Greg Durst Joins Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group from ILPA
Kirkland & Ellis announced today that Greg Durst has joined the Firm as Senior Director of Global Fund Partnerships. In this role, he will be a member of Kirkland’s Investment Funds Group and will help strengthen the Firm’s relationships with the limited partner (LP) community as part of the fund formation process.
“Greg’s background spans industry engagement, capital raising, consulting and banking, which gives him a unique understanding of what investors expect in this evolving fundraising environment,” said Jon A. Ballis, Chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “He’ll be an incredibly valuable resource to our team and our investment fund clients in further building efficiency and consensus with their limited partners, and we’re excited to have him join Kirkland.”
Mr. Durst brings extensive experience and deep ties to the investor community. He joins from the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA), where he was the Senior Managing Director, Global Growth, representing ILPA in many industry conversations and engagements on behalf of the association’s more than 600 institutional limited partner members. As part of this role, he led the development and launch of the association’s first formal engagement mechanism with the general partner (GP) community on both the strategic and tactical issues facing the industry. While at ILPA, he led many of the association’s growth efforts with GP’s, the legal community and other service providers, including leading ILPA’s events business and opening ILPA’s European office in London in 2023, its first non-North American office. He also served as a senior contributor in retail capital in private markets, private credit, NAV facilities and continuation funds.
Prior to joining ILPA, Mr. Durst was the founding chief operating officer and head of business development for a hedge fund manager in New York. He was also the head of investor relations and an investment principal at the leading growth capital provider in Southern Africa.
“Kirkland has always sought to be a leader in the private funds sector, and working more closely with all constituents is key to our continued growth,” said Erica Berthou, an investment funds partner and member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “Greg has a history of translating LP expectations into workable solutions in fundraising. We look forward to building on these insights to help us get to the next level in terms of LP/GP dynamics and deepen trust with our GP clients and their investors.”
“One of Greg’s strengths is the way that he creates lasting partnerships that benefit all sides of the investment fund formation process,” said Daniel Lavon-Krein, an investment funds partner and member of Kirkland’s Executive Committee. “He knows what works on both practical and philosophical levels and is the perfect fit for Kirkland as we seek to meet the goals of our clients and their investors.”
“I am thrilled to join the Kirkland team, which I know well,” Mr. Durst said. “They are a recognized market leader and have a deep commitment to continuous improvement to maintain that leadership position. I’m excited to make a meaningful contribution to those efforts.”
Mr. Durst has an undergraduate degree in Finance from Georgetown University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
Kirkland is the top adviser in terms of investment fund formation and is a global leader in providing sophisticated advice to the investment funds space. Since January 2019, Kirkland has advised more than 1,900 funds closed and in process with total capital commitments in excess of $2.17 trillion.
Kirkland offers clients the unsurpassed resources of an integrated global team across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, providing advice on private fund formation, liquidity solutions, investment management and regulatory counsel, and strategic advisory services. With more than 600 dedicated investment funds attorneys, few firms approach the breadth, depth and scope of Kirkland’s experience in investment funds legal services.
