax Partners in New York, focusing primarily on later-staged leveraged transactions in media and direct marketing.  Mr. Marrero is a director of Psychological Services, Inc, Music Reports, F+W Publishing, Gould & Lamb, and V12 Group.  Prior to Apax, he worked at Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst and Goldman Sachs. He received an MBA from Harvard Business School and graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin.

Blake Battaglia, Principal, joined ABRY in 1998. Mr. Battaglia has been integrally involved in a wide variety of media investments and financings in the sectors of broadcast television, cable television, telecommunications, and business-to-business media. Previously, he was a member of the Investment Banking Department of Morgan Stanley. He is a director of WideOpenWest, Nexstar Broadcasting Group and Atlantic Broadband. Mr. Battaglia is an honors graduate of The University of Texas at Austin where he was distinguished as a member of Tau Beta Pi by the College of Engineering.

Hilary K. Grove, Principal, joined ABRY in 1999. Ms. Grove has been involved in the business-to-business magazine, directory publishing, information services and business process outsourcing sectors.  She is a director of Cygnus Business Media, Triple Point Technology, Charleston Newspapers, HealthPort, Inc. and Executive Health Resources. Prior to joining ABRY, Ms. Grove was an investment banking analyst in the Media and Telecommunications Group at Lehman Brothers in New York and London. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College.

Brent Stone, Principal, joined ABRY in 2002. Mr. Stone has been involved in a wide variety of media investments and financings, including the sectors of motion picture production, video game publishing, and broadcast television. Mr. Stone is a director of Nexstar Broadcasting, Brash Entertainment, Legendary Pictures and Monitronics. Prior to joining ABRY, he was a member of the Investment Banking Department of Credit Suisse First Boston, formerly Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette. Previously, Mr. Stone was a member of the Syndicated Finance Group of Chase Securities. He is a graduate of Cornell University.

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Brian St. Jean, Principal, joined ABRY in 2005. Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. St. Jean held various senior financial and executive management roles for several high growth companies within the private sector and served as a manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Merger and Acquisitions group focusing on the entertainment, media and communications industries. He is a director of F+W Publications, CyrusOne and QuoVadis. Mr. St. Jean is a Certified Public Accountant and a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with high distinction.

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Azra Nanji, Vice President, joined ABRY in March of 2003.  Ms. Nanji is involved in media and telecommunications investments in the cable television, rural telephony, and tower sectors.  Prior to joining ABRY, Ms. Nanji was an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs in the Communications, Media, and Entertainment group.  She is a graduate of Duke University.

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Tomer Yosef-Or, Senior Associate, joined ABRY in May of 2005.  Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Yosef-Or was a member of the Financial Institution Group at Bear Stearns Investment Banking Department.  Previously, Mr. Yosef-Or was a member of the Securitization Transaction Group at Deloitte & Touche.  Mr. Yosef-Or is a director of CapRock Communications and an honors graduate of the Rutgers Business School New Brunswick Undergraduate Program.

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Timothy Nickel, Senior Associate, joined ABRY in May of 2007.  Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Nickel was a senior associate at Spectrum Equity Investors, where he was involved in a variety of media, communications and business services private equity investments.  Previously, Mr. Nickel was an investment banking analyst at Lehman Brothers in the Financial Sponsors group.  He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.

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Michael Yirilli, Associate, joined ABRY in 2007.  Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Yirilli was an investment banking analyst at Banc of America Securities in the Media & Telecommunications group. Mr. Yirilli graduated with Highest Honors and Highest Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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Anthony De Guzman, Associate, joined ABRY in 2007. Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. De Guzman was an investment banking analyst in the Media and Communications Group at Morgan Stanley in New York and London. He graduated cum laude from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

Bob Pan, Associate, joined ABRY in 2007.  Prior to joining ABRY, Mr. Pan was an investment banking analyst at UBS in the Mergers & Acquisitions group. He is a graduate of Duke University.

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• Andrew Banks
  
• Royce Yudkoff
  
• Peggy Koenig
  
• Jay Grossman
  
• Peni Garber
  
• John Hunt
• Erik Brooks
  
• Robert MacInnis
  
• C. J. Brucato
  
• Roger Marrero
  
• Blake Battaglia
• Hilary K. Grove
• Brent Stone
• Brian St. Jean
• Azra Nanji
• Tomer Yosef-Or
• Timothy Nickel
• Michael Yirilli
• Anthony De Guzman
• Bob Pan