NEW YORK and DUBAI, UAE, October 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc. and Greenstone Equity Partners have forged a strategic alliance to introduce Wafra's institutional investment platform to GCC-based investors. The partnership was formalized in June, post an executive management meeting at Wafra's New York offices in April.

The collaboration comes to focus as Wafra continues to seek to expand its footprint within the GCC and develop new relationships in the region.

Greenstone Equity Partners, a Dubai-based fund placement firm focusing on alternative asset classes, will assist Wafra's interests in the region through coverage of sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors and family offices.

Omar Al-Gharabally, Managing Director & Partner at Greenstone Equity Partners said:

"This engagement is material to Greenstone for a number of reasons:

1. Kuwait is a primary territory for Greenstone and being engaged by Wafra, an entity which already holds a strong presence in Kuwait, demonstrates our product placement capabilities in the GCC region.
2. A key strategy for Wafra is to engage GCC investors and raise capital for its various investment strategies, unlike other global asset managers that have a more global and broader marketing approach including Asia, Europe and the US, the emphasis and focus for Wafra is on the Middle East investor base. This is a perfect fit for Greenstone which only focuses on capital raising in the GCC and MENA region
3. Wafra currently manages approximately USD 14 billion across a number of investment strategies and commitments including private equity, real estate, fixed income, equities and other alternative investment products. Greenstone is moving to consolidate its investment platform, engaging only with large-AUM asset managers to ensure a more long-term relationship
4. US mid-market private equity is a core focus for our firm and one that we have excelled at in the past.

"We are excited to partner with the leading independent placement firm in the GCC," said Peter Petrillo, Executive Vice President of Wafra.  "Greenstone has developed an impressive team of professionals with the market knowledge and relationships to be successful with Wafra's full suite of investment strategies.  We look forward to a prosperous long-term relationship."

Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc. 

Founded in 1985, Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc. is an SEC registered investment management company offering an extensive range of investment services including portfolio securities management, private equity, real estate and other structured products management.

Wafra is headquartered in New York and maintains an affiliated office in Kuwait and currently has approximately $14 billion in assets and commitments under management across its investment platform. The firm employs over 90 professionals.

Wafra Investment Advisory Group is beneficially owned by the Public Institution For Social Security of Kuwait. It manages assets for many institutional investors, primarily from Kuwait and the GCC.

Greenstone Equity Partners  

Greenstone Equity Partners is a MENA-focused boutique investment and advisory firm specializing in multi-sector, advisory, fund placement, investment, consulting and deal structuring transactions. Based in Dubai, Greenstone's primary areas of focus are:

• Fund Placement
• Advisory
• Private Equity

Greenstone provides its clients with advisory services and access to MENA-based sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors and family offices for primary and secondary placements. Greenstone places a strong emphasis on the geographical capital diversification needs of its MENA-based clients. Greenstone is generally engaged as a sole and exclusive MENA fund placement firm by global top quartile investment banks, asset managers and fund managers from both developed and developing markets.

For further information, please contact:    
Wafra Investment Advisory Group
Peter Petrillo, Executive Vice President                    
+1-212-759-3700 x 285
p.petrillo@wafra.com
 
Greenstone Equity Partners                        
Omar Al-Gharabally, Managing Partner    
+971-4-388-0488                
omar.algharabally@gsequity.com    
                           

SOURCE Wafra Investment Advisory Group, Inc. and Greenstone Equity Partners