WL Ross Managing Director Stephen J. Toy Named to the M&A Advisor's "40 Under 40"

NEW YORK, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen J. Toy, 39, Managing Director of WL Ross & Co., and Chairman of the Company's Investment Committee and member of the firm's Office of the Chairman has been cited as an outstanding young business leader through his selection as a recipient of a 40 UNDER 40 M&A Advisor Eastern Regional Recognition Award.  

The award program is designed to promote mentorship and professional development amongst emerging business leaders, and winners are selected by an independent panel of distinguished business leaders for their accomplishments and expertise.  

Mr. Toy focuses on global distressed private equity investments and has spearheaded the large scale turnaround of numerous platform companies.  Most recently, he has been involved in the establishment of the International Automotive Component Group companies as a leading global supplier of automotive interior and exterior component parts. Mr. Toy has also been involved with the acquisition of VTG AG, the largest specialized railcar leasing company in Europe, from TUI AG; the establishment of Kansai Sawayaka Bank in Japan to acquire Kofuku Bank Ltd; the consolidation of North American telecommunications assets with 360networks Corp.; and the acquisition of Marquis Who's Who from Reed Elsevier. 

"This is well-deserved recognition for an accomplished leader who has played a pivotal role in building WL Ross since its founding in 2000," said Wilbur L. Ross, Chairman and CEO. "A consummate investment professional, Stephen has successfully taken on increasingly important responsibilities over the years, and proven time and again that he is an invaluable member of our strong and deep senior leadership team.  His recent appointment to Chairman of our Investment Committee reflects our confidence in him and our clients' trust in his abilities and judgment as we continue to build out our next generation of management."

About WL Ross & Co. LLC

WL Ross & Co. LLC, founded by Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. in 2000, has sponsored and managed more than $10 billion of private equity investments in a number of sectors including financial services, steel, energy, textiles, shipping and automotive components. WL Ross managed funds have investments in Virgin Money in the United Kingdom, Bank of Ireland and several U.S. community banks including BankUnited. Other financial services investments include single family mortgage servicing and originations, insurance and railcar and aircraft leasing.

SOURCE WL Ross & Co.