Blackstone Strengthens West Coast Technology Advisory Practice
New York, NY, July 8, 2013. Blackstone (NYSE:BX) today announced that it is bolstering its technology advisory practice on the West Coast by relocating Sean Madnani, Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Advisory Partners, to the firm’s office in Menlo Park. Mr. Madnani will lead Blackstone’s technology mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) practice on the West Coast and Asia. He joins Ivan Brockman, Senior Managing Director of Blackstone Advisory Partners, who founded Blackstone’s Menlo Park office and will continue to lead the firm’s software, systems, and internet advisory practices.
Blackstone was founded in 1985 as an advisory business to provide comprehensive strategic solutions to clients around the world, working across diverse industries and geographies. Over the past three decades, the firm has grown its investment business, which is now one of the world’s leading alternative asset managers, and its advisory business, which now includes over 30 partners in 11 offices globally. Blackstone established a dedicated team to focus on technology M&A advisory in 2007, which has advised on more than 50 technology transactions totaling more than $30 billion in aggregate value.
Chris Pasko, Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Technology for Blackstone Advisory Partners, said, “Our practice focuses on providing advice to technology companies on their most complex decisions: strategic acquisitions, cross border transactions, restructurings, carve-outs, defense posture, and change-of-control transactions. We see a strategic opportunity to expand our advisory business in Silicon Valley and feel it is important to increase our resources on the ground. Sean brings a deep understanding of complex technology M&A and will add incredible value to the team and for our clients as we expand our efforts in Silicon Valley and globally.”
Ivan Brockman added, “Blackstone has made a large commitment to Silicon Valley in the past five years, from growing its technology advisory practice in Menlo Park to being a primary sponsor of three technology incubators in San Francisco and the Valley. I am excited to have Sean join the Menlo Park office to help continue to build our West Coast technology advisory practice. Sean’s transaction and industry expertise will be critical to accelerating our success to date and clearly demonstrates Blackstone’s deep commitment to the technology market and Silicon Valley.”
Sean Madnani said, “We have a tremendous opportunity to grow our technology practice on the West Coast and in Asia, and to raise the firm’s profile in this area. I look forward to joining Ivan and the rest of our West Coast team.”
Mr. Madnani joined Blackstone in 2005. Since joining the firm, he has provided advisory services to clients in a number of technology, media, and telecommunications-related transactions. Several notable transactions include advising BrightPoint in its sale to Ingram Micro, Opnext in its merger with Oclaro, Adaptec in the sale of its operating assets to PMC-Sierra, the bondholders of Conexant Systems and Covalent Materials in their respective restructurings, The Weather Company’s acquisitions of Weather Central and Weather Underground, Blackstone’s acquisition of Freescale Semiconductor, and many others. Over the course of his career, Mr. Madnani has advised on M&A transactions totaling in excess of $100 billion in aggregate value.
About Blackstone
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Oriane Schwartzman
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