Partner

Lars Søndergaard

Partner at CIGNO Mergers & Acquisition.

3 years self-employed consultant

2 years as CEO/CSO Energinord
7 years as Commercial Director Cembrit Holding A/S

14 years of Management positions at VELUX in Denmark, Czech Republic & China and, CSO and Marketing positions as Sky-Watch, Migatronic & Danfoss etc.

Expertise: Sell- and buy-side advisor focusing on the Energy sector, electronics, defence industry, machinery industry, construction materials and cross-border transactions. Lars is focusing on the strategic development of clients as well.

Lars is holding several boards and advisory board positions.

Education: Master degree specialized in international management and finance.

Management education.

Board education from Board Governance.

Leader of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Managing Partner

Cigdem Bicik

Before founding Crossborder in 2006 Çiğdem worked in the Development and investment banking business for 17 years. She holds an MSc from Loughborough University a BA and MBA in Finance from Istanbul University and is a graduate of the German Gymnasium in Istanbul. She speaks fluent English and German.

Industry experience:

Aerospace & defense; Agriculture; Automotive; Building & construction; Business services; Chemicals; Education and training; Electronics; Energy & renewables; Engineering; Financial services; Food; Government; Hotels & restaurants; Information technology;  Luxury goods; Media, printing, and publishing; Plastics; Real estate & facility management; Retail and franchising; Steel, metal, and woodworking; Telecom; Textile & clothing; Trade; Transport & logistics.

Member of Healthcare Biotech & Pharma Industry Group.

Executive Director

Hemant Agnihotri

Hemant is based in Mumbai and has over 14 years of experience in corporate finance and investment banking with exposure across the entire spectrum of a deal cycle, be it partner search, valuation, financial modeling, structuring, or negotiations.

Earlier worked with CSFB and also with the Big 4s with stints in India, UK and Middle East. With a strong focus on providing advisory services to the SME’s, he has worked across sectors on M&A, Private Equity / VC & Debt syndication transactions, where he actively advises clients on financial and strategic investments. His sector focus areas are Chemicals, Consumer, Agri & Food.

Member of Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Building & Construction; Chemicals; Financial Services; Food; Retail & Franchising.

Associate Partner

Piotr Dalak

Over 10 years of experience in transaction advisory services teams at EY and KPMG. Supervised over 70 transactions advisory projects for corporate clients and PE funds. Is a qualified Associate Chartered Accountant in the UK and is a holder of UK Audit Qualifications.

Member of Agri, Food & Beverages Industry Group and Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Beverages; Energy & renewables; Engineering; Financial services; Food; Information technology; Real estate & facility management.

Partner - Paris

Laurent Derbois

Graduated from Audencia Business School with a master’s degree, Laurent has over 30 years of experience in financial advisory for small to medium-sized companies, with various positions in major European banks like SocGen (London), Barclays, and HSBC France (Paris). Appointed Senior Banker with HSBC MidCap.

Industry experience:

Building & construction; Energy & renewables; Healthcare; Hotels & restaurants; Retail and franchising; Transport & logistics.

Associate Director

Johnny Dillon

Johnny has 10 years’ experience in corporate finance and advisory roles. Since joining the firm in 2013, Johnny has managed several of Focus’ key transactions. Johnny has managed €150M of refinance transactions across numerous sectors including the property, retail, leisure, and food & beverage sectors.

Expertise:

Beverages; Food; Leisure; Real estate & facility management.

Members Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Partner - Lyon

Franck-William Fargier

Franck-William Fargier has advised private shareholders, industrial groups, and investment funds in more than 40 transactions. In particular, he has a strong experience in Wholesale and Retail activities, Industry, and business services. Franck-William is a graduate of the ISG and a member of the SFAF – French.

Industry experience:

Building & construction; Business services; Chemicals; Food; Healthcare; Information technology; Media, printing, and publishing; Plastics; Retail and franchising; Steel, metal, and woodworking; Textile & clothing; Trade; Wholesale.

Vice President

Nicolas Pinzón

Vicepresident at Proventus Advisors since 2018. Joined Proventus Advisors in 2009 as an analyst. Over 10 years of experience in M&A and Investment Banking. Has worked in transactions in financial services, hospitality, insurance, agribusiness, and consumer products.

Masters in International Management in Spain.

Industry expertise:

Agriculture; Automotive; Beverages.

Member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group. 

Partner

Lars Saunes

MSc in Economics and Business. MBA from Univ. British Columbia. Investment banking experience from Deutsche Bank, CIBC, Simmons & Co, and Nordea.

Consultant at BCG. Several years in the UK, Germany, Russia, and Central Asia. Joined DHT in 2016. Expertise areas: M&A, funding, valuation, corporate development.

Member of Energy, Environment & Cleantech Industry Group and also a member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Industry experience:

 Engineering; Retail and franchising.

Associate Partner

Gintautas Savarauskas

Experience in corporate and project finance for more than 20 years. Extensive knowledge of credit risk and corporate strategy evaluation.

Member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Industry experience:

Manufacturing, Wholesale, Real Estate & facility management, B2B.

Partner / Advisor Corporate Finance

Bas van Soest

Experience in M&A for more than 10 years. Involved in mid-corporate national and international deals. Industry expertise in Transport & Logistics and Consumer market. Extensive valuation expertise (Registered Valuator in The Netherlands).

Industry experience

Luxury goods; Retail and franchising; Textile & clothing; Trade; Transport & logistics; Wholesale.

Member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Principal

Leah White

Leah leads the e-commerce group at FOCUS Investment Bankings. A former research associate, she also participates in financial and valuation modeling for clients. Prior to joining the firm, Leah worked for many years at a large institutional investor, where she was responsible for research and analysis in its nearly $2 billion private equity and hedge fund investment strategies portfolio.

Industry expertise in eCommerce.

Member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Legal Analyst Corporate Finance

Maartje Korten

LL.M in Business Law. Universities in Netherlands and South-Africa. Master Thesis on remuneration laws in combination with moral hazard. Legal intern at Boels Zanders Advocaten in 2015. Travelling around the world for 2 years after graduation. Joined Aeternus in 2018.

Industry experience:

Business services; Education and training; Government; Healthcare; Life sciences; Luxury goods; Media, printing, and publishing; Real estate & facility management; Recycling; Retail and franchising; Security; Textile & clothing; Trade; Transport & logistics; Wholesale.

Member of Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Partner

Dr. Heinz H. Fischer

Ph.D. in Economics, University Cologne. MBA University Cologne and Penn state/USA
Leading, MD- and C-level roles in mid-sized companies and multinationals: Sony, Dyson, Arcelik, LG-Electronics, Deutsche Telekom, Loewe, TTI-Group/Techtronic-Industries
Sales; omnichannel-management; brand-management.

Industry experience:

Agriculture; Beverages; Electronics; Food; Luxury goods; Retail and franchising; Telecom; Textile & clothing; Trade; Wholesale.

Member of Agri, Food & Beverages and Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Corporate Finance Manager

Charlotte Potts

BA Honours in Accounting and Finance. The University of Newcastle. Some placements with PWC.

Joined Rickitt Mitchell as a Corporate Finance Executive in 2019.

Industry experience:

Business services; Engineering; Financial services; Food; Life sciences.

Member of the Consumer & Retail Industry Group.

Partner

Miguel Lopes

• Partner at FINGESTE
• Special deal focus and know-how on sectors: Agrifood & Beverages + Consumer Retail
• Former Executive Director at several leading national and multinational companies for more than 25 years
• MBA in Finance, BA

Member of the Agri, Food & Beverages and the Consumer & Retail Industry Groups.