Origami Capital Partners Adds Second Woman to the Partnership
Chicago, November 25, 2019 – Origami Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in complex special situations across asset classes, announced the promotion of Julie Klaff to Partner. The firm manages assets in excess of $800 million. With Ms. Klaff’s promotion, Origami counts itself among a limited group of private equity firms where women control forty percent of the Investment Committee and greater than thirty percent of the ownership of the company.
Julie Klaff joined Origami over five years ago from Sidley, Austin. Earlier this year Origami asked her to join the firm as a Partner. In addition to her role on the Investment Committee, Julie focuses on deal sourcing, complex transaction execution and strategic policy for the firm.
Ms. Klaff and her colleague, Joelle Kellam, are two of the four partners at Origami.
Ms. Kellam joined the firm in 2010 and serves as the firm’s COO. Ms. Kellam leads all aspects of financial operations including accounting, compliance, audit and regulatory activities. Prior to joining Origami, Ms. Kellam served as the Director of Financial and Production Planning at Dyson, a privately held vacuum manufacturer. Since graduating from the University of Notre Dame (BBA, Accountancy) and the Kellogg School of Management (MBA), she also worked for Merisant, Bimba Manufacturing Company and Ernst and Young, LLP.
Ms. Kellam notes, “Origami works hard to encourage diversity and empower its team to take on responsibility. Precisely because we evaluate varied investment opportunities, we strive to recruit and retain a team who possess varied work, life and cultural experiences. Those differentiated experiences form the necessary ingredients to tackle complex investment opportunities and create value for our investors.”
In 2014, Ms. Klaff joined Origami from Sidley, Austin, LLP. At Sidley, Ms. Klaff focused on advising private alternative investment funds and investment advisers. Ms. Klaff began her career prior to law school as a real estate analyst with Joseph Freed and Associates. Ms. Klaff earned her BS in Human Development from Cornell University and a JD from Harvard Law School.
She noted, “I am proud to become the second female partner at Origami and excited about what we can accomplish for our investors. I chose Origami because I sensed the firm prioritized rewarding hard work and offered women flexibility to balance competing demands. I and the other partners of the firm strive daily to make diversity a priority. When performance justifies promotions, Origami recognizes success. Forty percent of Origami’s investment committee now consists of women. I think this fact, alone, is a very powerful statement about the organization as we look to attract and retain talent.”
About Origami Capital Partners
Founded in 2008, Origami Capital Partners manages private capital that offers structured, creative approaches to complex challenges. Origami’s extensive experience navigating complicated situations helps to solve capital stack, liquidity and follow-on capital issues for our deal partners. We insert patient, flexible capital by first listening and then collaborating to craft bespoke solutions. Origami evaluates and invests across asset classes and sectors, including: real estate, credit, technology, and financial services. We focus on investing in North America and Europe. Origami’s solutions create long-term value for our partners. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois the firm manages committed institutional capital. Origami is a registered SEC investment adviser.*
*SEC registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.