Kroll enhances corporate finance offering for corporate boards and private equity sponsors
Kroll, the leading independent provider of global risk and financial advisory solutions, has accelerated the growth of its fairness opinions capabilities by expanding its Duff & Phelps Opinions practice in London. The development builds upon Kroll’s European growth and strengthens its position as the leading global provider of fairness opinions. In January 2022, the firm announced the completion of its transition to a unified Kroll brand.
The expansion of the Duff & Phelps Opinions team in London enhances the services offered by Kroll to the corporate, private equity and investment banking sectors in the UK and EMEA. Leading the practice are two senior members now based in London: David Lee, from Kroll’s New York office, and Dr. Simon von Witzleben, from Kroll’s Munich office..
The Duff & Phelps Opinions team will provide fairness opinions for mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, financings, de-SPAC transactions and private equity related party and secondary transactions. A primary focus of the team will be providing fairness opinions for GP-led secondary deals, given the significant growth in these transactions in the past few years.
This expansion in London follows Kroll’s long-standing success in the EMEA market. The firm was ranked first in EMEA in 2021 by Refinitiv for the total number of fairness opinions rendered, aggregating ~$24 billion in deal value.
David Lee, managing director in Kroll’s Duff & Phelps Opinions practice, London, commented: “This expansion in London marks a new chapter for Kroll’s Duff & Phelps Opinions practice. We’ve been a top global provider for fairness opinions for the past 10 years and London, one of the world’s leading financial centres, is the natural base of operations for our European practice. Our aim is to build upon the success we’ve seen throughout EMEA and globally, while maintaining our reputation for providing the highest quality independent advice to management, boards of directors, supervisory boards, special committees and other fiduciaries.”
Dr. Simon Von Witzleben, director in Kroll’s Duff & Phelps Opinions practice, London, added: “As the markets face a number of new macroeconomic challenges, we expect our London practice to also provide valuation advice and opinions in connection with large-scale restructuring transactions over the coming years. In this regard, we’ll be working closely with our colleagues in the M&A Advisory and Debt Advisory teams, furthering the span of relevant, independent advice we can offer clients in the private equity and investment banking space, creating a truly holistic service.”
