SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 20, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Houlihan Lokey, the international investment bank, today announced that Jason Abt has joined the firm's Consumer, Food & Retail (CFR) Group as a Managing Director, based in San Francisco. Mr. Abt will primarily focus on providing strategic advisory services for clients in the restaurant and wine industries.
Mr. Abt joins Houlihan Lokey from Robert W. Baird where he was a Managing Director in the Consumer Group, advising restaurant companies, retailers, and financial sponsors on a range of corporate finance assignments. Prior to Baird, he was Managing Director of Corporate Development for The Vincraft Group, a private equity fund focused on the wine industry, where he managed the sourcing, acquisition, and operations of portfolio companies.
"Jason's unique background, which includes traditional advisory work for corporates and sponsors as well as time spent at a private equity fund focused on the wine industry, makes him an excellent addition to the Consumer, Food & Retail platform at Houlihan Lokey," said Jay Novak, Head of the CFR Group. "His extensive experience in investment banking and private equity, as well as his industry expertise in the restaurant and wine sectors, perfectly complements both our market-leading CFR Group and the firm's dominant financial sponsor coverage capabilities. We're delighted that he has joined the firm," he continued.
"Houlihan Lokey's advisory services combine deep industry knowledge with superior execution capabilities, delivered to a diverse, dynamic client base," said Mr. Abt. "I look forward to contributing meaningfully to the continued delivery of these services to our clients in the restaurant and wine sectors," he added.
Mr. Abt holds a B.S. in Finance from Arizona State University and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Houlihan Lokey is an international investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and valuation. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Independent advice and intellectual rigor are hallmarks of our commitment to client success across our advisory services. Houlihan Lokey is ranked as the No. 1 M &A advisor for U.S. transactions under $3 billion, the No. 1 global restructuring advisor, and the No. 1 M &A fairness opinion advisor for U.S. transactions over the past 10 years, according to Thomson Reuters. For more information, please visit www.HL.com.
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