Conor Maguire

AI Lead

Conor Maguire is the AI Lead at Ara, where he is responsible for driving the end-to-end adoption and value realisation of AI across Ara’s investment, operations, and portfolio workflows.

Prior to this role, Conor spent over two years at Ara as a Private Equity Associate and Analyst, focused on portfolio company management and transaction execution.

Before joining Ara, Conor was an Investment Banking Analyst at Goodbody, where he advised private and semi-state companies on M&A transactions, debt financings, and equity capital raises.

Conor holds a MSc in Finance and a BSc in Electronic Engineering from University College Dublin.

Dakarai Cutts

Manager, APEX

Dakarai Cutts is a Manager on the Project Execution and Operations team.

Dakarai brings a strong background in strategy, operations, and enterprise transformation. Most recently, he served as a Manager with Kearney, where he led large-scale manufacturing and supply chain transformation initiatives for major industrial, consumer products, mobility, and defense-sector clients. His work has delivered meaningful operational and financial impact through productivity improvements, supply chain optimization, and cross-functional execution. Prior to Kearney, he held operational leadership roles with Procter & Gamble, where he led high-performing production teams and drove significant throughput and reliability improvements in manufacturing operations.

Dakarai holds a Master of Engineering Management from Auburn University and dual bachelor’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

David Pham

Senior Accountant

David Pham is a Senior Accountant at Ara and is involved in various aspects of Ara’s finance operations team, including accounting, audit, and investor reporting.

Prior to joining Ara Partners, David was a Senior Associate in Whitley Penn’s Transaction Advisory Services Group, where he conducted financial due diligence and provided M&A advisory services. David began his career at KPMG, working within the Audit and Deal Advisory practices, primarily serving clients in the oil and gas and construction industries.

David received both a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Accountancy from the University of Houston. He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant in Texas.

Dylan Sheahan

Analyst, Private Equity

Dylan Sheahan is an analyst at Ara Partners, where he is focused on evaluating investment opportunities, transaction execution, and portfolio company management.

Prior to joining Ara, Dylan was a Senior Associate in the Transaction Services team at KPMG Ireland, where he focused primarily on UK and Ireland mid-market transactions for private equity and corporate clients.

Dylan earned a Master’s in Accounting from UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and is an Associate member of Chartered Accountants Ireland.

Maria Cristina Polimeni

Analyst, Private Equity

Maria Cristina joined Ara Partners as an Analyst in 2026, supporting the broader investment team on portfolio company management and investment execution.

Before joining Ara, Maria Cristina was an Investment Banking Analyst at Perella Weinberg Partners within the TMT group in London.

Maria Cristina also worked at J.P. Morgan in the Consumer & Retail team within the Investment Banking division in London.

Maria Cristina holds a CEMS Master’s in International Management from University College Dublin and the National University of Singapore, and a Bachelor’s in Finance from Bocconi University.

Mark Foster

Director, APEX

Mark Foster is a Director on the Project Execution and Operations team. In his role, Mark serves as a primary point of contact for several portfolio companies, providing strategic project execution support in managing critical project risks.

Mark brings more than 20 years of experience with ExxonMobil and Imperial Oil, leading complex capital projects across upstream, midstream, and downstream energy sectors. He has managed large multidisciplinary teams through the full project lifecycle, delivering projects ranging from pilot facilities to multi-billion-dollar developments, including key leadership roles on the Hebron Offshore Platform and the industry-first Grand Rapids Phase 1 low-carbon-intensity project.

Most recently, Mark served as Director of ExxonMobil’s Canadian Lithium Business within Low Carbon Solutions, where he led strategic asset acquisitions, advanced emerging direct lithium extraction technologies, and progressed first-of-a-kind commercial demonstration projects supporting a multi-billion-dollar development commercial pipeline. Mark holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Dalhousie University and has completed executive education programs at UNC Kenan-Flagler and ASU Thunderbird.