Rothschild Global Advisory announced that Chris Gaertner has joined the firm, effective August 7, 2017, as the Global Head of Technology and will lead the launch of the firm's new office in the San Francisco Bay Area. He will be joined by Walid Khiari, who joins the firm as a Managing Director on its Technology team. The Bay Area office is the seventh Rothschild office in North America, and second to open in the past year.
Jimmy Neissa, Head of Rothschild & Co North America, stated, "This is a very exciting day for the firm. Chris and Walid have an exceptional reputation and background in technology, and we are delighted to welcome them to the team. Chris' background and depth of experience will serve the entire firm and our global clients well, and we are certain that he is the right choice to lead our technology practice and launch our new office in Silicon Valley."
On the firm's opening of its office in Silicon Valley, Robert Leitão, Managing Partner and Head of Rothschild Global Advisory, said, "We have been serving clients in the San Francisco Bay Area for some time, and the opening of our office there will allow us to strengthen our team, ensuring that our clients continue to have access to the best people and advice. The U.S. and North American markets are a strategic priority for our firm, and this announcement demonstrates our commitment to the region. Following the opening of our Chicago office last year and the success of our team in Los Angeles over the past few years, Silicon Valley is another key piece in our plan to build out the business in the U.S."
With nearly 30 years of experience, Gaertner has significant depth and breadth within the technology sector, most recently with Credit Suisse as Managing Director and Global Head of Corporate Finance Technology Investment Banking. Prior to Credit Suisse, Gaertner was a Managing Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and held roles as Head of Technology Investment Banking and Head of Global Software and Enterprise Technology Investment Banking. He was also previously a Managing Director and Head of Global Software at Lehman Brothers. Over his career, Mr. Gaertner has advised a number of leading technology firms, including Microsoft, Intel, HP, Ansys, Cisco, Oracle, Lyft, Palantir, Dell, Google, Adobe, Apple, IBM and Amazon, among a host of others. Gaertner holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
"Rothschild is a world class firm and I am honored to be joining and leading its Global Technology business," said Mr. Gaertner. "Helping this illustrious firm strengthen its presence in Silicon Valley by opening its new office is an incredible opportunity, and I am eager to help the firm in its commitment to this market. I look forward to working with Walid and my new colleagues to provide our clients with the best advice and services possible."
Khiari joins Rothschild, effective August 7, 2017, after spending 20 years in investment banking. He joins Rothschild from Credit Suisse where he served as Director of Technology Investment Banking. Prior to this, he worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Technology Investment Banking group. He has worked with clients around the world and spent time early in his career in Tokyo, Japan. His recent transaction experience includes the $4.7 billion sale of Blue Coat Systems to Symantec, the $2 billion acquisition of Websense by Raytheon, and the $1.5 billion sale of Hybris Security to SAP, among others. Khiari has a deep and broad network across global technology markets, including Australia, Europe, Canada and Silicon Valley. Khiari holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Paris and an MBA from The Wharton School.
"I am excited about this opportunity to join Chris, who I have worked with for many years, as well as Jimmy and the entire team at Rothschild to found and grow this new office," said Mr. Khiari. "Rothschild has a global reputation for premier client service, and I look forward to delivering that for our clients in the technology sector and here in the San Francisco Bay Area."