BrazilA&M launches Transaction Advisory practice in MENA
Global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal has expanded its mantle in the Middle East with the launch of a Transaction Advisory practice.
Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) first set foot in the region in 2008, and has since grown to a team of over 50 professionals. The majority of the firm’s experts focus on the topics of restructuring & turnaround (one of A&M’s powerhouse offerings worldwide), private equity services, forensic & investigations and corporate transformations.
With the launch of its so-called Transaction Advisory Group (TAG), the consultancy will now also provide clients with transactions advisory services. The largest transaction advisory practice outside the Big Four, Alvarez & Marsal’s team help private equity, hedge fund and corporate acquirers with a range of pre-deal services across the investment lifecycle.
Key offerings span deal origination, financial due diligence, vendor due diligence, capital markets advisory, valuations and pricing services, for both buyers as well as sellers. “The practice positions us to advise Middle East-based clients, as well as those around the world, on domestic, inbound and outbound transactions,” said Saeeda Jaffar, Head of the firm’s Middle East division.
Leading the setup and growth of the TAG practice is Ali Anwar, who has been appointed Managing Director following his transfer from EY. He spent nearly 15 years at the Big Four firm, latterly as an Engagement Partner, focused on transactions and financial advisory work.
According to his bio on A&M’s website, Anwar has advised on more than 130 transactions/projects in the past decade in the Middle East. Additionally, he has worked with clients on deal origination, market entry approaches, feasibility studies, expansion strategies, and operating model and business case development.
UAE-based Anwar has experience in helping sovereign wealth funds, global and regional private equity firms, multinational corporations and family offices navigate M&A and capital markets transactions.
“Ali’s experience and local market relationships strengthens our ability to help clients be successful investors and maximise value amidst a fluctuating landscape,” said Tony Alvarez III, Managing Director and leader of A&M’s European and Middle East practices.
The foray into MENA comes hot on the heels of the Transaction Advisory Group launching in a number of new European markets, as well as beefing up its numbers in existing locales such as the US, the UK, and France. “The expansion into the Middle East is the continuation of our global growth strategy,” said Paul Aversano, Global Practice Leader of A&M’s Global Transaction Advisory Group.
