Los Angeles-based investment bank Houlihan Lokey Inc. recently announced the expansion of its oil and gas coverage in the Middle East.
Houlihan Lokey additionally appointed Rouzbeh Fazlinejad as a managing director in Dubai, a news release said. The appointment marks the launch of the firm’s first industry group in the petroleum-rich region.
“Having expanded our oil and gas team into Europe earlier this year, we are now delighted to be launching our dedicated coverage team in the Middle East with Rouzbeh’s appointment,” J.P. Hanson, head of Houlihan Lokey’s global Oil & Gas Group, said in the release. “He brings significant experience and deep industry knowledge as a trusted advisor to clients across the energy spectrum, including supermajors, national oil companies (NOCs) and independents as well as mid-cap energy and infrastructure companies in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). His focus on achieving superior results for his clients makes him an ideal cultural fit for Houlihan Lokey.”
Arun Reddy, managing director and head of Middle East and Africa at Houlihan Lokey, anticipates great things with the expansion.
“We are pleased with the progress that our Middle East business has made since we established our office here in 2017, advising on some of the largest and most complex transactions,” Reddy said in the release. “We are excited to be expanding our client offering in the region and plan to add more expertise to our local team in due course to provide clients with the full suite of advisory services offered across Houlihan Lokey’s global network.”
Fazlinejad, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in finance, investment and risk from Cass Business School and Emory University, comes to Houlihan Lokey from Berenberg in London, where served as the head of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) for three years, the release said.
Prior to Berenberg, he worked for TD Securities for 12 years, ascending to the position of head of European energy.