Moelis & Company Announces Appointment of Five Senior Directors to Form a Global Advisory Board

NEW YORK and LONDON, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Senior Directors Include International Industry Leaders and Former Government Representatives: Charlene Barshefsky, Kwon Ping Ho, Michael Marks, Sidney Taurel, Hubert Védrine.

Global Advisory Board Chairman is Lord Mervyn Davies, Former Chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered PLC and Minister of State for the United Kingdom

As part of its continued international expansion, Moelis & Company, the New York-headquartered independent investment bank, today announced the appointment of five Senior Directors who bring global financial, government and economic experience to the firm and will provide senior counsel and strategic advice on industry issues particularly across international financial markets.

Under the Chairmanship of Lord Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch, CBE, former Chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered PLC and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business for the United Kingdom, the Senior Directors will collectively form the firm's Global Advisory Board.

Lord Davies, who joined the firm last year and who is also Special Advisor to Ken Moelis, CEO of Moelis & Company, will be joined on the Global Advisory Board by:

Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky -Former United States Trade Representative, Executive Office of the President, U.S. Government, currently Senior International Partner at WilmerHale;

Kwon Ping Ho - Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Group, Singapore, and Chairman of the Wah Chang Group;

Michael Marks - Founding Partner of Riverwood Capital, former Chairman and CEO of Flextronics, and former Senior Advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co;

Sidney Taurel - Former Chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company, and currently Senior Advisor at Capital Royalty LLP, a private equity firm investing in intellectual property in the biopharmaceutical industry; and

Hubert Védrine - Founding Partner of Hubert Védrine Conseil, and Chairman of the Institut François Mitterrand. Between 1997 and 2002 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs in Lionel Jospin's cabinet, and between 1981 and 1995 he was Foreign Affairs Advisor, then Chief of Staff, of French President François Mitterrand.

"Clients expect the highest quality strategic advice as they plan for the future success of their companies. Advice needs to be innovative and current with global economic and political issues, and provide companies with the strategy they need to outpace their competition," said Ken Moelis. "Between our world-class team and our new Global Advisory Board members, Moelis & Company will continue to provide the uncompromised strategic advice that clients are looking for."

"In today's markets, there are many opportunities for independent financial advisory firms.  The members of the Global Advisory Board will help Moelis & Company capitalize on these opportunities by enhancing our relationships with key global corporate clients, institutions and governments who have come to expect uncompromised advisory services from us," said Lord Davies.

These appointments are part of Moelis & Company's continued international expansion since it opened four years ago. The company recently announced its expansion in Asia through the acquisition of Asia Pacific Advisers, an independent, financial advisory firm in Hong Kong, and in the Middle East through the opening of an office in Dubai. Moelis & Company continues to grow through its businesses in the United States, Europe and Australia.  

 Note to Editors:

Lord Mervyn Davies, Baron Davies of Abersoch, CBE, was Minister for Trade, Investment and Small Business for the United Kingdom between 2009 and 2010. Prior to this appointment, he was the Chairman of Standard Chartered PLC from 2006 to 2009 and Group Chief Executive between 2001 and 2006. He is a Partner and Vice Chairman of Corsair Capital, Non-Executive Chairman of PineBridge Investments LLC, Non-Executive Director of Diageo plc, and a member of the advisory committee of Native Land.

Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky was the United States Trade Representative from 1997-2001, and Deputy USTR from 1993-1996. As a member of President Bill Clinton's Cabinet, she was responsible for the formulation of US trade policy and the negotiation of hundreds of complex trade, market access and investment agreements across the globe, including China's WTO agreement.  She is currently Senior International Partner at WilmerHale in Washington, DC. She has been a scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the recipient of numerous academic and professional honors. Her current Board affiliations include American Express Company, Inc., Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., Intel Corporation, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Kwon Ping Ho founded the Banyan Tree Group in 1994 and is currently Executive Chairman. The company invests in and manages upscale resorts located primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. He is also Chairman of the Wah Chang Group, a family investment holding company. He has been at this company since 1981. He is a Board member and Chairman of Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, Laguna Resort and Hotels, and Thai Wah Food Products Public Co. Ltd.

Michael Marks was a Founder of Riverwood Capital in 2007. He was a Partner and then Senior Advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co between 2006 and 2007, Interim Chief Executive Officer at Tesla Motors, Inc. in 2007, and worked at Flextronics International Ltd. as Chairman and CEO between 1993 and 2006. His current Board affiliations include SanDisk Corporation (Chairman), Schlumberger Ltd, Aptina, GoPro, and Virtual Instruments.

Sidney Taurel had a distinguished career with both U.S. and international experience at Eli Lilly and Company between 1971 and 2008. The company develops, manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals and animal health products. He became Chairman, President and CEO in 1999. He is currently Senior Advisor at Capital Royalty LLP, a private equity firm investing in intellectual property in the biopharmaceutical industry. His current Board affiliations include Director roles at IBM Corporation and McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Mr. Taurel is a member of the Global Advisory Board of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd.

Hubert Védrine was French Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Lionel Jospin cabinet between 1997 and 2002. He was foreign affairs advisor, then chief of staff, of French President François Mitterrand between 1981 and 1995, and has been Chairman of the Institut François Mitterrand since 2004. He is the Founding Partner of Hubert Védrine Conseil. He is a Director of LVMH and IPSOS, and was on the Advisory Board of Booz Allen Hamilton France.

About Moelis & Company

Moelis & Company, recently named Best Global Independent Investment Bank by Euromoney, is a global investment bank that provides financial advisory, capital raising and asset management services to a broad client base including corporations, institutions and governments.  With more than 500 employees, Moelis & Company serves its clients through offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dubai, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, and Sydney.  For more information, please visit http://www.moelis.com.

For further information, please contact:

Capital MSL
Richard Campbell, Justine Lamond, Tom Steiner
T: +44(0)20-7307-5337
Moelis@capitalmsl.com

Andrea Hurst
Moelis & Company
t: +1-212-883-3666
m: +1-347-583-9705
andrea.hurst@moelis.com