Alvarez & Marsal Staffs Up in LA

Mark Gailys and Casey Winters have joined Alvarez & Marsal as managers in the firm’s Los Angeles office. Gailys was previously with Beacon Partners and, before that, with GI Partners. Winters was previously with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

PRESS RELEASE

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M), one of the leading independent global professional services firms specializing in performance improvement, turnaround management and business advisory services, continues to expand the presence of its Transaction Advisory Group (TAG) on the West Coast. Managing director Geoff Weber and senior director Jimmy Suruki have relocated to the San Francisco office and Mark Gailys and Casey Winters have joined as managers in the Los Angeles office.

“Even as financing for new transactions remains scarce, private equity firms, hedge funds and other corporate acquirers are embracing new strategies to more quickly extract value out of current deals,” said Kent Willetts, a managing director and national practice leader for TAG at A&M. “The continued expansion of our group on the West Coast is a direct result of the demand of the transaction capabilities we provide, well beyond operational, financial and tax due diligence.”

“Geoff and Jimmy have contributed greatly to the growth of TAG during their tenure at the firm,” said Michael Mackiewicz, a managing director for A&M TAG based in Los Angeles. “We welcome their addition to San Francisco, along with Mark and Casey to Los Angeles, who bring significant transaction advisory and due diligence experience.”

Mr. Weber specializes in leading financial and accounting due diligence advisory projects for private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, as well as for corporate investors.  Over the course of his career, he has advised clients on domestic and international transactions across a wide range of industries, including business services, industrial and consumer products manufacturing and distribution, retail, consumer services and transportation.

Mr. Suruki provides financial and accounting due diligence and buy-side advisory services to private equity investors and their portfolio companies, corporate acquirers and financial institutions. He has worked on deals ranging in value from $5 million to $5 billion in a wide array of industries, including manufacturing, distribution, retail, software, technology, consumer and industrial products and services.

Mr. Gailys specializes in providing financial and accounting due diligence advisory services to private equity funds, financial institutions and corporate acquirers. Prior to joining A&M, he was most recently with Beacon Partners, a private equity backed search fund where he had a role in acquisition sourcing and deal execution. Prior to that he was with GI Partners, a large West Coast based private equity fund. Earlier, he worked in the transaction advisory services groups at both PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Ernst & Young LLP, specializing in financial and accounting due diligence and buy-side advisory services.

Mr. Gailys earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Austin, and a master’s degree in business administration from UCLA’s Anderson School of Business. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) licensed in the state of California.

Mr. Winters brings six years of public accounting and consulting experience across several industries including software, consumer goods, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and industrial goods. He offers considerable expertise in buy-side financial due diligence services to private equity investors and strategic buyers.  Prior to joining A&M, he was a manager in the transaction services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles, where he led and participated in financial due diligence projects for private equity and corporate sponsors. Previously, Mr. Winters was with the consumer, industrial products and services division of the audit and business advisory services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles, where he performed audit engagements for public and private companies, including leading teams on implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

Mr. Winters received a bachelor’s degree in accountancy, cum laude, and a minor in international business, from Miami University (Ohio).  He is a CPA licensed in the state of California.

About Alvarez & Marsal Transaction Advisory Group:

For 25 years, Alvarez & Marsal, a leading global professional services firm, has led the way in working with investors and their portfolio companies to provide end-to-end services that improve performance and maximize value for stakeholders in every economic cycle.  Whether serving in interim management or advisory roles, the firm draws on a deep operational heritage and hands-on approach to deliver comprehensive services across the investment lifecycle including due diligence/acquisition support, performance improvement and business advisory services, portfolio management, turnaround management and exit support, among others.  The firm has been honored several times by the Turnaround Management Association and has been recognized as one of the top ten best firms to work for by Consulting Magazine. For more information, visit www.alvarezandmarsal.com.