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PharmaAlantra: Rusty Ray and Frederic Laurier
Global investment banking and asset management company Alantra has recruited a specialist team in the US to join its global healthcare practice, including two senior bankers with extensive experience in healthcare services, pharma and healthcare IT segments.
Rusty Ray has been appointed managing partner and Frederic Laurier as managing director. They both joined Alantra from Crosstree Capital where they led the M&A, recapitalisation, and growth financing practice, providing advice to clients across the healthcare sector, ranging from large pharmaceutical firms to early-stage drug development companies. Since 2018, the team has advised on 11 deals for clients such as Pfizer, GSK, Transposagen, SunLink, and Santus.
For the past 20 years, Ray has focused exclusively on healthcare banking. He was deputy director for eight years at a Washington DC-based think tank that conducts independent economic research. During his tenure, the organisation performed several studies within the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Ray also worked with The Meningitis Research Foundation in London, where he supported basic research to cure the disease. He was formerly on the board of Apricus Bio and was chairman and a member of its audit and corporate governance committees.
Laurier is an experienced investment banker who has spent 20 years covering technology companies across the globe for bulge bracket investment banks, including CIBC World Markets and Bear Stearns, as well as boutique banks. During his investment banking career, Laurier has executed more than 50 transactions of all sizes. Before joining Crosstree, he was responsible for covering digital health for the healthcare investment bank boutique, 11T Partners.
Justin Crowther, Alantra partner and UK head of healthcare, said: “The US is a strategically important market for many of our healthcare and pharma clients in the UK and, with most of our M&A projects now international in scope, strengthening our US healthcare team will be hugely valuable. Rusty, Frederic and their team are very highly regarded and trusted advisors, as evidenced by their track record. Due to their significant sector expertise and deep relationships with entrepreneurs, business owners, private equity and other corporates in the US, they have achieved successful outcomes for clients across a range of M&A and capital raising situations.”
Paul Colone, managing partner at Alantra US, added: “We are thrilled to add Rusty, Frederic, and their team to Alantra. Their track record of deep sector expertise combined with high-quality execution is clearly evident from their impressive client roster and lines up exactly with our values and strategic direction. We will enthusiastically support Rusty and Frederic as they lead the development of a broader healthcare team in the US to complement our strong global track record in the sector.”
Ray commented: “I’m really excited to be part of Alantra’s global platform, especially given the excellent momentum the firm has across its business, and more particularly in healthcare. I believe Alantra is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the significant market opportunity around healthcare in the United States, where there is a need for deep sector coverage, a global footprint and buyer access, as well as the ability to offer products across M&A, strategic advisory and financing, both debt and equity.”
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