Leading global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) announced the appointment of five Global Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) Managing Directors, all formerly with KPMG, in Australia. The new team, under the leadership of David Willis, previously KPMG Australia’s Head of Private Equity, will spearhead Global TAG’s Australia service line expansion. Global TAG’s Australian footprint underscores the practice’s strategic growth and the firm’s continued commitment to integrating its private equity (PE) services and operations capabilities in the region.
The Australian TAG expansion follows on senior transaction advisory talent investments across China, Canada, the Middle East, Spain, Italy and Germany. Serving alongside Mr. Willis in Sydney are Managing Directors: Doug Houston, David Savage and Steve Shirtliff, with Managing Director Mark Schiavello based in Melbourne.
All five new hires have extensive financial due diligence and capital markets experience, with a focus on private equity and large corporate transactions. Bolstering the team’s expertise, Mr. Shirtliff also grew and led KPMG’s deal analytics business which is integral to A&M’s Global TAG strategy and critical to maximizing deal value. As the senior Global TAG practitioner in Melbourne, Mr. Schiavello brings a unique perspective, having previously served as Head of Strategy and Transformation at Tabcorp, which included the acquisition of Tatts Group.
Collectively, the Global TAG Australia team has advised on both buy and sell-side transactions, including platform acquisitions, bolt-on transactions, carveouts and mergers, initial public offerings and capital raisings. Their combined industry expertise spans multiple sectors, including healthcare, life sciences/clinical research organizations, telecommunications, media and technology, childcare, financial services including technology, waste services and recycling, gaming and wagering, along with a broad range of consumer, retail and industrial services. Additionally, they have worked in multiple geographies including Australia, Canada and the UK.
Bryan Marsal, A&M Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, emphasized the firm’s and Global TAG’s aligning growth objectives. “Our mission is to maximize long-term client value while driving innovative change that addresses the market’s needs. The Global TAG Australia team complements our integrated suite of services, extends the benefits of our freedom from audit conflicts and furthers our ability to meet PE and corporate clients’ evolving regional and international needs.”
Paul Aversano, Global Practice Leader of Global TAG, commented, “In one dramatic move, we have expanded our geographic footprint and augmented our network of boots-on-the-ground transaction professionals to help our clients be successful investors. A&M’s integrated platform positions us to assist our clients in maximizing value as they seek to deploy the record levels of dry powder available in the Australian and New Zealand markets.”
Mr. Willis, said, “As an experienced team of transaction leaders who look to bring value to each deal, we’ve had a long-held respect for A&M and its reputation for operational excellence. We know that clients in Australia, New Zealand and around the world require advisors with a broad range of transaction and sector experience. We look forward to harnessing the power of A&M’s deep functional expertise and sector knowledge to ensure clients maximize value from their transactions.”
Sourced from A&M