ICR’s acquisition of Westwicke Partners expands ICR Capital’s reach into Healthcare IPO and Secondary Offering Advisory, with enhanced capability in Block Trade & Debt Advisory
NEW YORK (January 10, 2019) – ICR Capital, a transaction advisory firm and affiliate of ICR, a leading strategic communications agency, today announced the addition of Sameer Khambadkone as Managing Director. Sameer joins the team through ICR’s acquisition of Westwicke Partners, a premier capital markets advisory firm that provides customized investor relations, public relations and independent capital markets advice to healthcare companies.
Tom Ryan, CEO of ICR, stated, “We are committed to building a world-class transaction advisory practice centered on deep industry expertise and strong analytics. Sameer brings an impressive track record of healthcare advisory assignments to complement ICR’s success in technology and consumer transactions and will strengthen our ability to help roughly 700 clients smartly address their financing needs and maximize the value of each transaction. With Westwicke in place, we are now a leading technology and healthcare IPO advisor and expect to extend our position to other sectors.”
David Galper, CEO of ICR Capital, stated, “Sameer’s experience and skillset will strengthen our IPO, Secondary Offering, and Block Trade Advisory practices while expanding our reach into Debt Advisory. We see the latter as another area where public and private companies can improve execution in terms of pricing and structure. Ultimately, issuers and financial sponsors are looking for great teams, and most importantly, senior level service. That’s our goal with this talented group and we look forward to continued momentum as we serve issuers across more than 20 industries.”
Sameer has over 20 years of corporate finance experience including investment banking, equity capital markets and strategic business development. Prior to joining Westwicke, Sameer was the Head of the Equity Capital Markets at Sanford Bernstein where he was responsible for equity capital markets execution across multiple industries.
Recently, Sameer has focused on healthcare and developed a successful track record building financial sponsor, venture capital and corporate management relationships. He was actively involved in the execution of IPOs for innovative biotech companies including Alder Biopharma, Foundation Medicine, Portola Pharmaceuticals, Spark Therapeutics and Otonomy. More generally, he has advised financial sponsors on approximately $50 billion in capital raises including buyouts for Dunkin Brands, Michael’s Stores and Domino’s Pizza.
Prior to Bernstein, Sameer was a Director in the Corporate Finance group at Loughlin Meghji + Company (LM+Co) and played a leadership role in executing debt restructuring engagements on behalf of lenders. Prior to that, Sameer was an Executive Director in the Financial Sponsor Group at JPMorgan. He holds Series 7, 24, 63 and 79 securities licenses and lives in Summit, New Jersey with his wife and son.
Sameer will strengthen an already formidable senior advisory team that includes Frank Maturo, Tim Dolan, David Galper and Evelyn Infurna, among other licensed professionals who have advised on roughly 250 IPOs and well over 500 equity offerings throughout their careers.
About ICR
Established in 1998, ICR partners with companies to execute strategic communications and advisory programs that achieve business goals, build awareness and credibility, and enhance long-term enterprise value. The firm’s highly-differentiated service model, which pairs capital markets veterans with senior communications professionals, brings deep sector knowledge and relationships to more than 650 clients in approximately 20 industries. ICR’s healthcare practice operates under the Westwicke brand (www.westwicke.com). Today, ICR is one of the largest and most experienced independent communications and advisory firms in North America, maintaining offices in New York, Norwalk, Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco, San Diego and Beijing. ICR also advises on capital markets transactions through ICR Capital, LLC. Learn more at www.icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR.
About ICR Capital
ICR Capital, member FINRA/SIPC, a registered broker-dealer affiliate of ICR, provides transaction advisory services related to IPO execution as well as follow-on and convertible notes offerings. The firm provides independent advice on all aspects of the offering process to help clients make better informed decisions. ICR Capital’s advisory expertise in combination with ICR’s industry leading communications capabilities seeks to ensure that clients achieve their transaction objectives, while establishing a foundation to maximize long-term equity value. Learn more at www.icrinc.com. Follow us on Twitter at @ICRPR.
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