Lincoln International Opens London Office

Latest European Opening Expands Lincoln’s International Presence

LONDON, January 7, 2008 — Lincoln International, a leading global mid-market investment bank, has now opened its London office, bringing the total number of offices to seven and further expanding the firm’s international reach. Lincoln International also has offices in Chicago, Frankfurt, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Vienna.

Establishing an office in London is highly strategic to Lincoln International’s goal of being an integrated global investment bank. Since 2006, 35% of Lincoln International’s transactions have been cross-border, in which the target and acquirer were located in different countries. With the opening of its London office, Lincoln will focus its efforts on developing a strong local presence and business with UK-based firms and transactions. The firm offers a wide range of services to its clients including merger & acquisition services, private capital raising, fairness opinions & valuations, corporate finance, distressed situations & financial restructuring, and management team advisory.

The London team will focus on providing M&A advice to private equity funds and companies throughout the UK, particularly in those sectors that benefit from a truly integrated global approach to transactions, including the industrial, electronics, chemicals, automotive, building products and consumer industries. The primary focus will be on transactions from £25 to £250 million. Lincoln International’s UK operations are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Lincoln International’s London team will also provide independent financial advice to management teams and pension scheme trustees, including UK pensions deficit funding and related transaction issues. The firm brings a unique expertise in the area by providing clear, independent financial advice to clients and working alongside existing legal and actuarial advisors. Lincoln International’s leadership within the London office also brings directly relevant experience in the pension advisory field, having previously worked for the UK Pensions Regulator.

The London office starts with an initial team of eight, including four London-based hires in addition to professionals transferred from Chicago, Frankfurt and New York. As a result, the London office has full local execution capabilities upon its opening and will be highly-integrated with other parts of Lincoln International’s global operations including offices in continental Europe, North American offices, as well as strategic Asian partners. Currently, Lincoln International has more than 100 M&A bankers in continental Europe and North America, as well as access to more than 100 M&A bankers at its three strategic Asian partner firms.

Darren Redmayne, Managing Director and CEO of Lincoln International’s London office, will oversee all day-to-day operations. He was formerly the Head of European Financial Sponsors Group at Close Brothers and brings strong relationships with the mid-market private equity community, an impressive transaction track record in mid-market deals, and considerable international deal experience to the firm. Redmayne graduated from Cambridge University.

Lincoln International’s fully-integrated global platform and deep sector expertise in nine specialist sectors is unrivalled by our UK-based competitors in the mid-market, said Redmayne. With more than 100 current assignments, including more than 75 sell-side, we have substantial international mid-market deal flow. We look forward to delivering superior service, market knowledge and global contacts to our UK clients, he added.

Redmayne will be joined by Robert Satow, Managing Director. Redmayne and Satow worked together at Close Brothers from 1998 to 2004. Satow joined Lincoln International in 2004 and has worked in North America with a primary focus on cross-border transactions. Satow’s experience working both with Redmayne and at Lincoln International for several years is a key factor in ensuring that the London office will immediately and effectively integrate with the rest of the firm. Satow graduated from Bristol University.

Also acting in a senior capacity is Michael Bottenheim, Advisory Director. Bottenheim has acted as advisor to European and U.S. companies in cross-border M&A for the last 35 years, including nine years at Citicorp and 15 years at Lazard. He is a member of the Board of Directors of UPM Kymmene, a U.S. $11 billion market capitalisation company based in Finland. He also sits on the Advisory Board of Montrose Associates, a provider of strategic intelligence, insights and perspective, based in London.

To further ensure complete integration, Jim Lawson, Co-Chairman of Lincoln International, will spend one week per month in London indefinitely. Lawson has spent more than 25 years working on mid-market transactions in North America and brings a deep base of contacts, particularly in the United States. His involvement is a reflection of the importance of the UK effort and the focus on international integration. Lawson is based in Chicago.

Hans Peter Peters, Co-Chairman of Lincoln International based in Frankfurt, will also be actively involved in the firm’s London activities. The vision of Lincoln International is to create the leading global mid-market M&A advisory firm by combining a strong domestic presence in each of the key world economies and London is at the cornerstone of that approach, said Peters. This latest European expansion will further enable our firm to provide world-class advisory services to clients across the globe.

About Lincoln International

Lincoln International specialises in merger and acquisition services, private capital raising, and providing fairness opinions and valuations for leading organisations involved in mid-market transactions. With offices in Chicago, Frankfurt, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Vienna and strategic partnerships with China Everbright and other partner firms in Asia, Lincoln International has strong local knowledge and contacts in the key global economies. The organisation provides clients with senior-level attention, in-depth industry expertise and integrated resources. By being focused and independent, Lincoln International serves its clients without conflicts of interest. More information about Lincoln International can be obtained at www.lincolninternational.com.

For U.S. and U.K. media inquiries:
Eileen Boyce
Reputation Partners
011.312.222.9126
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Courtney Harper
Reputation Partners
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For All Other European media inquiries:
Ute Raab
Lincoln International
49 – 69 – 97 10 54 40
ute.raab@lincoln.international.com