Houlihan Lokey Continues European Growth With Senior Hire to Consumer, Food & Retail Group

Michael Collinson Joins Firm As a Managing Director in London

Houlihan Lokey HLI, the global investment bank, today announced that Michael Collinson has joined the firm as a Managing Director in the Consumer, Food & Retail Group, based in London.

Mr. Collinson joins from William Blair, where he was Managing Director, European Consumer & Retail Investment Banking responsible for transaction origination and execution across the European consumer landscape. He joined William Blair in 2015 from Jefferies, where he was European Co-Head of Consumer and Retail Investment Banking. Prior to this role, he spent seven years at The Royal Bank of Scotland/ABN Amro, and was a Managing Director in the Consumer Industries Group. He began his investment banking career at Credit Suisse First Boston in 1996, focusing on M&A, capital raising, and corporate finance advice for consumer goods clients.

This appointment follows the recent strengthening of the group's London team with the promotion of James Scallan to Managing Director. Mr. Scallan, who focuses on food, drink, and agribusiness, joined Houlihan Lokey in 2015 with the firm's acquisition of McQueen.

"With over 20 years' experience of providing the highest quality advice to European consumer products companies, Michael is a highly respected senior advisor and the ideal person to lead our consumer products effort in Europe. His deep sector knowledge will provide significant insights to our clients and to colleagues across our global network," said Jay Novak, Global Head of Houlihan Lokey's Consumer, Food & Retail Group.

"As we continue to expand our business in Europe, we are always looking to bring on board true sector experts whose background fits our culture and our goal to provide superior outcomes for our clients. Michael will be a tremendous addition to our highly successful Consumer, Food & Retail team in Europe, which advised on 26 transactions over the last year, and I am confident that his expertise will help us continue to grow our practice," said Shaun Browne, Co-Head of UK Corporate Finance at Houlihan Lokey.

Mr. Collinson holds an MSc in Accounting and Finance from The London School of Economics and Political Science, and Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws degrees from the University of Auckland.

In 2018, Houlihan Lokey was ranked for the fourth consecutive year as both the No. 1 M&A advisor for all US transactions and a top 10 most active global M&A advisor, based on Thomson Reuters' annual year-end league table data.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey HLI is a global 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, 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 ranked as the No. 1 M&A advisor for all U.S. transactions, the No. 1 global restructuring advisor, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 20 years, according to Thomson Reuters. For more information, please visit www.HL.com.

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