M&A Appointments

Assurant Inc. – Rejoining this specialty insurance products company is William Greiter, former SVP of M&A. In his new position as SVP of corporate development, he is responsible for the company’s corporate development and M&A initiatives. Baker & McKenzie – The firm strengthened its corporate and securities practice with the additions of Emery Mitchell, partner, in its San Francisco office and Charles Niemeth, partner, and counsel Robert Grauman, both from O’Melveny & Myers, in New York. Emery Mitchell, formerly of Shearman & Sterling, represents public and private companies in mergers and acquisitions and JVs. Niemeth’s practice focuses on advising clients on M&A, public and private offerings, and other corporate and financing matters. Grauman advises clients on corporate governance, public and private offerings, M&A, and other transaction issues. Banc of America Securities – Peter Kind has joined the firm as head of the power corporate and investment banking group, based in New York. He joined from Citigroup, where he most recently served as co-head of the power industry sector in the firm’s global energy, power and chemicals group. Bank of America – The firm’s new managing director and head of corporate and investment banking for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa is Kenneth Leet, a former Goldman Sachs banker who focused on industrial companies. Leet is based in London. Bard Capital Partners – This newly formed mid-market buyout firm, with offices in New York and Denver, is led by Richard Bard, chairman and CEO, and Michael Carrazza, managing director. Bard Capital leverages the combined 40 years of experience Bard and Carrazza have in operating and investing in mid-market businesses. Barrington Associates – Jarl Berntzen has joined as an SVP in the firm’s Los Angeles office. He joined Barrington after a 10-year career in the M&A group at Goldman Sachs, where he most recently served as a VP in the firm’s New York office. Brown Gibbons Lang – The middle-market investment banking firm announced that four managing directors have become partners and that co-founders Michael Gibbons and Scott Lang have assumed the titles of chairman and CEO, respectively. New partners Scott Berlin and James Miller are based in Cleveland while Stephen Miles and David Sulaski are in Chicago. Berlin has more than 10 years of M&A and restructuring experience, and leads coverage of value-oriented financial sponsor groups and other similarly focused investors. Miller is an expert in industrial and electrical products distribution companies. Miles has extensive M&A and capital raising experience across a wide range of industries. Sulaski heads BGL’s private equity practice and directs the firm’s other business development activities. BGL also announced other promotions. In Cleveland, William Watkins has been promoted to director and Cameron Miele has been named VP. In Chicago, Scott Hasley has been promoted to director and Michael Shaffer has been named senior associate. Cantor Fitzgerald – Continuing its expansion in the power and utilities space, the firm named utilities pro Brent Lewis as a managing director in its investment banking group. Prior to joining the firm, Lewis served as a director in ABN Amro’s structured capital markets group. Capitalink – Kathy Motley recently became a VP of the firm. She was previously an associate at Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin. Challenger Capital Group – The firm has named restructuring and bankruptcy pro Robert Bielinski as a managing director. Prior to joining the firm, Bielinski had been a managing director at Richard C. Breeden. Deutsche Bank – The firm bulked up a number of its investment banking groups with the addition of three new executives. Timothy Ng, based in San Francisco, is a new managing director in DB’s technology investment banking group. Previously, he had been a managing director and global head of the M&A group at SoundView, until the firm’s acquisition by Charles Schwab last year. Most recently, he had been an independent management consultant and advisor to high-growth companies. Samir Hussein, New York, joined Deutsche Bank as a director in its North American media and telecom group. He previously was at Banc of America Securities, where he was a principal in the media and telecom division. Andrew Stainer, London, has become a managing director in Deutsche Bank’s real estate division. He joined the firm from J.P. Morgan, where he most recently led its European principal finance group. DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US – The firm poached corporate partners Laurence Bronska and Andrew McCune from Winston & Strawn. They joined as co-chairs of the firm’s Midwest private equity practice in Chicago. EFI – In line with its intention to aggressively pursue acquisitions, EFI, provider of digital imaging and print management services, named Mark Adams as VP of corporate development and strategy, in which capacity he oversees strategic planning, acquisitions, and alliances. Prior to joining the company, Adams was acting VP of data networking at VTech Communications. Global M&A – This global partnership of top-tier mid-market investment banks chose Michael Gibbons, founder and chairman of Brown Gibbons Lang, as its new chairman at a recent partnership meeting in Venice, Italy. Gibbons is the first American to lead Global M&A, which was established in Europe in the 1990s. Members execute deals on a partnership basis. Goldman Sachs Capital Partners – Sanjay Patel has re-joined Goldman Sachs, where he now co-heads the bank’s European private equity business. Patel joined from alternative asset management firm GSC Partners. Prior to joining GSC, he had been a managing director at Goldman, Sachs. Harris Williams – The firm promoted three executives recently: Jeffery Bistrong, managing director; Michael Hogan, director; and Todd Morris, director. Bistrong, who co-founded the firm’s Boston office in 2002, had been a senior member of the M&A teams at Robertson Stephens, Tucker Anthony, and BancBoston Securities before joining Harris Williams. Hogan had been with Bowles Hollowell Conner before moving to Harris Williams in 1999. Morris joined Harris Williams in Richmond, Va., in 1996 and moved to San Francisco in 2000 to help build the firm’s West Coast office. Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin – In a significant expansion of its technology group, the firm hired six M&A professionals, including a new managing director and head of technology. The team is headed by managing director Jason Hutchinson, who formerly oversaw M&A activity for Piper Jaffray’s technology practice. The other new hires, also from Piper Jaffray’s tech M&A group, include VP Setch Subudhayangkul and VP Jace Kowalzyk. The team is based in Houlihan Lokey’s San Francisco office. Howard Frazier Barker Elliott – M&A and corporate finance specialist Michael Hansen was promoted to senior managing director. He joined the firm in 2003, after having served as an associate in the global industrial and services group at Credit Suisse First Boston and as a senior associate in the corporate, banking and business section at Fulbright & Jaworski. Jefferies & Co. – Annette Grimaldi has joined the firm as a managing director and head of its life sciences investment banking activities. Grimaldi, based in New York, focuses on biotech and emerging pharmaceutical companies. Prior to joining Jefferies, she spent nearly 10 years at SG Cowen, where she led the firm’s biotech and emerging pharmaceuticals investment banking efforts. Lane, Berry – Stephen Hines has been named a managing director in the company’s newly opened office on Madison Avenue in New York. Hines has more than 24 years of experience in investment banking, M&A, and private equity at firms including Goldman Sachs, Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Beacon Group, and J.H. Whitney. Latham & Watkins – The firm named several counsels to its global partnership. John Sorkin, who focuses his practice on domestic and cross-border transactions, was elected a partner in New York. Matteo Bay, global antitrust and competition practice, and Christopher Yates, antitrust and intellectual property litigation, were elevated to partners in Brussels and San Francisco, respectively. Leerink Swann – Ken Lerner recently joined the firm as a managing director and head of biotechnology investment banking. Before this, he was a managing director and head of life sciences investment banking at Harris Nesbitt. J.P. Morgan Chase – The firm hired Gary Weiss, based in London, to beef up its European M&A advisory team. Previously, he had worked for 13 years at Merrill Lynch, most recently as head of European technology investment banking. Rothschild North America – Veteran health care investment banker Jon David Friedland has joined the firm as a managing director. He joined Rothschild from Rinaldini & Co., where he had been a managing director. Before that, he had been director of health care investment banking at Lazard Freres from 2002 to 2004. Shah Capital Partners – The firm, which focuses on technology buyouts, has named Kyle Ryland as a senior partner. Previously, he was a managing director and head of global technology investment banking at Lehman Brothers, which he joined in 1998. Shaw Pittman – David Charles has joined as a member of the Shaw Pittman’s corporate and securities practice in its Northern Virginia office. He concentrates on M&A, corporate financings, and general business transactions. Silverfern Group – This middle-market M&A boutique expanded its senior banking team with the additions of Thomas Burchill and William Harrison, both managing directors. Based in New York, Burchill serves clients in the media, consumer products, technology, business services, and general manufacturing sectors. Most recently he had been a general partner of Viridian Capital Partners. Harrison had been an officer in the New York M&A group of Credit Suisse First Boston, following that firm’s acquisition of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette. Harrison, also based in New York, focuses on technology, consumer, sport, health, and fitness companies. Stout Causey Capital – Hunt Valley, Md.-based Stout Causey Consulting recently formed Stout Causey Capital, an M&A advisory practice. The core Stout Causey Capital M&A team members are: Bruce Chalmers, VP, former director of corporate development for an international chemicals manufacturing company; VP Barry Offutt, who previously was CFO of a technology firm; and advisory board member, Robert Lee, formerly CEO of Millennium Chemicals and COO of Hanson Industries PLC. Trenwith Securities – Itzhak Krinsky joined the firm’s global banking office in New York as a managing director responsible for domestic and international deals. Before moving to Trenwith, Krinsky was with Silverfern Group and Deutsche Banc Securities. UBS – Jeffrey Cohen joined the firm as a managing director and global head of retailing in the firm’s investment banking division. Cohen, based in New York, joined the firm from Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, where he had been global head of the retail sector. Wachovia Securities – Jeff Armstrong, a Wachovia managing director and head of the M&A and financial sponsors group, has been named head of corporate finance at the company. He is based in Charlotte. In this position, Armstrong runs Wachovia’s 12 investment banking origination groups. He joined the company in 1999 from Salomon Smith Barney, where he had been a managing director in the financial sponsors group. In other news, Curtis Magleby joined the firm as a managing director in the real estate investment banking group. Magleby, based in Los Angeles, focuses on the gaming sector. He joined Wachovia from Lehman Brothers, where he worked for the past seven years in the gaming and lodging sector. Copyright 2005 Thomson Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.thomsonmedia.com http://www.majournal.com