Catalyst Capital Group
Catalyst Capital Group was, in 2014, esteemed as the second largest private equity firm in Canada.[1] It was founded in 2002[2] by Newton Glassman, who was its managing partner in 2014,[1] and Gabriel de Alba.[2]
History
[edit]At some point before 2013, Catalyst hired Jim Riley as COO.[1]
Glassman led the firm from the position of CEO until he stepped down in April 2018 due to medical issues.[3][4]
In the summer of 2017, Catalyst contracted services with Tamara Global, which in turn hired members of Black Cube, composed of former members of the Israeli Defence Forces and the Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency.[5] Court documents allege that a second company, Psy-Group, whose operatives are also said to be former members of the Mossad or the intelligence branch of the Israeli Defence Forces, was hired to assist in operations, aimed at discrediting West Face Capital and, indirectly, Justice Frank Newbould, who was the retired head of the Commercial List of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice at the time.[5]
In August 2019, Callidus was removed from the TSE as its debt mounted.[3] It came to light in August 2019 that two major investors in the firm were the asset-management division of the University of Toronto and the "board of governors' investment committee" of McGill University.[6]
In a January 2021 ruling by Justice Cary Boswell, unsealed in the last full week of March 2021, it was revealed that Catalyst hired a dirty tricks squad whose aim was to destroy the good name of Justice Newbould: "'Basically we're trying to prove that he's a racist, a depraved anti-Semite, and trying to find information that could paint him in as negative a light as possible'".[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Tedesco, Theresa (September 27, 2014). "Irascible Newton Glassman's coming of age is all part of the plan". Financial Post. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
- ^ a b "Newton Glassman, a private man in the stressful world of private equity". The Globe and Mail Inc. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
- ^ a b "Callidus Shareholder to Take Company Private as Debt Mounts". Bloomberg. 16 August 2019.
- ^ "Callidus Capital's Newton Glassman takes medical leave from CEO post". The Globe and Mail. 13 August 2018.
- ^ a b c Kiladze, Tim (27 March 2021). "Catalyst offered up to $11-million to Israeli firm that launched sting on Ontario judge". The Globe and Mail Inc.
- ^ "Why Ira Gluskin has a beef with Newton Glassman". The Globe and Mail. 5 August 2019.