Yehuda Shmidman is a veteran of the brand management industry, having successfully deployed more than USD $4 billion of capital over two decades into acquiring, growing and monetizing global consumer brands.
His experience expanded during his career to multiple consumer segments including fashion, hardgoods, toys, home, wellness, media, celebrity, sports and electronics, with direct leadership over dozens of world-famous brands including MARTHA STEWART and SNOOPY.
Yehuda currently serves as Founder, Chairman & CEO of WHP Global, a leading New York based brand management firm started in 2019 together with Oaktree Capital. WHP Global is also now backed by Ares, Solus, and BlackRock. WHP Global’s brand portfolio generates over USD $8 billion in annual retail sales, and includes VERA WANG, RAG & BONE, JOE’S JEANS, ANNE KLEIN, EXPRESS, BONOBOS, G-STAR, LOTTO, BABIES“R”US and TOYS“R”US.
Yehuda currently sits – and has previously served on – multiple public and private boards, both commercial and nonprofit. He also angel invests from time to time.
Over the years, Fortune Magazine and Crain’s New York both included Yehuda in their prestigious “40 Under 40” lists, and multiple universities – including Columbia University, NYU Stern School of Business and Fordham Law School – featured Yehuda as a guest lecturer to deliver insights into the future of consumer brands and the retail industry.
Effy Zinkin is a founding member of the leadership team at WHP Global and oversees the day-to-day operations of the Company’s brand portfolio. Effy brings over two decades of senior leadership experience across the apparel and accessory industries. He began his career as an attorney and joined Marc Ecko Enterprises, where he advanced through executive roles including Chief operating Officer and General Counsel, President and Interim Chief executive Officer, helping scale the business to over $1.5 billion in retail sales and culminating in a successful exit in 2013.
Effy holds a B.S. in Finance from Sy Syms School of Business, Yeshiva University, and a J.D. degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
Stanley Silverstein is a 30+ year retail industry leader with unparalleled expertise in licensing, global strategy and brand development. Stanley currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of WHP Global, leading brand acquisition and business development for the company’s portfolio of brands which includes iconic names such as Toys“R”Us, Babies“R”Us, Joseph Abboud, and Anne Klein. Prior to joining WHP Global, Stanley was President of International Development and Global Licensing for Perry Ellis International. He also served as a longtime senior executive at Warnaco/PVH where he was responsible for the company’s highly successful global expansion of its brands including Calvin Klein.
A graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, Stanley is a member of the Board of Trustees of The New School in New York City and the Fashion Scholarship Fund, and a member of NYU Stern Fashion & Luxury Council.
Matthew Finigan currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer of WHP Global, where he brings over 20 years of experience in financial strategy, capital markets and risk management. Since joining WHP Global in 2021, he has provided financial leadership to support the accelerated growth trajectory of the company.
Prior to joining WHP Global, Matt served as CFO of Tru Kids Brands, where he spearheaded the 2019 operational relaunch of the Toys“R”Us brand and facilitated its strategic sale to WHP Global. This followed more than a decade at Toys“R”Us Inc, where he held senior finance roles including Global Treasurer.
He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the NYU Stern School of Business and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (Phi Beta Kappa).
Gregg Donnenfeld is Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel of WHP Global, responsible for handling and oversight of all legal matters concerning our brands and businesses. Gregg has nearly 30 years of experience practicing law, both at top law firms and in-house for major global companies. Gregg began his career at Proskauer Rose, where he led the firm’s trademark registration and licensing practices, and later served as General Counsel of multiple global apparel, technology, consumer product, media and other businesses. He specializes in all aspects of corporate, intellectual property, licensing and business law.
Gregg received his undergraduate degree from University of Michigan (highest honors), law school degree from Cornell Law School (magna cum laude) and Executive MBA from NYU Stern School of Business (class valedictorian). He is admitted to practice law in New York, California, New Jersey and Florida.
Scott has over 20 years of experience in the retail and executive recruiting sectors. Prior to joining WHP Global, Scott was President of SBC Group, a leading executive search firm. Before that, Scott was President of The Franklin Mint, the iconic collectibles retailer, where he managed all aspects of the business and ultimately oversaw the successful exit to Sequential Brands Group in 2013. Scott holds a B.A. degree from Albany University.
Russ Banker is a founding member of the WHP Global team. Prior to helping launch WHP Global, he worked at Sequential Brands Group in the Corporate Development group where he worked on a variety of M&A and new business initiatives across its brand portfolio. He began his career at IBM where he most recently worked in the firm’s corporate acquisitions & divestitures group. Russ holds a B.A. in Economics from Middlebury College and M.B.A. from NYU Stern School of Business.
Jaime Cassavechia is the co-Founder & Principal of NY-based public relations firm EJ Media Group. In her current role, Jaime oversees all external communications, public relations and media strategy for WHP Global and its portfolio of brands. Capitalizing on 20+ years of PR and corporate communications experience, Jaime specializes in partnering with CEOs and talent to architect and execute brand strategies, lead media relations, steer corporate communications and handle crisis situations.
She is highly skilled at driving national media and consumer awareness through carefully crafted communication strategies. As a partner for executives of growth companies, startups, and established consumer brands, Jaime is often relied upon as a strategic advisor to develop macro brand strategies that resonate, engage, and capture a targeted audience.
Thomas Casarella is the Co-Founder of WHP GLOBAL. He is a managing director and co-portfolio manager in the Special Situations Group at Oaktree Capital Management where he helps lead investing efforts in the consumer and financial services industries. Prior to joining Oaktree in 2012, Mr. Casarella served as Deputy Chief Restructuring Officer at the United States Department of the Treasury from 2009 to 2011. He is a board member of Avocet LLC, Attain Finance, Crossroads, Fabletics, Gitsit Solutions, Great American Group, Healthcare Finance Direct, NexGen Financial, and WHP Global. He is also a board member of the nonprofit All4Kids.
Mr. Casarella holds an A.B. degree summa cum laude from Bowdoin College, an M.A. degree in economics from Oxford University, and an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. He is also a CFA charterholder.
Yehuda Shmidman is a veteran of the brand management industry, having successfully deployed more than USD $4 billion of capital over two decades into acquiring, growing and monetizing global consumer brands.
His experience expanded during his career to multiple consumer segments including fashion, hardgoods, toys, home, wellness, media, celebrity, sports and electronics, with direct leadership over dozens of world-famous brands including MARTHA STEWART and SNOOPY.
Yehuda currently serves as Founder, Chairman & CEO of WHP Global, a leading New York based brand management firm started in 2019 together with Oaktree Capital. WHP Global is also now backed by Ares, Solus, and BlackRock. WHP Global’s brand portfolio generates over USD $8 billion in annual retail sales, and includes VERA WANG, RAG & BONE, JOE’S JEANS, ANNE KLEIN, EXPRESS, BONOBOS, G-STAR, LOTTO, BABIES“R”US and TOYS“R”US.
Yehuda currently sits – and has previously served on – multiple public and private boards, both commercial and nonprofit. He also angel invests from time to time.
Over the years, Fortune Magazine and Crain’s New York both included Yehuda in their prestigious “40 Under 40” lists, and multiple universities – including Columbia University, NYU Stern School of Business and Fordham Law School – featured Yehuda as a guest lecturer to deliver insights into the future of consumer brands and the retail industry.
Christopher Pucillo is Managing Partner, Chief Investment Officer, and Founder of Solus Alternative Asset Management LP. Solus is a multi-billion dollar SEC-registered, independent investment management company overseeing investments on behalf of institutional investors. Mr. Pucillo founded Solus in 2007 after more than a decade of high yield, leveraged loan and distressed investing. Prior to Solus, he served as Head of Hedge Fund Strategies at Stanfield Capital Partners.
Mr. Pucillo began his career at Bankers Trust where he was responsible for the structuring and negotiation of leveraged loans and helped establish the firm’s high yield loan trading business. He went on to serve as Head of High Yield Loan Trading at Morgan Stanley and was instrumental in launching its leveraged loan effort. Mr. Pucillo was one of the four founding members of the Loan Syndications and Trading Association and formerly served as an Executive Committee Member.
Mr. Pucillo is a board member of Bristow Group, Next Wave, and WHP Global. Mr. Pucillo received a BA in Economics from Lafayette College in 1989, and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1997.
Aaron Rosen is a Partner, Co-Head of Opportunistic Credit and Co-Portfolio Manager of Special Opportunities in the Ares Credit Group, after joining the firm in 2018 as a Partner and Co-Portfolio Manager of Special Opportunities. Mr. Rosen serves as a member of the Ares Credit Group's Opportunistic Credit Investment Committee and the Ares Private Equity Group's Corporate Opportunities Investment Committee. Mr. Rosen has served on WHP Global’s Board of Directors since 2023. Mr. Rosen also currently serves as Chairman of the board of Savers Value Village, Inc. and serves on the boards for the parent entities of Virgin Voyages Intermediate Limited, Consolidated Precision Products Corp., Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc., Form Technologies and TriMark USA, LLC.
Mr. Rosen holds a B.S., summa cum laude, from New York University’s Stern School of Business in Finance and Information Systems, where he received the Valedictorian Award.
Jordan Smith is a Partner in the Ares Private Equity Group and has served on WHP Global’s Board of Directors since 2023. Additionally, Mr. Smith serves as a member of the Ares Private Equity Group’s Corporate Opportunities Investment Committee and the Ares Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Prior to joining Ares in 2011, Mr. Smith was an Analyst at Lazard, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions across various industries.
Mr. Smith currently serves on the Board of Directors for the parent entities of Awayday, Cooper’s Hawk, , EP Wealth, LaserAway, Savers Value Village, and Virgin Voyages. Mr. Smith previously served on the Board of Directors for the parent entities of DevaCurl, Farrow & Ball, Insight Global, and Valet Living. Mr. Smith holds a B.S. with high honors from
the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkley.
Hank Snoh is a senior vice president in the Special Situations Group at Oaktree Capital Management. He joined Oaktree in 2018 from PJT Partners, where he was an analyst in the Restructuring and Special Situations group. Mr. Snoh currently serves on the boards of WHP Global and Whistle Express Car Wash. He received an A.B. degree in mathematics from Harvard University.