Houlihan Lokey global co-head on new executive: 'We are delighted that Andy is now joining to spearhead our expansion'

Banking & Financial Services
Bruce mars 8yg31xn4dsw unsplash
Houlihan Lokey has named a new managing director and head of Middle East and Africa, Capital Markets. | Unsplash/bruce mars

Houlihan Lokey, based in California, recently named Andy Cairns managing director and head of Middle East and Africa, Capital Markets, according to a press release.

Under his new role, Cairns will be tasked with offering a wide range of global capital options to regional clients and making Middle Eastern capital accessible to clients on a global scale.

Cairns will contribute ample banking experience, including the leadership of $750 billion worth of landmark M&A, loans, fixed income and equity, including sovereign financings for the UAE, Oman, and Egypt and IPOs for Saudi Aramco, Mubadala and Emaar.

“Our Capital Markets team in Europe has been significantly strengthened recently and we are delighted that Andy is now joining to spearhead our expansion into the Middle East and Africa,” global co-head of Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Markets Group, Anthony Martino, said. “With his wealth of experience and knowledge of the region, and a shared focus on achieving outstanding outcomes for clients, he will be a hugely valuable addition to our team.”

Before accepting his role with Houlihan Lokey, Cairns served as senior managing director and head of Global Corporate Finance at First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB). Before that, he worked as managing director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and HSBC, and contributed to The Gulf Capital Market Association as chairman.  

“We are committed to bringing all of the capabilities that Houlihan Lokey excels in across our global network to our clients in this region,” Arun Reddy, head of Middle East and Africa, Special Situations at Houlihan Lokey, said. “Bringing on board such a high-caliber partner as Andy to build our Capital Markets team here underlines that commitment and our desire to provide clients here with bespoke solutions to all their financing requirements.”

Houlihan Lokey counts with the support of 90 professionals across New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, London, Manchester, Frankfurt, Milan and Dubai. 

“Houlihan Lokey has a differentiated proposition, emphasizing private capital solutions and quality, unbiased advice that puts clients at the center of what it does,” Cairns said. “I am excited to bring this approach to the Middle East and Africa, assisting both regional issuers achieve their debt and equity financing objectives and providing regional investors access to Houlihan Lokey’s international deal flow.”