Charlie Ittner

Charlie spent the first ten years of his career in communications roles within the investment management industry. He began by running marketing for Platinum Equity and later served as Director of Investor Relations at BKM Capital Partners. At both firms, the founders recognized brand as a competitive advantage in accessing deals and securing LP commitments well before the broader alternative investment industry embraced the idea.

In these roles, Charlie managed marketing budgets and repeatedly encountered the same tradeoff when hiring outside help. Financial services communications firms often lacked creativity and polish, while talented creatives rarely understood the investment space. Recognizing a gap in the market, he saw the opportunity to build an agency that combined both.

Charlie founded Darien Group in 2015. Since then, the firm has grown into a specialized communications partner working exclusively with investment managers on capital raising and transaction-related initiatives. Today, Darien Group supports a broad range of firms and is built around a team of experienced strategists, designers, and account leaders.

One of Charlie’s proudest professional achievements is the team he has built at Darien Group. The firm’s strategists, account managers, art directors, and designers operate with a shared standard of rigor and discretion, continually refining both client deliverables and the overall client experience.

Charlie holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and a BA in English Literature from Pomona College. He lives in Singer Island, Florida with his wife, Alina, their dog, Saoirse, a Maine Coon named Enya, and Barky the ragdoll (an homage to the great Finnish hockey player and Florida Panther Aleksander Barkov).