Kenneth T. Berliner Joins Centerview Partners

NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerview Partners, a leading independent investment banking and advisory firm, announced today that Kenneth T. Berliner has joined the firm as a Partner in New York.  Mr. Berliner brings over 30 years of investment banking experience to Centerview with industry leading expertise in Retail and Apparel, E-Commerce, Consumer Products and Healthcare Services.

At Centerview Mr. Berliner will be responsible for the firm's Retail and Apparel and E-Commerce activities and source and execute assignments across the firm's other industry sectors.  He will continue to advise clients on mergers and acquisitions, divestures, defense and special committee assignments, restructurings, leveraged investment transactions and general corporate strategic matters.

Mr. Berliner joins Centerview from Peter J. Solomon Company where he was President and spent 23 years.  Prior to PJSC, he worked in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Leveraged Buyout Groups at Salomon Brothers, Inc. and Bank of America.  During his career Mr. Berliner has advised on some of the most significant retail and apparel and distribution transactions including: the pending $6.3 billion merger of Staples, Inc. and Office Depot, Inc., the $1.1 billion acquisition of Office Max, Inc. by Office Depot, the $2.9 billion acquisition of Warnaco Group, Inc. and $3.1 billion acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger B.V. by PVH, Inc., the $2.1 billion sale of Guitar Center to Bain Capital, the $6.3 billion sale of Michaels Stores to Bain Capital and the Blackstone Group, Walgreens Co.'s $1.1 billion acquisition of Duane Reade, Inc., the $2.1 billion acquisition of PSS World Medical, Inc. and $14.5 billion acquisition of HBO and Company by McKesson Corporation, the $1.3 billion sale of Kinray, Inc. to Cardinal Health, Inc. and the $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commence, Inc. by eBay, Inc. among others.

Robert Pruzan, co-founder of Centerview, said, "Ken is among the most senior bankers in the industry with a broad skill set serving clients in transactional and non-transactional matters.  His experience will help us in all areas of our business.  We are delighted that he is joining our firm."

Mr. Berliner added, "I have admired Centerview for a long time and have been extremely impressed by their talented bankers and client service culture and approach.  I have spent over 20 years working in an independent banking environment and look forward to continuing to apply that experience to Centerview's existing and future clients.  I am very excited to join the firm."

"We are pleased that Ken has joined the firm to advance our relationships and work in the Retail and Apparel, E-Commerce, Healthcare Services and other industry sectors," said Blair Effron, co-founder of Centerview.  "His investment banking and overall experience in developing long term client relationships and in executing transactions will be a good fit for our firm." 

About Centerview Partners

Centerview Partners, based in New York, and with offices in London, Los Angeles and San Francisco, operates an international investment banking advisory practice specializing 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 and its business includes general and M&A advisory as well as restructuring. Additionally, the firm has over $700 million of capital under management for investments in the consumer and technology sectors.

Since its founding in 2006, the firm has advised clients on close to $1.5 trillion 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, general industrial & chemicals, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, restructuring, retail, and utilities sectors. Among the 26 deals valued over $1 billion on which the firm advised in 2015, notable examples include: Pfizer on its pending $160 billion combination with Allergan, Time Warner on its pending $79 billion merger with Charter Communications, Kraft on its $58 billion merger with Heinz, GE on its planned disposition of approximately $200 billion of GE Capital assets, Pharmacyclics on its $21 billion sale to AbbVie, Newell Rubbermaid on its pending $20 billion acquisition of Jarden, TE Connectivity on its $3.0 billion sale of its Broadband Network Solutions business unit to CommScope, and restructuring advice to creditors of Midstates Petroleum and Endeavor International.

Contact:

Christopher Beattie
Brunswick Group
212-333-3810
[email protected]

SOURCE Centerview Partners