Paul J. Collins Joins Centerview Partners

NEW YORK, Nov. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Centerview Partners, a leading independent investment banking and advisory firm, announced today that Paul J. Collins has joined the firm as a partner in New York.  Mr. Collins brings over 25 years of investment banking experience with deep expertise in chemicals and will enhance Centerview's capabilities in the sector.

Mr. Collins joins Centerview from Barclays, where he was Vice Chairman, Investment Banking and previously Global Head of Chemicals, Barclays Capital.  Prior to Barclays, he served as Managing Director and Head of Global Chemicals Group at Lehman Brothers, Managing Director in the Chemicals Group at Merrill Lynch, and Managing Director in Mergers and Acquisitions at The Blackstone Group.  Throughout his career he has advised on some of the most significant transactions in the chemicals space including: GE's $11.6 billion sale of its plastics unit to SABIC; BASF's $5.6 billion acquisition of Engelhard; Eastman Chemical's $4.8 billion acquisition of Solutia; Carlyle Group's $4.9 billion acquisition of Dupont Performance Coatings; Dow Chemical's sale of Morton Salt; Platform Specialty Products' acquisitions of MacDermid and Chemtura AgroSolutions; and Georgia Gulf's RMT with PPG Industries' commodity chemicals business, among others.

"We are delighted Paul has joined the firm to advance our work and client relationships in the chemicals industry," said Blair Effron, co-founder of Centerview. "His leadership track record in the sector, together with his client-centric approach and dedication to providing unparalleled counsel, make him a strong fit for our culture."

Mr. Collins added, "I have long respected Centerview for its highly strategic approach to client service.  I am very excited to join the team and look forward to contributing to the firm and our clients."

Robert Pruzan, co-founder of Centerview, said, "Paul is a strong senior addition to our industrial practice and appreciates the value of providing our clients with the highest level of intellectual capital and industry insight.  We are delighted to have him on our team."

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 in over $800 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, general industrial & chemicals, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, restructuring, retail, and utilities sectors. Among the 26 deals valued over $1 billion on which the firm has advised thus far in 2014, notable examples include: Time Warner Cable on its pending $70 billion sale to Comcast; Lorillard on its $27 billion pending sale to Reynolds American; Beam on its $16 billion sale to Suntory; General Electric on its $13 billion pending acquisition of Alstom; InterMune on its pending $9 billion sale to Roche; and Mondelez on its coffee joint venture with D.E. Master Blenders.

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SOURCE Centerview Partners