David Cohen to Join Centerview

NEW YORK, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerview Partners announced that David M. Cohen, a highly respected relationship and M&A banker, is joining the firm's New York office as a Partner. Mr. Cohen will be primarily responsible for continuing to build the firm's General Industrial and Financial Sponsor practices. Mr. Cohen's appointment comes as Centerview continues to expand its high level strategic advisory capabilities to cover a broad range of top publicly-traded and private companies.

"We're pleased to have someone of David's caliber on board. In the past few years, we have been focused on building up Centerview and hiring the best people who can provide unique, creative and trustworthy insights to senior managements and Boards of Directors. We are another step closer to our goal of becoming strategic counsel to companies across all industry sectors," said Robert Pruzan, a founding partner at Centerview.

Mr. Cohen brings more than 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience to the partnership. He spent more than 13 years at JPMorgan Chase where he held various senior level positions. Mr. Cohen served as Managing Director and the Global Head of the Industrials Group at JPMorgan Securities and also served as a Co-Head of the North America M&A Group at the bank. In both roles, Mr. Cohen helped start and build the businesses into industry leading positions. Most recently, he was Managing Director of the bank's private equity arm, One Equity Partners (OEP). In that role, he was responsible for originating investment opportunities for the division and monitoring and advising a portfolio of companies on their expansion and capital markets activities. Prior to working at JPMorgan Chase, Mr. Cohen co-headed S.G. Warburg's M&A practice. Earlier in his career, he worked in M&A and high-yield financing at Wasserstein Perella & Co. and as a management consultant for Bain & Company.  

"Centerview's success has been anchored on building long-term relationships with clients, being with them every step of the way, and showcasing deep knowledge and versatility at every stage of a company's growth, particularly in the most complex merger and capital advisory situations. I am excited to be a part of this talented and experienced team," said Mr. Cohen.

"Our goal is to prudently expand our practice with partners who share our goal of collaborating with our clients over the long-term to advise in the most complex and strategic corporate and financial matters. David's experience, expertise, and commitment to helping us build a culture of excellence makes him an ideal colleague for us," said Blair Effron, a founding partner of Centerview.  

Selected notable transactions in which Mr. Cohen has been a senior advisor include Alcan's takeover defense from Alcoa and its ultimate $38 billion sale to Rio Tinto, General Electric's $3.8 billion sale of GE Advanced Materials to Apollo Management, Cendant's $20 billion reorganization plan, and News Corp.'s exchange of its Direct TV interest with Liberty Media, as well as other transactions for the media company.

About David M. Cohen

David M. Cohen will join as a Partner at Centerview. He brings more than 20 years of investment banking and private equity experience to the firm. Prior to joining Centerview, Mr. Cohen spent more than 13 years at JPMorgan Chase where he held various senior level positions. Mr. Cohen served as Managing Director and the Global Head of the Industrials Group at JPMorgan Securities and also served as a Co-Head of the North America M&A Group at the bank. Most recently, he was a Managing Director of the bank's private equity arm, One Equity Partners (OEP). In that role, he was responsible for originating investment opportunities for the division and monitoring and advising a portfolio of companies on their expansion and capital markets activities.

Prior to joining JPMorgan Chase, Mr. Cohen was Co-Head of M&A at S.G. Warburg from 1993 to 1996. Earlier in his career, he worked in M&A and high-yield financing at Wasserstein Perella & Co. and as a management consultant for Bain & Company.  

Mr. Cohen earned an MBA with distinction from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Economics from Duke University. He has served on the boards of Pennsylvania-based outsourcing company NCO Group, Inc. and X-Rite, a technology company in Michigan. He is a member of Duke University's Trinity College Board of Visitors.

About Centerview Partners

Centerview Partners, with offices in New York, San Francisco and London, operates an international investment banking advisory practice and a private equity business. The advisory business specializes in independent advice and other client services capitalizing on the experience of its principals. The firm provides senior-level counsel to both domestic and international clients. Since its founding in 2006, the firm has advised clients in over $350 billion of transactions. Members of the firm have experience in a range of industries including the consumer products, financial services, food and beverage, entertainment and media, healthcare, technology, general industrial and retail sectors. The private equity business has an operational excellence focus and targets its investments in consumer-oriented industries.

Contact: April Emspak, 212-333-3810

SOURCE Centerview Partners