CHICAGO & LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--William Blair, a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management, today announced that Julien Darmon and Alvaro Hernandez joined the firm’s industrials investment banking team in the London office. Mr. Darmon joins as a managing director, and Mr. Hernandez as a director.
“Our European investment banking business continues to grow at a significant pace, and we are committed to attracting the highest levels of talent to ensure our clients’ ongoing success,” said Anu Sharma, head of European Investment Banking.
Mr. Darmon joins from Robert W. Baird Ltd.’s London office where he was a managing director. Prior to that, he was a managing director at Harris Williams. Over the past two decades, Mr. Darmon advised on industry-shaping transactions involving private and publicly traded companies in the industrials sector, including the sale of Celli S.p.A. to Ardian, IP Cleaning S.p.A. to Tennant Company, Audiotonix Limited to Astorg Partners, and Cimbria Holdings Limited to AGCO.
Mr. Hernandez most recently was a director for PricewaterhouseCoopers Corporate Finance in N.Y. Before that, he worked in Madrid for Rothschild and Société Générale. He has focused on the industrials sector for 14 years, completing global transactions including the sale of GE Appliances to Haier, Indal to Philips Electronics, and advised Gardner Denver Thomas in the multiple acquisitions of TriContinent, Zinsser Analytic, and ILS.
“Julien and Alvaro bring a wealth of experience to our leading industrials investment banking team, and are highly respected for their deep industry knowledge,” said Matt Zimmer, head of Services & Industrials Investment Banking. “We welcome them to our growing team and are excited to continue our advisory transaction momentum globally.”
In 2018, William Blair was the No. 1 advisor to sponsor related deals for transactions under $2 billion¹. William Blair’s Services & Industrials Investment Banking team has been extremely active with more than 50 transactions in 2018 including Parenco’s €460 million sale to Smurfit Kappa, Nora’s €385 million sale to Interface, and Alpha’s $750 million sale to EnerSys.
About William Blair
William Blair is a premier global boutique with expertise in investment banking, investment management, and private wealth management. We provide advisory services, strategies, and solutions to meet our clients’ evolving needs. As an independent and employee-owned firm, together with our strategic partners, we operate in more than 20 offices worldwide.* For more information, please visit williamblair.com.
*Includes strategic partnerships with Allier Capital, BDA Partners, and Poalim Capital Markets.
¹Mergermarket 2018
