-- Kensuke Hotta and Hiroto Yamada, Two Leading Bankers, Are Joining Greenhill--
New York, New York and Tokyo, Japan, October 14, 2008 – Greenhill & Co., Inc. (NYSE: GHL), a leading independent investment bank, announced today plans to expand its operations to Japan and has opened a Tokyo office to advise Japanese companies on domestic and cross-border merger, acquisition and restructuring opportunities. Kensuke Hotta, formerly Chairman of Morgan Stanley Japan, has joined the firm, effective immediately, as Chairman of Greenhill Japan. Hiroto Yamada, formerly head of Merrill Lynch Japan’s M&A Group, will join Greenhill in January as Managing Director of Greenhill Japan.
Mr. Hotta was most recently an Advisor to Morgan Stanley Japan, where he previously served as Chairman for 7 years. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Hotta held a variety of posts at Sumitomo Bank Ltd., including serving as Deputy President and a member of the executive committee. Mr. Hotta played a key role in the development of Sumitomo Bank’s international activities, including the creation of their M&A department. Mr. Hotta served with the Japan Ministry of Finance.
Mr. Yamada has served as a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch Japan, where he was the head of the M&A Group. During the past 6 years, he has led the firm’s efforts to significantly expand its M&A businesses. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Mr. Yamada spent 9 years at Goldman Sachs working in Financial Institutions, Telecommunications Media & Technology, and Mergers & Acquisitions. Mr. Yamada received his MBA from IMD in Switzerland and his BA in Economics from the University of Tokyo in 1989.
Robert F. Greenhill, Chairman of Greenhill & Co., said, “Greenhill’s expansion efforts have historically been based on identifying the right people in the markets we wish to serve. Thus, we are extremely excited about our plans to expand into Japan and we could not have found better partners to launch this important growth initiative. Ken Hotta is a banker and advisor of great stature in Japan. His experience and corporate relationships are unparalleled in that market. Equally important, he has been a friend to me and many of my colleagues for years.”
“We are also very pleased to welcome Hiroto Yamada. He has many years of Japanese M&A experience at Merrill Lynch and previously at Goldman Sachs. His strong origination and execution capabilities are outstanding among M&A bankers in the Japanese market. He and Ken provide us a strong leadership team to launch our business in Japan,” said Mr. Greenhill.
Scott L. Bok and Simon A. Borrows, Co-Chief Executive Officers of Greenhill & Co., added, “The extraordinary recent events in global equity and credit markets have highlighted the unique attractions of the Greenhill business model. We are an independent firm, focused on advising corporate clients, and staffed by senior partners in offices around the world. Our business model is increasingly appealing to major corporations around the world who need sound, un-conflicted advice from experienced professionals. Our firm is also increasingly appealing to experienced bankers who want to join a stable and growing platform where they can focus on advising clients. The current market turmoil creates a unique opportunity to further expand the scope and capabilities of our Firm. Over time, we intend to expand client coverage to all important industry sectors and all important geographic regions.”