John, Managing Director of Westbury Group LLP (the USA-based member of ICFG) has more than fifty years of investment banking experience. He spent thirty-two years at Merrill Lynch, retiring as the Vice Chairman of Global Equity Capital Markets.
Experience
Initially, John served as an equity research analyst for Merrill Lynch covering U.S. consumer products, retailing and industrial companies. During his remaining ten years at the firm, he held leadership positions in all areas of Equity Capital Markets, both in New York and London. He led transactions raising more than $100 billion in equity, including large, complex, global privatizations, such as the $8.3 billion IPO of France Telecom. He has experience in working with issuers in more than twenty countries.
In addition, John has a wealth of experience in international cross border transactions in multiple sectors including: consumer and retailing, telecom, media and technology, natural resources, automotive, healthcare, aerospace and financial institutions, among others. During his career, he has led transactions for both publicly held companies as well as private placements.
John has provided equity markets advice in a number of large, cross-border merger transactions of publicly held companies, including the $183 billion all stock merger between Mannesmann and Vodafone. In addition, John was the personal equity advisor on behalf of Renault in the negotiation of its joint venture with Nissan as well as the equity advisor to Pirelli in its acquisition of Telecom Italia and advisor to Total Petroleum in its acquisition of Elf Aquitaine and to Repsol in its acquisition of YPF in Argentina.
Education
John graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. with Honors in American Studies and he attended the New York University, Stern School of Business. John is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Life drives and passions
Away from work, John is an avid golfer and supports sports teams including the New York Giants and Chelsea Football Club.
