Scott Kirkby Joins as a Managing Director

Houlihan Lokey, Inc. (NYSE:HLI), the global investment bank, announced today that Scott Kirkby has joined the firm as a Managing Director in its European Financial Services and Technology team, which operates as part of the global FinTech Group. Based in London, Mr. Kirkby will focus primarily on the banking and lending sector, further strengthening the firm’s EMEA capabilities in this area.

Mr. Kirkby joins from Bupa, where he was the Group Director of Corporate Development with a range of responsibilities, including M&A and portfolio management. Mr. Kirkby previously spent seven years as Head of Corporate Development and M&A at NatWest Group, formerly the RBS Group, where he played a leading role in the significant divestiture programme undertaken by the bank as well as various acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and internal restructures. Prior to this, Mr. Kirkby spent 12 years in Credit Suisse’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG), becoming Head of EMEA FIG M&A, based in London, before moving to New York in 2013 as Head of FIG M&A for the Americas. He began his investment banking career in 2001 in Australia.

Christian Kent, Managing Director and Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey’s European Financial Services and Technology team, commented, “We are very excited to have Scott joining our team. He has invaluable insights into how the banking and lending sector across Europe is evolving. The rapid digital transformation in the sector has opened new opportunities for clients to embrace innovation, scale operations through M&A, and expand into new verticals. Scott’s wealth of experience, strategic insight, and expansive network will help our clients as they consider a future sale, acquisition, capital raise, or other strategic options for their business.”

“We’re delighted to be welcoming Scott to Houlihan Lokey,” says Alec Ellison, Managing Director and Global Head of Houlihan Lokey’s FinTech Group. “The financial services and FinTech sectors are highly integrated, and Scott’s unique breadth of experience across financial services markets, as well as the technologies and services to the banking and lending sector, are highly differentiated in the market. Scott will be an integral part of the team as we further build upon our market-leading position in the banking and lending sector.”

“Houlihan Lokey is renowned for its deep end-market expertise both in the traditional banking and lending sector and the wider FinTech landscape, with senior financial professionals across every vertical,” said Mr. Kirkby. “Not only that, but there is an understanding at the firm that an industry driven by innovation and change requires a unique blend of sector expertise, transaction experience, and a genuinely client-centric ethos. These values align with my own, and I look forward to working with the team to deliver exceptional results for our client base.”

Houlihan Lokey is the trusted advisor to more top decision-makers than any other independent global investment bank. Houlihan Lokey’s dedicated FinTech Group builds on the firm’s leading technology and financial services expertise and underscores its belief in and commitment to the future of financial technology.

About Houlihan Lokey

Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. The firm serves corporations, institutions, and governments worldwide with offices in the Americas, 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. The firm is the No. 1 investment bank for all global M&A transactions, the No. 1 M&A advisor for the past nine consecutive years in the U.S., the No. 1 global restructuring advisor for the past ten consecutive years, and the No. 1 global M&A fairness opinion advisor over the past 25 years, all based on number of transactions and according to data provided by LSEG (formerly Refinitiv).

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