Moelis & Company
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Investment banking, Financial services |
| Founded | July 2007 |
| Founder | Ken Moelis, Navid Mahmoodzadegan, Jeffrey Raich |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Navid Mahmoodzadegan (CEO) |
| Products | Financial advisory services including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, restructurings, corporate finance activities |
Number of employees | 1100+ |
| Website | moelis |
Moelis & Company is a worldwide investment bank offering financial advisory services to corporations, governments, and financial sponsors. The firm focuses on strategic financial matters including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and restructurings, and various other corporate finance activities. Since its inception in 2007, it has advised on transactions exceeding $4 trillion in value. Headquartered in New York City, Moelis maintains 20 offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia. The company employs more than 1,100 professionals, among them 765 investment bankers. Its leadership team consists of 137 managing directors averaging two decades of experience, many having served as former heads of sectors and product lines.
History
Moelis was established in July 2007 by entrepreneur Ken Moelis alongside partners Navid Mahmoodzadegan and Jeffrey Raich. Within its inaugural year, the firm rapidly secured a position among the top 10 US advisors in M&A transactions. Early landmark engagements included advising on Anheuser-Busch’s $61.2 billion acquisition by InBev, Yahoo’s defense against Microsoft’s $44.6 billion takeover attempt, and Hilton Hotels’ $26.5 billion sale to The Blackstone Group.
In 2008, the company initiated its restructuring division by bringing on board the co-heads of Jefferies' restructuring team. This practice advised on significant restructurings such as Delphi Automotive ($22.2 billion) and AMR Corp ($29.6 billion). Expansion into the European market followed with Matthew Prest’s team joining from Close Brothers, managing key assignments like the £1.5 billion recapitalization of Co-operative Bank and the €15.4 billion restructuring of Glitnir.
The firm extended its global reach in 2009 by appointing Mark Aedy as head of EMEA Investment Banking. That year also marked the opening of a Sydney office led by former JP Morgan bankers. Prominent Australian engagements included SABMiller’s A$11.7 billion acquisition of Fosters Group and KKR’s A$8.2 billion purchase of GE Capital Australia & New Zealand Consumer Finance.
Moelis further expanded with a Dubai office launched in 2011, advising the Government of Dubai on the $24.9 billion Dubai World restructuring. Simultaneously, it established a presence in Hong Kong to bolster its Asian operations. In 2012, the firm formed a strategic alliance with Japan’s SMBC and SMBC Nikko Securities to strengthen cross-border M&A advisory services.
In 2014, Moelis entered South America by opening an office in São Paulo. That same year marked its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, celebrating a milestone with advisory responsibilities surpassing $1 trillion; employees maintained majority ownership post-IPO.
The following years saw diversification through launching a private funds advisory business in 2014 and inaugurating a Washington DC office in 2015 after recruiting former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor to focus on defense and technology sectors.
In April 2017, Moelis executed an IPO for its Australian subsidiary, reinforcing its strategy for global expansion.
On June 9, 2024, managing director Jonathan Kaye resigned amid an incident that led to an internal probe. The subsequent year witnessed founder Ken Moelis stepping down as CEO, transferring leadership to longtime partner Navid Mahmoodzadegan and signaling a shift in the firm’s strategic direction.
Global reach
Moelis operates internationally with 22 offices situated throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia, aligning with its strategic goals and facilitating market expansion. Prominent cities hosting these offices include Amsterdam, Beijing, Boston, Chicago, Dubai, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Mumbai, New York City, San Francisco, Mexico City, Paris, Riyadh, São Paulo, Sydney, Tel Aviv, and Washington, D.C. Its worldwide operations are further strengthened through strategic partnerships with Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) and SMBC Nikko in Japan, as well as Alfaro, Dávila & Scherer in Mexico.