PEP Gateway Team is comprised of PEP’s senior investment professionals, some of whom have worked together for over 40 years.
Our Team
Cameron Blanks
Buyout and Secure Assets, Gateway
Cameron joined Pacific Equity Partners in 2002. Prior to joining PEP, Cameron spent three years with Bain & Company in Australia and North America. Previously, Cameron worked for seven years in the mining and construction industry in Australia, Asia and North America. He received an MBA from MIT Sloan, and a MEng and BEng (First Class Honours) from the University of South Australia where he was a Graduate Society Scholar.
Sam Kong
Finance
Prior to joining Pacific Equity Partners in 1998, Sam was a senior accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he advised clients in the financial services, retail, shipping and manufacturing industries. Also, he was involved in several mergers and acquisitions in the Greater China region. Sam received a BEc from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, University of New South Wales. He is a Certified Practising Accountant.
Alex Ovchar
Buyout and Secure Assets, Gateway
Alex joined Pacific Equity Partners in 2011. Before joining PEP, Alex was an investment banker with Morgan Stanley in London. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Alex was a management consultant with The Boston Consulting Group in Sydney. Alex received a PLD from Harvard Business School, and Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from the University of Adelaide, where he was the Valedictorian.
Our Investment Committee
Tim Sims
Buyout and Secure Assets, Capital Solutions, Gateway, Founding Partner
Tim is a founder of Pacific Equity Partners and is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Prior to founding PEP, Tim was the Chairman and Managing Director of Bain & Company’s Australasian and African operations and a member of Bain & Company’s Global Executive Committee. Tim has also served on a number of government committees and led national strategy projects. Tim received a BA/MA from Oxford University where he was a Mitsui European Scholar and an MPA from Harvard where he was a Kennedy Scholar. In 2019, Tim was made a member in the general division of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the community through philanthropic initiatives.
Rickard Gardell
Buyout and Secure Assets, Capital Solutions, Gateway, Founding Partner
Rickard is a founder of Pacific Equity Partners and a member of the firm’s Operating Committee. Prior to founding PEP, Rickard was a Director of Bain & Company and had 14 years of consulting experience in Europe, Asia and Australasia. Rickard received a Bachelor of Science from the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE) (1981-84) where he was awarded Carl Liljevalchs Scholar and IMP Scholar. As IMP scholar, he attended the MBA program at McGill University for half of his last year.
Simon Pillar
Buyout and Secure Assets, Capital Solutions, Gateway, Founding Partner
Simon is a founder of Pacific Equity Partners and chairs the firm’s Operating Committee. Prior to founding PEP, Simon was a Partner with Bain & Company and worked as a strategy consultant in the US, Singapore and Sydney. He started his working life as an engineer with The Royal Dutch/Shell Group in The Netherlands. Simon received a first class degree (BSc (Eng) in Civil Engineering) from the University of Bristol where he received the Institution of Civil Engineers Award, and an MBA from the Wharton School where he was a Thouron Scholar.
Cameron Blanks
Buyout and Secure Assets, Gateway
Cameron joined Pacific Equity Partners in 2002. Prior to joining PEP, Cameron spent three years with Bain & Company in Australia and North America. Previously, Cameron worked for seven years in the mining and construction industry in Australia, Asia and North America. He received an MBA from MIT Sloan, and a MEng and BEng (First Class Honours) from the University of South Australia where he was a Graduate Society Scholar.