Steven J. Collins
Managing Director
Steven is a founding team member and a Managing Director at Exeter Capital.
Prior to co-founding Exeter, Steven spent more than 20 years at Advent International, where he was the Head of the North American retail & consumer practice. During his time at Advent, Steven was a senior partner playing a key role in the overall management of the North American business, including strategy, fundraising, Investment Committee, hiring and firm culture. Steven led or co-led over ten investments deploying over $2 billion of private equity capital. He also acted as the Chief Financial Officer of Kirkland’s, an Advent portfolio company, for one year. Prior to joining Advent, Steven was in M&A Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch.
Steven currently serves on the Boards of NOBULL, Brewing Brand Management (Dunkin’ franchisee), Kirkland’s and Market Basket. He previously served on the Boards of lululemon athletica, Bojangles’, Five Below, Shoes For Crews, Resort Sports Network, Ciraden, Making Memories and Charlotte Russe.
Steven earned a BS in Economics, cum laude, from The Wharton School and a BA in Economics with Honors, from The College at the University of Pennsylvania. He also earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.