Duff & Phelps Corp. scored a big get, luring Jon Melzer to serve as a managing director in the firm’s New York office. Melzer, who was previously a member of Trenwith Group’s board of directors, had previously served as the co-head of M&A at Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin – a position he left in June of last year.

Duff & Phelps president Gerry Creagh noted that the addition of Melzer represents the firm’s “continued expansion of [its] middle market and distressed M&A businesses.”

During his time at Houlihan Lokey, Melzer also served on the M&A commitment and M&A operating committees. Prior to Houlihan, Melzer was a co-head of the corporate sales and divestitures group at Credit Suisse First Boston and before that headed the consumer and industrial products group at PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities.

Melzer had retired from banking last year and resurfaced as the president and COO of online charity auction company Charitybuzz.com. At the time, he told sister publication Investment Dealers’ Digest that he was “too young to sit on the beach.”

During his time in investment banking, Melzer oversaw more than 150 deals, including sales of Chicken of the Sea and Genesee Brewing, among many others. When he left Houlihan, the firm was ranked No. 1 in M&A advisory for US deals under $1 billion, according to Thomson Financial.


Career moves Financial services industry