Healthcare-focused investment bank Leerink Partners has expanded its investment banking activities with the hiring of four senior bankers and their teams from Lazard Middle Market. All four of the new team members will be based in Leerink’s newly formed Charlotte, NC office which will have a total staff of ten investment banking professionals.
Joining Leerink are Doug Brown, Senior Managing Director, who will lead the healthcare services and private equity coverage franchises at Leerink; Mike Drendel, Managing Director, will lead the specialty & generic pharmaceuticals franchise; Jeff Danesis, Director, will focus on healthcare services; and Byron Webster, Director, will focus on specialty & generic pharmaceuticals.
During Mr. Brown’s and Mr. Drendel’s six years at Lazard, they advised clients on over 25 transactions, representing $8 billion in aggregate deal value. Both bankers will report to Jim Boylan, President and Head of Investment Banking of Leerink.
“We are thrilled to welcome Doug, Mike and their teams to Leerink Partners. They are exceptional investment bankers, with strong client relationships, who differentiate themselves through their knowledge and substance-based approach to advising clients,” said Mr. Boylan. “After record revenues and growth in 2013 and 2014, we have been focused on expanding our investment banking footprint.”
Leerink Partners was formerly known as Leerink Swann and changed its name to Leerink Partners in January 2014. The firm was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Boston with additional offices in New York, San Francisco, and Charlotte (www.leerink.com).
Prior to joining Leerink, Doug Brown was a Managing Director at Lazard for six years serving as the Middle Market Healthcare Group Head. His notable transactions at Lazard include the sale of Solstas Lab Partners to Quest Diagnostics, the sale of Genova Diagnostics to Levine Leichtmann, and the sale of National Surgical Hospitals to Irving Place Capital. Prior to Lazard, he was a Managing Director at Wachovia Securities, focused on healthcare services. Mr. Brown earned his MBA from Duke and his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas.
“We are excited to have joined Leerink Partners, which will prove to be the ideal platform to serve our clients,” said Mr. Brown. “Given the firm’s exclusive focus in healthcare and its market leading equity capital markets platform, it is the perfect complement to our business, which has been focused on owner/operator and private equity owned healthcare companies. Furthermore, we will grow our practices to include innovative and growth-minded publicly traded healthcare companies.”
Prior to joining Leerink, Mike Drendel was a Managing Director at Lazard and spent six years advising specialty pharmaceuticals companies. Prior to Lazard, he worked in the healthcare investment banking group at Wachovia Securities on a variety of advisory and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Drendel earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his bachelor of business administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
“My focus in specialty & generic pharmaceuticals is a natural extension of Leerink’s prominent biopharma investment banking franchise,” said Mr. Drendel. “We look forward to leveraging the resources of the firm and believe that our transaction experience and industry relationships will further distinguish the Leerink Partners investment banking franchise.”
Jeff Danesis joins Leerink from Lazard where he was a Director in the Healthcare Group. Prior to Lazard, he was an Associate at Wachovia Securities in the Healthcare Investment Banking Group. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree from Northwestern University.
Byron Webster joins Leerink from Lazard where he was Vice President in the Healthcare Group. Prior to Lazard, he spent seven years in the Healthcare Investment Banking group at Wells Fargo Securities. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Wake Forest University.
2015 PEPD • Private Equity’s Leading News Magazine • 5-13-15
