Houlihan Lokey Deepens Equity Private Placement Expertise With Senior European Hire

David Kelnar joins as a Managing Director

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI), the global investment bank, announced today that David Kelnar has joined as a Managing Director in the firm’s Capital Markets Group to spearhead its equity private placement capability in Europe. He is based in the firm’s London office.

Mr. Kelnar will focus on providing equity solutions, including growth capital and structured equity, for the firm’s corporate and financial-sponsor-backed clients in the region, working closely with the US Equity Private Placements team, headed by Sean Fitzgerald in New York.

He joins from Numis, where he spent three years as a Managing Director and Head of Growth Capital Solutions. Prior to this, Mr. Kelnar was a Partner and Head of Research at MMC Ventures, a leading UK venture capital firm. He previously spent eight years in senior leadership roles at two high-growth startup companies. He began his career at Goldman Sachs in 2002 as an Equity Research Analyst.

“We are excited to be deepening our private placement capability in Europe, enhancing our offering to high-growth companies in the region. David has an outstanding reputation in the European growth equity marketplace, drawing on extensive experience as an advisor, a leader, and an investor. This combination, together with our deep sector expertise and leadership in private capital advisory, will enable us to achieve outstanding outcomes for clients and investors alike,” said Anthony Martino, Global Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Markets Group. “David’s client focus and outstanding track record of success make him a perfect fit with our corporate culture, and we look forward to the valuable contribution he will make to further cement our position as a preeminent advisor to high-growth businesses.”

“Houlihan Lokey delivers a compelling private capital advisory proposition. With a global presence, deep sector expertise, and a dynamic, client-focused culture, the firm is ideally placed to offer the most impactful advice and connectivity to scale-ups and high-growth clients. With 30 transactions completed by the Equity Private Placements team globally in 2022, Houlihan Lokey has compelling momentum on which to build. I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues to help our clients achieve their ambitions,” commented Mr. Kelnar.

This is the latest senior appointment to the Capital Markets team in EMEA and follows the recent appointment of Andy Cairns as a Managing Director and Head of Middle East and Africa, Capital Markets.

With more than 90 dedicated finance professionals across offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Washington, D.C., London, Manchester, Frankfurt, Milan, and Dubai, Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Markets Group is among the largest of its kind in financial services. The group provides capital-raising services for a wide variety of clients, from large, publicly held multinational corporations to privately held companies. Over the past two years, the group has raised approximately $25 billion in capital and advised on an additional $12 billion in capital over a total of more than 250 transactions with over 110 different financial sponsors. In calendar 2022, Houlihan Lokey’s Equity Private Placements team raised $2 billion across 30 deals.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of the firm’s commitment to client success across its advisory services. Houlihan Lokey is the No. 1 investment bank for global M&A transactions under $1 billion, the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past eight consecutive years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past nine consecutive years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 25 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by Refinitiv.