Siris Capital Group, LLC, a leading private equity firm focused on making control investments in data, telecommunications, technology and technology-enabled business service companies, today announced that Hilton Romanski, currently Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Cisco Systems, Inc., will join Siris as a Partner & Senior Managing Director on the Investment Team. In his new role, Romanski will work with Siris and its Executive Partners to identify potential investment opportunities, successfully execute those transactions and apply Siris' post-acquisition best practices to create value. Romanski will also lead the extension of Siris' presence to the West Coast by establishing a new Siris office in Silicon Valley.
With nearly 25 years of industry experience and senior leadership roles at global corporations, including 18 years at Cisco, Romanski brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the technology, media and telecom sectors. At Cisco, Romanski served on the Executive Leadership Team and as Chairman of Cisco's China Board, and was responsible for developing and implementing the company's growth strategy through acquisitions, strategic partnerships, venture investments, co-development and technology innovation. He and his team led nearly $30 billion in acquisitions across approximately 60 deals, including Cisco's $3.7 billion acquisition of AppDynamics, and the recently announced intent to acquire Duo for $2.4 billion. Romanski also oversees Cisco's $2 billion investment portfolio comprised of technology start-ups around the world.
Frank Baker, a Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Siris Capital, commented, "I have known Hilton personally and professionally for more than 20 years, and know that he will be a natural fit with Siris' culture. He brings deep domain expertise and a track record of identifying and executing transactions in technology markets. Hilton's appointment also marks a significant milestone for Siris with the opening of our Silicon Valley office, which will allow us to better capture opportunities in that region."
Hilton Romanski commented, "I am thrilled to be joining Siris at this exciting time, as the firm extends its presence to the West Coast. I believe Siris has a differentiated strategy for value creation and I look forward to working with the firm to capture the next generation of opportunities arising from digital and technology transformation."
Prior to joining Cisco, Romanski held leadership roles at J.P. Morgan, including co-founding the firm's West Coast telecom practice. He was an investment banker in J.P. Morgan's Technology, Media and Telecom group and, prior to this, served as a mergers and acquisitions specialist in the company's New York headquarters.
Romanski earned his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and his BA in History from Columbia University.
About Siris Capital Group
Siris Capital is a leading private equity firm focused on making control investments in data, telecommunications, technology and technology-enabled business service companies in North America. Integral to Siris' investment approach is its partnership with exceptional senior operating executives, or Executive Partners, who work with Siris to identify, validate and operate investment opportunities. Their significant involvement allows Siris to partner with management to add value both operationally and strategically. To learn more, visit us at www.siriscapital.com.
