Chenel Capital Partners
Our Team
Meet the visionary leaders driving Chenel Capital. Our leadership team combines decades of investment experience with a relentless commitment to innovation and excellence.
Stephen Fox
Outside General Counsel
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Richard Chenel
Founder & Managing Partner
Richard Chenel is Founder and Managing Partner of Chenel Capital, a New York–based alternative investment firm focused on early, venture, and growth-stage opportunities. Driven by technology and innovation, he invests with a value-add mindset and is launching The Chenel Foundation to advance healthcare, education, and employment for underserved communities.
Gregory Wagner
Head of Capital Formation
Gregory heads capital formation at Chanel Capital Partners, where he leads institutional capital formation, investor positioning, and go-to-market execution. He brings over 20 years of experience across global capital markets, including leadership roles in prime services, securities finance, and institutional trading. Prior to joining Chenel Capital, Gregory held senior positions at ABN AMRO and RBS, serving as Global Head of Prime Services, and later launched the U.S. securities finance platform at Itaú. Gregory holds a BA from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Fordham University, and has completed executive certifications at Harvard University and The Wharton School.
Kristin Kunert
Head of Investor Relations
Kristin heads investor relations at Chenel Capital Partners, where she oversees client service, marketing, and reporting efforts. Kristin has more than 18 years of experience across private equity, venture capital, real estate, infrastructure, and private credit strategies. Prior to joining Chenel Capital Partners, Kristin was a Principal at Blackstone, where she sub-advised on alternative portfolios for US-based insurance providers. Kristin earned her BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, MA from the University of Pittsburgh, and MBA from the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.
Yossi Ben-Shitrit
Head of ME Operations
Yossi heads Chenel Capital Partners’ operations in the Middle East and is a strategic operations expert specializing in international relations. Having held senior roles in both the Israeli government and the high-tech sector, he brings extensive expertise in interpersonal relations, complex environments and driving global business growth. A former Special Forces Combat Team Commander, he also mentors at the Rothschild and the Ramon Foundations, and is a triathlete and musician. Yossi holds a BA from University of Haifa and an MBA from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Scott Warden
Capital Formation
Scott focuses on capital formation at Chenel Capital Partners, supporting the firm’s fundraising efforts, LP relationships, and institutional positioning as it launches its space-focused investment strategy. Scott has more than 23 years of experience across hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, real estate, and asset management. Prior to joining Chenel Capital Partners, Scott aided firms in raising assets and marketing their investments. Scott earned his BA from Lafayette College and holds the CIMA® and CMFC® designations.
Sophia Kleshchuk
Head of Strategic Operations
Sophia leads strategic operations at Chenel Capital Partners, overseeing daily operations, communications, and cross-team execution. She manages internal systems and supports fundraising and LP engagement. With 10 years of experience across venture capital, capital markets, fintech, and emerging tech, she has worked in startups, public firms, and global institutions. Previously, she was Head of Business Development at Enkonix Venture Studio. She holds a degree in International Relations from Taras Shevchenko National University.
Andrew Nelson
Capital Formation Associate
Andrew Nelson works in capital formation across private markets, supporting fundraising across multiple investment strategies, with a current focus on space infrastructure. He holds degrees from NYU and Pepperdine University and previously managed approximately $250M in client assets as a Portfolio Manager. At Chenel Capital Partners, he supports investor engagement and fundraising across the firm’s private market strategies.
Advisors
Stephen Fox
Outside General Counsel
Stephen Fox is a partner at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek and has served as Outside General Counsel to Chenel Capital Partners since 2020. With over 20 years of experience as a corporate and securities attorney, he advises companies and investment funds across diverse industries, bringing practical, transaction-driven legal guidance to complex matters.
James Lafferty
Consumer Advisor
James Lafferty is a global business leader, former CEO, and Olympic-level coach with over 35 years of experience in marketing, branding, and organizational development. He has held senior leadership roles at Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and British American Tobacco, and advises Chenel Capital on consumer insight, leadership, and performance.
Robert Rooks
Ethics Advisor
Robert Rooks is a nationally recognized criminal justice reform leader with more than two decades of experience building and scaling social impact organizations. He serves as Ethics Advisor to Chenel Capital and as a board member of The Chenel Foundation, bringing deep expertise in governance, equity, and responsible institutional leadership.