Alvarez & Marsal hires senior duo to push into music and entertainment dealmaking

Alvarez & Marsal has hired two senior professionals that will kickstart the firm’s expansion into the music and entertainment sectors.

Appointed a Managing Director and Senior Director respectively, Dean James and Nilufar Fowler are part of the Corporate Finance practice and will focus on setting up Alvarez & Marsal’s dealmaking presence in the scene. They bring extensive experience in music and entertainment, having previously co-founded Samba Group, a buy-and-build holding company operating at the intersection of live music and marketing services across the UK, US and Australia.

James has more than 25 years of experience leading commercial transformation, growth and fundraising for music, live entertainment and marketing services businesses globally. He has co-led Mean Fiddler, which was sold to Live Nation in 2005, and MAMA Group, which became the UK’s largest live music business and world’s largest artist management group and was bought by HMV Group in 2010.

Over his career, James has raised £250 million via public offerings, private equity, venture capital, and family offices.

Commenting on his appointment, James said: “Strong consumer demand for live experiences and increasing brand investment is driving double-digit growth across the live music and entertainment markets. As deal activity and investment across the sector continue to accelerate, there is growing demand for high-quality strategic advisory across M&A, capital raising, sponsorship deals and partnerships.”

“With Alvarez & Marsal’s global platform, we are well positioned to help clients capitalise on this momentum and support their long-term growth ambitions.”

Fowler brings expertise in client growth and business development roles. She spent 18 years at WPP, most recently leading the firm’s Global Strategic Partnerships function across martech, adtech, cloud, commerce, AI, entertainment and channels.

Commenting on her appointment, Fowler said: “Live and immersive music and entertainment experiences have become central to consumer and brand engagement, driving more strategic partnerships across the industry. I’m excited to join the Alvarez & Marsal team alongside Dean as we grow this capability and help clients structure partnerships and transactions that create long-term value.”

Both are based in at Tileyard London, a popular base for many artists and music and entertainment businesses.

Jonathan Boyers, Managing Director and Head of Corporate Finance for EMEA, said: “With global live music and immersive entertainment markets now exceeding $170 billion in combined value, we see a significant opportunity to support brands as deal activity accelerates. Dean and Nilufar bring a unique combination of sector expertise and entrepreneurial experience, which will further strengthen our offering in these disruptive markets primed for growth.”