ACG Boston Announces New Board Members from Cohere Capital, Audax Private Equity, Cambridge Trust, and Mirus Capital Advisors

ACG Boston, the Boston Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), has announced new directors to its Advisory Board, further strengthening the chapter’s leadership in supporting important strategic initiatives for the organization: Mike Alberts, Principal, Head of Business Development, Cohere Capital; Sandra Mason, Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Audax Private Equity; Gabrielle Piasio, FVP - Commercial Lender, Cambridge Trust; and Kate Soto, Partner, Mirus Capital Advisors.

"We’re fortunate to have such a hard-working and committed board here in Boston," said Rudy Scarito, President, ACG Boston, "and we’re honored to have Gabrielle, Kate, Mike, and Sandra joining our team.  Their deep industry knowledge and passion for ACG will be invaluable as we work to drive continued growth and innovation for our member community."

ACG Boston serves over 550 New England members who are directly involved in M&A transactions – including private equity & family office investors, intermediaries, lenders and M&A advisors – and is dedicated to helping middle-market M&A professionals build and maintain trusted and productive relationships through membership and event opportunities.

Background – ACG Boston’s New Board Members

Mike Alberts – Principal, Head of Business Development, Cohere Capital

Mike is responsible for managing Cohere’s new investment development and evaluation initiatives for platforms and existing portfolio companies. He joined Cohere at its inception and has over a decade of experience working with growth stage companies in multiple roles including transaction execution, operations, and business development.  

Prior to joining Cohere, Mike was Vice President of Operations at Shields Health Solutions where he focused on strategic growth, business development, and day-to-day operations serving the company’s health system customers. Prior to Shields, Mike was a Senior Associate at Gauge Capital where he focused on private equity investments in high growth, entrepreneur-owned companies in the healthcare and services sectors. 

Earlier in his career, Mike was an analyst at Houlihan Lokey and BB&T Capital Markets where he advised clients on mergers and acquisitions in the aerospace, defense, and government services sectors. Mike received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Markets and Culture (Behavioral Economics) and English from Southern Methodist University.

Sandra Mason – Senior Vice President, Capital Markets, Audax Private Equity

Sandra is a Senior Vice President of Capital Markets for Audax Private Equity, based in Boston. Prior to joining Audax in 2017, Sandra was a Vice President at Energy Capital Partners where she focused on providing flexible capital solutions to middle market energy companies. Prior to Energy Capital Partners, Sandra was a Director at Barings. Sandra received a B.B.A from the University of Michigan.

Gabrielle Piasio – FVP - Commercial Lender, Cambridge Trust

Gabrielle Piasio is a First Vice President and Commercial Lender at Cambridge Trust, where she brings 18 years of diverse, top-performing commercial banking experience. In this role, Gabrielle continues her focus on providing financing for sponsor-backed, lower-middle market M&A transactions on a national level as well as financing renewable energy projects (hydro, wind, solar, battery, etc) in the Northeast. 

A passionate ESG activist, Gabrielle recently earned an Executive Certificate for ESG Strategists from Wharton Executive Education. She also has Bachelor's and MBA degrees from Florida State University. Gabrielle lives in Winthrop with her 2-year-old daughter, Liliana, and mini-bernedoodle, Ruthie. 

Kate Soto – Partner, Mirus Capital Advisors

Kate Soto is a Partner with Mirus Capital Advisors and has over a decade of experience in mergers and acquisitions. She has advised dozens of clients on transactions in a variety of industries.  She has closed deals with global companies, middle market and multi-billion dollar private equity firms, family offices, and leading industrial and technology companies.  Her clients have ranged from closely-held and founder-owned businesses to public companies.

Prior to joining Mirus, she was employed by a middle market investment banking and valuation firm where she managed M&A and financing transactions. In addition, Kate has prepared valuation models and reports for clients, including 409(a) option valuations, purchase price allocations, and business enterprise valuations for purposes such as estate planning and litigation.

Kate received a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Management with a concentration in Finance and a minor in Economics.She is a Certified Valuation Analyst and holds Series 7, 24, 63, and 79 certifications from FINRA. Kate serves on the board of directors of the New England chapter of the Alliance of M&A Advisors.

###