Raymond James opens an office in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Raymond James is opening a new office in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. To run the new arm, which will formally launch next month, the firm has hired Managing Director Dirk-Oliver Löffler and Julian Knirim and Jens Gerlach, who both join as a Vice President.
The latest office of Raymond James will be the firm’s third in Germany, following Munich and Dusseldorf. The new hub will be focused on supporting corporate clients operating in the German mid-market and private equity players with financial advisory services. The team will, in addition, provide services in the areas of capital market M&A and strategic advice.
According to Melville Mummert, head of European Investment Banking at Raymond James, "Frankfurt is strategically important for us." To drive growth at the new office, and more widely across the firm’s European business, the firm has hired Dirk-Oliver Löffler as Managing Director.
Löffler, who holds a Business Administration degree from the University of Mannheim, most recently worked as a Partner at a boutique M&A consultancy firm, Richmond Park Partners. Previously he was the Head of Berenberg's M&A Advisory Group.
Remarking on the addition of Löffler to the team, Mummert said, "I am delighted that Dirk-Oliver Löffler, an experienced investment banker, has decided to join us to help drive the expansion of our business in Europe."
The firm has in addition, picked up Julian Knirim and Jens Gerlach.
Knirim formerly served as a Vice President at Richmond Park Partners, where he has been since the end of 2015. He was previously at Berenberg, where he was a Senior Associate in its M&A practice. He joined the bank in 2011 as an Intern in its M&A/ECM practices. Knirim holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Bamberg. Remarking on the new role, Knirim stated, "We are seeing more and more activist engagements and acquisitions involving stock-listed companies. The increasingly complex nature of such transactions means that professional advice on tactical and strategic measures is required.”
Prior to joining Raymond James, Gerlach worked as an Investment Banking Associate at Citi, where he started in 2010, and as a Senior Associate in Berenberg’s M&A Advisory practice. Earlier roles include M&A and Corporate Finance at Bankhaus Lampe; Trade Finance & Cash Management Business Analytics at Deutsche Bank; and Business Development and Supplies Retail Sales at Lexmark Deutschland. Gerlach holds a Bachelor's degree in Accounting and Finance from Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main. In relation to his appointment, Gerlach said, "Raymond James offers an entrepreneurial platform to advise German companies on cross-border transactions.”
Mummert said that he is confident the new group can successfully establish a presence in the Frankfurt market, stating, "The new team in Frankfurt has previously advised on transactions across a range of industries with a total value in excess of €20 billion."
