Palm Tree LLC, an investment banking and mergers and acquisitions advisor, has named Derek Alderton to the newly created role of vice chair. This appointment reflects a broader trend within the company to diversify its leadership team as its consulting services grow, the company said.
Alderton was an early investor in the firm and has served as a strategic advisor since 2016.
As vice chairman, Alderton will guide the firm’s strategic direction and support future growth initiatives. He began his career in restructuring and bankruptcy in Syndey, Australia, before moving to M&A advisory work with a focus on cross-border transactions at Macquarie Bank.
“Palm Tree demonstrates unwavering dedication to the success of their clients, and I look forward to our continued growth because of it,” Alderton said.
Palm Tree is a unique player in the M&A advisory landscape. With a consulting arm primarily serving the private equity space and an investment bank catering to middle-market transactions, the firm positions itself as a streamlined facilitator in an industry in which most deals rely on multiple accounting and banking vendors.
According to Pardis Nasseri, founder and CEO of Palm Tree, the company’s integrated approach to business transactions stratifies its operations above volatile market conditions.
“The fact that we have those two businesses provides us stability in any sort of market condition,” Nasseri said. “Because when the M&A markets are down, our portfolio operations team is active because our private equity clients are using us to better manage their investments. And when M&A activity is hot and the market’s doing a lot of transactions, our investment banking, our financial intelligence offerings are pretty busy.”
With a larger national presence and newly opened office space in Brentwood, Palm Tree is maturing as a company and expanding its operations. In January, the firm acquired Backbone Capital Advisors, a middle-market capital advisory firm. In the same month, the firm announced additions to its executive suite including the appointment of Clayton Grindle as chief administrative officer.
