The capital markets group of investment bank Houlihan Lokey has hired Heather Smith as a Managing Director and Head of Structured Equity. Ms. Smith will focus on providing equity capital to corporate and financial sponsor backed clients for acquisition finance, growth capital and balance sheet recapitalizations. She is based in the firm’s New York office.
Ms. Smith has over 20 years of experience in the private placement industry, having raised approximately $12 billion in equity and debt capital for companies in the US, Europe and South America. She joins Houlihan Lokey from Sagent Advisors where she was a Managing Director and Head of the firm’s private financing solutions group which raised equity and equity-linked securities for late stage companies. Earlier in her career she was with Deutsche Bank, Greentech Capital, and Credit Suisse. Ms. Smith has a BA in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA from Northwestern University.
“The continuing growth of non-traditional capital providers creates attractive opportunities to develop bespoke structured finance solutions for our clients, however successfully accessing this capital requires deep market knowledge and industry relationships,” said Scott Adelson, Co-President and Co-Head of Corporate Finance. “Heather brings those qualities to our capital markets team. Her decades of experience and excellent cultural fit with our passionate approach to client service will be beneficial to our clients and to the continued growth of the business.”
“I’m delighted to join a capital markets group with the financing expertise, depth of insight, and breadth of relationships in the alternative finance universe that Houlihan Lokey has established. I look forward to working with my colleagues to build on the substantial success they have achieved to date and contribute to the superior client service for which the firm is known,” said Ms. Smith. The capital markets group has nearly 35 professionals globally and over the past 12 months the group has raised approximately $5 billion for clients across 29 transactions.
Houlihan Lokey (NYSE: HLI) provides mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, valuation, and strategic consulting services to private equity firms, corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide. The firm has offices in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region and is headquartered in Los Angeles (www.HL.com).
© 2017 Private Equity Professional | May 11, 2017
