“Our people are everything. You can have a great strategy, but if you don’t have the people to execute, you have nothing. You can have a great mission statement, but if you don’t have the people who care about it, it’s not true.”
– Tom Gores, Chairman & CEO
Craig Ashmore is responsible for senior level business development activities focused on identifying new acquisition opportunities. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2014, Mr. Ashmore was Executive Vice President of Planning and Development at Emerson (NYSE:EMR). In that role he had responsibility for Emerson's mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning and corporate technology functions as well as Emerson Network Power's connectivity solutions business. He was a member of Emerson's Office of the Chief Executive.
John Diggins brings a comprehensive background in financial growth management and mergers & acquisitions activity to the company, in addition to broad operating experience. Through the successful development and execution of strategic sales and marketing programs, Mr. Diggins is responsible for growing the revenue base of Platinum Equity’s operating companies as well as identifying product strengths to help build market advantage. Prior to joining Platinum in 1996, Mr. Diggins was CEO for both Pilot Software and Foresight Software, which were acquired by Platinum. He was also a co-founder of Ventec Systems with Platinum Equity Chairman and CEO Tom Gores.
Ramzi Itani is responsible for business development activities focused on identifying and evaluating new acquisition opportunities in and around Europe and the Middle East. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2013, Mr. Itani was a Director of Investment Banking at Citigroup. Prior to Citigroup, Mr. Itani was a Vice President at Merrill Lynch. Mr. Itani holds a bachelor’s degree from Imperial College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from London Business School.
Along with Mr. Gores, Mr. Lopez has led the deal teams on many of Platinum's major transactions, including negotiations with the Illinois insurance regulators to acquire Broadspire Insurance Services, working directly with Alcatel's former President to produce Platinum's first European acquisition which later became NextiraOne, as well as negotiating with BASF and Deutsche Bank to acquire Dystar from three of Germany's most significant chemical companies (Bayer, BASF, and Aventis Hoechst). In addition, Mr. Lopez has worked as one of Platinum's transaction ambassadors throughout the European continent where he and other senior Platinum executives introduced the Platinum business model in late 2001.
Jordan Stone is responsible for business development activities focused on identifying new acquisition opportunities. Prior to joining Platinum Equity in 2016, Mr. Stone was a Vice President at OpenGate Capital. Mr. Stone holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from University of Southern California.
The Platinum Equity portfolio consists of an industry-diverse, multi-billion-dollar group of approximately 50 operational complex businesses.
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