Woodson Equity Expands Leadership Team With Two Key Senior Appointments

Firm appoints Eugene Kim as Co-Head of Originations and Tom Cleary as General Counsel

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Woodson Equity, an operationally focused lower middle market private equity firm, today announced the addition of two senior leaders, as the firm continues to scale its investment platform and institutional infrastructure. Eugene Kim joins as Co-Head of Originations, and Tom Cleary joins as General Counsel. These appointments mark a significant step in Woodson’s evolution, reinforcing its commitment to building a best-in-class team capable of sourcing and executing complex transactions and providing the necessary operational support thereafter.

Eugene Kim — Co-Head of Originations

Eugene joins Woodson Equity with a strong track record in deal origination and business development across the private equity ecosystem. As Co-Head of Originations, Eugene leads the firm’s investment sourcing strategy and supports the execution of new platform acquisitions and following add-on opportunities. Eugene focuses on building and deepening relationships with investment banks, corporate sellers, financial sponsors and key intermediaries in order to drive consistent, high-quality deal flow.

Prior to joining Woodson Equity, Eugene served as Vice President of Business Development at Pacific Avenue Capital Partners, where he played a key role in expanding the firm’s investment pipeline and supporting the growth of Pacific’s Fund I and Fund II through targeted origination initiatives and the development of strategic relationships with investment banks and corporate sellers, among others. Previously, Eugene was a Senior Associate at Atar Capital, where he was responsible for sourcing platform and add-on acquisitions. Eugene began his career at Harvey and Company, specializing in buy-side advisory matters, and holds a B.S. in Policy Analysis and Management, with a concentration in Corporate Finance, from Cornell University.

Tom Cleary — General Counsel

Tom brings over three decades of transactional legal experience to Woodson Equity and, throughout his career, has advised private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as institutional investors, on a variety of legal matters. Prior to joining Woodson, Tom held senior roles at leading law firms, including Riordan & McKinzie and, most recently, Dykema Gossett.

As General Counsel, Tom will oversee all legal, regulatory, compliance and governance matters for Woodson Equity. In this capacity, Tom will be involved with M&A execution, financings and fund formations, as well as matters that will involve broader legal strategies in support of Woodson’s investment operations.

Over the course of his career, Tom has advised on hundreds of transactions, spanning platform acquisitions, portfolio curation and exit strategies, to numerous leading private equity firms. Tom holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame, and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law.

"Having worked with Eugene and Tom for years at a prior firm, I've seen the impact firsthand that they bring as absolute force multipliers. Their arrival comes at a key inflection point for Woodson Equity as we continue to integrate proven leaders with decades of experience in originating and executing complex M&A transactions. We’re building a platform designed to win in complex environments, and their addition materially strengthens our ability to execute on our thesis of delivering transformational outcomes with even greater speed, precision, and consistency for our partners,” said Vijay Mony, Founder and Managing Partner.

About Woodson Equity

Woodson Equity is a Washington, D.C., based private equity firm founded in 2023, specializing in lower middle-market corporate carve-outs, divestitures and complex situations. The firm leverages a hands-on, operational approach to drive transformation and long-term value creation. With over 80 years of combined investing and operating experience, Woodson partners with management teams to unlock performance and scale companies through disciplined execution. For more information about Woodson Equity, please visit www.woodsonequity.com.