Former Ophir CEO takes on new PE role
Former Ophir Asset Management chief executive, George Chirakis, has joined private equity manager Scarcity Partners.
Chirakis worked as CEO at Ophir for almost six years, having joined in February 2019 as an investment director following eight years at AMP Capital. He was then promoted to chief executive in August 2019 until his departure in November 2024.
He has now joined Scarcity as a partner to expand its fundraising efforts and support the growth of its portfolio companies, working alongside founding partner Matthew Webb.
Scarcity Partners is a specialist private equity firm which seeks to “turbocharge growth for investment management businesses” including Pinnacle, Hyperion and Paradice.
Most recently, it took a 20 per cent stake in Singapore-based January Capital, a private markets multistrategy investment firm focused on Asia-Pacific technology companies, and a 35 per cent stake in private credit manager Dinimus.
Adrian Whittingham, managing partner at Scarcity, said: “George is a great new member of the Scarcity Partners team. His impressive track record in raising capital and building high-performing distribution teams will be invaluable as we continue to expand our investment platform. George’s deep industry relationships and expertise in investor engagement will be critical in driving growth for both Scarcity and our portfolio companies.”
Chirakis added: “I’m very excited to be working alongside such a high-quality team at Scarcity Partners. Scarcity has built a strong reputation as a GP staking specialist, and with wholesale investors increasing their allocation to private markets. I look forward to leveraging my experience to support its fundraising efforts and helping to drive value creation across its portfolio companies.”
Over at Ophir, the chief executive role has been taken over by Brendan Carrig who joined the firm in November 2024 from Macquarie Group where he spent 11 years. His most recent role at Macquarie was senior equity research analyst which he held for almost five years.
Andrew Mitchell, co-founder of Ophir, said: "Brendan Carrig joined Ophir as CEO in November 2024. Brendan joins from Macquarie Equities where he was an associate director and top-rated small cap analyst and sector head in diversified financials.
"We wish George all the best at Scarcity and look forward to dealing with him in his new role.”
AUTHOR
Laura Dew
Recommended for you
The merger with L1 Capital will “inject new life” into Platinum, Morningstar believes, but is unlikely to boost Platinum’s declining funds under management.
More than half of the top 20 most popular shares bought by advised investors during the first half of 2025 were ETFs, according to AUSIEX data.
At least two-thirds of ETF flows are understood to be driven by intermediaries, according to Global X, as net flows into Australian ETFs spike 97 per cent in the first half of 2025.
Inflows for the first half of 2025 for GQG Partners stand at US$8 billion, but the firm has flagged fund underperformance could be a headwind for future flows.
