Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2022 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Houlihan Lokey’s Anita Antenucci.

Tell us about yourself.

I lead our aerospace, defense and government (ADG) investment banking group. I am proud to have been the first outside hire to run an industry group, which was one of the primary investment banking groups formed at the firm.

How did you further your firm’s ESG goals?

A key focus of my team and I is to help companies that champion ESG initiatives get the proper value for that. We have worked with Danimer Scientific, a very impactful company in the ESG space that is designing environmentally friendly and naturally compostable coated food containers alongside other plastic products that are biodegradable. Supporting companies like these have showed how much greater the access of capital is when a company is on the right side of ESG issues.

How are you a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)?

The most significant impact I have had on championing DEI initiatives is encouraging upward promotion opportunities for the women within my group, as well as mentoring many of the young female talent at Houlihan Lokey outside of my own industry group. As a senior banker, I consider my position as a role model and mentor very seriously, so I take it upon myself to always be approachable and provide young women access to the unique insights and sector knowledge that I can offer.