The M&A Advisor named Berkeley Research Group the 2017 Valuation Firm of the Year at its 16th Annual M&A Advisor Awards Gala at the Metropolitan Club in New York on November 13. BRG also won Energy Deal of the Year (over $100 million) for its professionals' complex restructuring of multinational coal company Peabody Energy Corporation, with a team led by BRG Managing Directors Christopher Kearns, David Galfus and Peter Chadwick.

"Since 2002, we have been honoring the leading M&A transactions, companies and dealmakers. BRG was chosen from over 650 participating companies to receive these awards. It gives us great pleasure to recognize BRG and bestow upon them our highest honor for M&A firms and professionals," said David Fergusson, Co-CEO and President of The M&A Advisor. "BRG represents the best of the M&A industry in 2017 and earned these honors by standing out in a group of impressive candidates."

BRG's Corporate Finance group provides multidisciplinary services, including transaction opinions and restructuring, to companies, fiduciaries, lenders, attorneys, funds and other investors. BRG professionals' leading-edge insights as valuation advisors, crisis managers and corporate officers in middle-market to multinational restructurings across a diverse number of industries let them quickly present practical alternatives, design strategies that help maximize value and recommend the most viable approaches. The team's long history of restructuring and bankruptcy services spans areas that include financial analysis, plan development and implementation, and advice on sale/merger transactions.

"We are thrilled that BRG is being recognized as an integral advisor to our clients in connection with their transactions," said BRG Chairman and Principal Executive Officer David J. Teece. "Valuation is a core discipline at BRG, and the work with Peabody Energy is emblematic of our firm's strategic expertise on behalf of our clients across the world."

BRG provides pre-transaction, transaction and post-transaction valuation advisory services, including diligence, fairness and solvency opinions, alternative investment portfolio valuations and post-transaction disputes.

"The BRG approach to valuation leverages the deep knowledge base of our global industry expert groups," said BRG Managing Director William Epstein, a leader of the Valuation practice.

Michael Athanason, a BRG Managing Director and a leader of the Valuation practice, added, "Reliable valuations are the bedrock of good transactions, strategic decisions and successful litigation. Our experienced team includes some of the most renowned valuation experts serving the corporate, fund manager, investor and litigation communities."