Pelagic Financial Group
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ROBERT C. SMITH
Robert has had a very successful career as an Investment Banker, with over 40 years of experience in global mergers, acquisitions and divestitures, and capital raising, primarily for financial services companies.
In addition to financial consulting assignments, he is also available to consider opportunities to serve on corporate boards or Investment Fund boards.
EXPERIENCE
Pelagic Financial Group LLC in New York
Founder and CEO from June 2021-Present
Pelagic Financial is a global Financial Consulting firm focused on providing advice on Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures, primarily for financial service companies
Greenhill & Co in New York
Senior Advisor from January 2016-June 30, 2020
Managing Director from January 2006-January 2016
Lead relationship partner responsible for strategic financial advisory services to asset managers, market structure companies and other financial institutions. Selected examples of recent advisory mandates include:
•TT International in its sale to Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group
•The London Stock Exchange Group in its $2.8bn acquisition of the Frank Russell Company
This was one of the largest acquisitions by an exchange group and allowed the LSE to acquire the Russell index business while on-selling the asset management part of Russell.
•Validus Holdings in its $3.5bn unsolicited offer for Transatlantic Holdings and its $1.7bn acquisition of IPC Holdings
Both of these involved breaking up signed Merger-of-Equals deals. In both, Validus offered superior value and a certain path to completion.
•AXA Private Equity (now Ardian) in its purchase of $1.9bn of private equity interests from Bank of America and its purchase of $1.7bn of private equity interests from Citigroup
Both of these transactions were among the three largest secondary purchases ever completed
•The Philadelphia Stock Exchange in its sale to NASDAQ for $652mm
Citigroup Global Markets in New York
Managing Director from March 1977-August 2005
Appointed to a number of management roles with increased responsibilities within the Financial Institutions Group of the Global Investment Bank.
•Co-Head of Financial Institutions Mergers and Acquisitions Group
•Co-Head of Global Asset Manager Group
With my leadership, Group became the leading advisor for asset manager M&A. Two of the most significant deals I put together was the merger of Alliance Capital with Sanford C. Bernstein and the sale of Pioneer Investments to Unicredit.
•Co-Head of Financial Institutions Group
•Head of Diversified Financial Services Group
EDUCATION
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, MBA, Finance, December 1976
University of Pennsylvania, B.S. in Economics, May 1976
PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS
Certified Investment Fund Director- Issued by the Certified Investment Fund Director Institute, a specialist institute within The Institute of Banking, the largest professional institute in Ireland and is a Recognized College of University College Dublin.
The CIFD designation applies to any fund, retail, institutional or alternative, regulated in the US or Europe.
BOARD MEMBERSHIPS
Trustee and Chair of the Finance Committee, The Winston Preparatory School, a school for students with learning differences
