BOSTON, Sept. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ara Partners, a global private equity and infrastructure firm specializing in industrial decarbonization, today announced the appointment of Masumi Waida as Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Waida brings more than 20 years of experience across the investment management industry. He joins Ara from ACON Investments, a middle-market private equity firm where he served as Chief Financial Officer. At Ara, he will lead corporate and fund finance, accounting, tax, financial reporting, treasury and the build-out of the firm’s finance and operations function as it scales across its private equity, infrastructure, and energy strategies.

“Masumi has built and led finance functions at global investment firms through periods of significant growth, and that experience will serve Ara and our investors well,” said Troy Thacker, Managing Partner at Ara Partners. “As we continue to scale our platform, his discipline and depth make him exactly the right person to lead our finance organization.”

Prior to ACON, Mr. Waida was a Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer of the Mount Kellett Funds at Fortress Investment Group. Earlier in his career, he served as a Vice President at Lehman Brothers, where he oversaw a range of private equity and hedge fund products.

“Ara has built a differentiated platform in an area of the market where capital is genuinely needed,” said Mr. Waida. “I’m looking forward to building the infrastructure to support the firm’s next phase of growth.”

Mr. Waida holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta and a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) designation from the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada.

About Ara Partners
Founded in 2017, Ara Partners is a global private markets firm focused on decarbonizing the industrial economy. The firm invests in the middle market across three strategies: Private Equity, Infrastructure, and Energy. Ara scales commercially demonstrated decarbonization solutions, supports the businesses and infrastructure that enable their adoption, and reduces emissions at the source across the conventional energy value chain. Ara operates from Houston, Boston, Dublin and Washington D.C., and as of June 30, 2026, had approximately $10.6 billion in assets under management.

For more information, visit www.arapartners.com.

Media Contact

Jane Merkler, Ara Partners

jane@arapartners.com 

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SOURCE Ara Partners