C.W. Downer & Co.
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment banking |
| Founded | 1975 |
| Founder | Charles W. Downer |
| Defunct | 2016 |
| Fate | Merged with N+1 Group to form Alantra |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | International (offices in Dublin, Frankfurt, Madrid, Mumbai, Oslo, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney) |
Key people | Charles W. Downer (founder) |
| Products | Advisory services for middle-market mergers and acquisitions, capital raising initiatives |
C.W. Downer & Co. was an investment banking firm headquartered in Boston, specializing in advisory services for middle-market mergers and acquisitions. The company provided strategic and private equity clients with expertise in acquisitions, divestitures, and capital raising initiatives.
Established in 1975 by Charles W. Downer in Boston, the firm grew its international presence with offices located in Dublin, Frankfurt, Madrid, Mumbai, Oslo, Paris, Shanghai, and Sydney. Initially known as Downer & Company, it adopted the name C.W. Downer & Co. in 2008.
In 2016, C.W. Downer & Co. combined operations with the Spanish investment bank N+1 Group, resulting in the creation of Alantra.
History
Charles W. Downer launched C.W. Downer & Co. in 1975 with a focus on cross-border M&A advisory services targeting middle-market deals valued between $20 million and $500 million. The firm's first overseas office opened in Paris in 1980, followed by expansions into Sydney, Dublin, Frankfurt, Shanghai, Madrid, Oslo, and Mumbai.
The company underwent a rebranding in April 2008, transitioning from Downer & Company to C.W. Downer & Co., and introduced the tagline “Because the middle-market is global.”
In recognition of his contributions to the industry, Charles W. Downer was honored with the Association for Corporate Growth's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010.
On April 27, 2016, C.W. Downer merged with Madrid-based N+1 Group, a global investment bank offering services including M&A advisory, debt advisory, restructuring, and capital markets solutions. The merged entity employed approximately 240 investment banking professionals across 14 offices spanning 13 countries and was initially named N+1 Downer.
Later that year, on September 26, 2016, N+1 Downer adopted the Alantra brand to unify several legacy names such as N+1 and C.W. Downer. Today, Alantra operates with a team of 57 partners and 345 professionals distributed across 25 offices worldwide.