Management Team
Michalis P. Stavrinides
Managing Partner
Michalis has management responsibility for a number of portfolio investments and is involved in all aspects of fund management, due diligence and origination. Since September 2004, Michalis’s responsibilities have included the origination, underwriting and structuring of a number of portfolio investments. Proceeds from these investments were largely used to finance mergers and acquisitions, provide growth capital or fund general corporate purposes. Michalis is an active board member at a number of companies and provides each company’s management team with constructive feedback regarding short and long-term strategies, capital requirements, optimal financing structures and strategic alternatives.
In 2002, Michalis moved to Miami and co-founded the Icon Group LLC, an independent investment management and advisory firm exclusively responsible for the corporate finance and investment activities of Grupo Financiero Uno (“GFU”).
From 2000 to 2002, Michalis was an Associate with Sciens Capital Partners (formerly Zilkha Capital Partners) in New York. He acted as the lead associate working directly with the Managing Partner in a number of transactions in Southeastern Europe and had responsibility for the full range of activities related to private equity and principal investing.
From 1997 to 1999 he was invited to join Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s (“GSAM’) London office as a global equity portfolio manager for GSAM’s institutional clients. There he was a member of a team of four portfolio managers focused on managing $1 billion in European Growth Equity. He was responsible for making top-down asset allocation decisions and sector and sub-sector allocations. Upon his return to GSAM in New York in late 1999, he worked directly with the Global Equity Chief Investment Officer as a business analyst responsible for a number of strategic projects and was active in all aspects of the group, including asset allocation, annual budgets, launching of new products and services, evaluating potential new product offerings, executing financial analysis, negotiating transactions, evaluation of portfolio management teams, and recruiting new marketing and investment professionals. Michalis began his career in 1996 as a fixed income analyst with GSAM in New York. His responsibilities included fundamental analysis of existing fixed income and currency clients’ portfolios.
Michalis is an active board member of the following Banyan Mezzanine portfolio companies: ACENTO Advertising, Banker’s Exchange, Capitol BC Holdings, LLC, Capitol C Holdings, LLC, EnviroVac Holdings, LLC, Gowanda Holdings, LLC, HydroVac Industrial Services, Inc., Magnuson Products, LLC, MPD/Silar , Paxen Learning, Silverchair Science & Communications, Supply Source, LLC.
Michalis received his MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University where he was a Fuqua Scholar and his undergraduate degree in Economics (Finance & Strategic Management) from the Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Christian Chibras
Managing Partner
Christian joined Banyan Investment Partners in 2009. He is involved in all facets of the Firm and has responsibility for the full range of direct equity and credit investing activities including sourcing, investment thesis and valuation formulation, transaction structuring and negotiation, legal documentation and execution, as well as strategically guiding portfolio investments to exit.
Christian has led and closed 40 new investments, totaling approximately $300 million, in small to middle-market businesses across a variety of industries, including but not limited to: automotive, business services, consumer products, distribution, energy, entertainment, healthcare, luxury brands, marketing, niche manufacturing, product development, restaurant chains, technology, and telecommunications. He has closed in excess of 100 add-on direct investments including platform mergers & acquisitions, growth capital rounds and protective financings, as well as managed various successful exits and distressed situations through turn-around. He currently serves as a board member of 9 Banyan portfolio companies and has sat on the board of 20 Banyan companies.
Christian primarily focuses on healthcare services. He served as a board member of CareFinders Total Care; a Banyan investment that he underwrote, helped guide in expansion, and successfully exited in September 2021.
Christian began his career at Credit Suisse in New York within the Investment Banking Leveraged Finance & Restructuring Group. In this capacity, he was responsible for working with financial sponsors and corporate clients across the full range of a deal. He is experienced in a variety of transactions, including LBOs, recapitalizations, distressed financings and strategic acquisitions. His analysis and diligence ultimately yielded approximately $12 billion in financings.
Christian received his MBA from the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management and his undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Miami, graduating magna cum laude.
He is also a founder and partner of Silver Palm Capital Healthcare Partners.
Lois F. Marler
Chief Financial Officer
Lois joined Banyan in March 2008 in the newly created position of Chief Financial Officer. She is responsible for the firm’s accounting, finance, and administrative operations, including managing the relationships with the firm’s limited partners.
Lois brings over twenty-five years of experience in venture capital and investment banking to the Banyan team. Prior to joining Banyan, she was CFO of both EDF Ventures (2001-07) and White Pines Ventures (1985-2001), two Michigan-based government-licensed Small Business Investment Companies (SBICs), where she served in a similar capacity. Previously, Lois served for two years as Vice President, Corporate Finance for First of Michigan Corporation, then the largest Michigan-based investment banking and brokerage firm, where her responsibilities included financial advisory and financing services.
Lois is a former member of the Board of Governors for the National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC), and is a past President of the group’s Midwest regional association. She also served as an at-large Director of the Association for Corporate Growth – Southeast Michigan Chapter.
Lois earned a BA summa cum laude from Albion College, Albion, Michigan in 1985 and an MBA with concentrations in Accounting and Finance from the Ross Graduate School of Business, The University of Michigan in 1992.
