Vista Equity Partners (“Vista”), a leading global investment firm focused exclusively on enterprise software, data and technology-enabled businesses, today announced the appointment of Lauren Dillard as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Managing Director, effective April 11. She will succeed John Warnken-Brill, who is retiring from the role after over 15 years and will partner with Ms. Dillard to ensure a seamless transition.
Ms. Dillard brings over two decades of experience across financial services and technology to Vista. She most recently served as the Executive Vice President of Investment Intelligence for Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ), where she was responsible for leading the strategic direction of the fast-growing division, driving expansion across Nasdaq’s index, data and investment analytics businesses for a diverse client base of global asset managers, asset owners, consultants, retail brokers and fintechs. Collectively, under her leadership, the Investment Intelligence team delivered double digit growth for Nasdaq, achieving more than $1 billion of revenue in 2021. Ms. Dillard also sat on the executive team that was responsible for strategic decisions, capital allocation and M&A for the organization.
“Our shared belief in the transformative power of technology and Lauren’s strategic and operational prowess across technology and finance will be invaluable as we look to further accelerate Vista’s growth, and we are thrilled to have her joining the Firm,” said David A. Breach, Vista’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “As we welcome Lauren, we also want to thank John for his instrumental role laying Vista’s strong foundation, and we wish him and his family the best as he starts this next chapter.”
The appointment of Ms. Dillard follows a strong year for Vista in 2021, including the addition of over 100 new investors across investment strategies and the close of Vista Credit Partners’ third fund at $2.3 billion. With more than 100 transactions, the Firm deployed over $11.9 billion and returned $7.4 billion across its private equity and permanent capital investment strategies last year. Additionally, Vista portfolio companies IAS, PowerSchool, Cvent and Vivid Seats became publicly traded companies, while Ping Identity and Jamf held public equity offerings.
Prior to joining Nasdaq, Ms. Dillard spent seventeen years at The Carlyle Group, where she was most recently a Partner and Head of the Investment Solutions unit, overseeing more than $40 billion in assets and 200 professionals across offices in six countries. She served as a member of Carlyle’s Management Committee and played significant roles on other leadership committees during her tenure. Prior to joining Carlyle in 2002, Ms. Dillard worked in the tax practice of Arthur Andersen.
“Vista pioneered the sector-focused strategy for asset management, establishing an expansive global platform for enterprise software investing and portfolio operations to provide enduring market value for its investors, companies, employees and all stakeholders,” said Lauren Dillard. “Vista offers an unmatched ecosystem to impact the future of our digital economy. The Firm’s culture of excellence, teamwork and purpose presents an unparalleled opportunity to apply my experience to advance Vista’s mission and positive influence on the technology and finance industries at-large during this next phase of growth.”
A regular speaker at financial services and technology industry events, Ms. Dillard is passionate about inclusive capital, supporting the professional growth and career development of women in the technology and financial services industries and beyond. Internally, she has served as an Executive Sponsor for employee resource groups at both Nasdaq and Carlyle. Externally, she has been active within organizations such as PE WIN and Extraordinary Women on Boards. Under her leadership in Investment Intelligence at Nasdaq, her team led standardized data collection for critical asset manager DEI information for asset owners.
Ms. Dillard serves on the board of SL Green Realty Inc. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Richmond.
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